Anthony Davidson has confirmed he is in talks with Jordan and BMW over a race drive for next season.
The Englishman has forged a strong reputation in his career as a BAR-Honda test driver but is now determined to step up to racing.
His contract at BAR expires at the end of this month and Davidson has already been approached by Jordan about next season, when they will be rebranded as Midland.
The 26-year-old has been told he would not need to bring any money to Midland for a race seat in 2006, even though current drivers Tiago Monteiro and Narain Karthikeyan have contributed millions for their opportunities.
"The thing is that normally driving that far down the pit lane you are looking at spending a lot of cash and we just literally haven't had that kind of money," he said.
"Now they are saying that they can do something so it opens up the opportunity to be on the grid. Basically all I want to do next year is be on the grid.
"It's got to the stage where I just want to be racing. You can only do so much testing as a young guy."
Jordan are not the only team interested in Davidson, with Sauber - who have been bought by BMW - also in negotiations.
Sauber are long-time admirers of the Hemel Hempstead-born driver and they have at least one berth to fill after Felipe Massa signed for Ferrari, with Jacques Villeneuve's future also rumoured to be in doubt.
Davidson confirmed discussions have been held but is not expecting a decision soon.
He added: "We've been talking to BMW as well for next year. We spoke to them a couple of races back but at the moment it seems they have got quite a lot of time to make a decision."
Davidson, who has been in Formula One for five seasons, is desperate to prove himself as a racer after only three starts so far in his career. He retired from his two efforts in a Minardi in 2002 before an early engine problems ruined his BAR debut earlier this year.
He is eager to earn a full-time race seat after four years without any regular competition.
"I love racing so much," he said. "I feel it is probably my greatest strength as a driver. Wheel-to-wheel stuff has always been what I've enjoyed.
"I have always found testing a bit monotonous really but I've been good at it. It's just a shame no-one has really seen me race. I don't see myself as a tester, I still see myself as a racer."
Despite his talks with other teams, Davidson's heart remains at BAR, who he has helped build into regular podium finishers.
His stay there could be over at the end of this month with no arrangement yet in place to allow him to continue testing once his current deal has expired.
But Davidson retains some hope of a race driver should Jenson Button fail in his attempt to escape his Williams contract and partner Rubens Barrichello at BAR in 2006.
The former British Formula Three runner-up said: "This is where I want to be. Out of all of them this is where I'd fit in, I know the car and the team and I'd love to have the opportunity here.
"At the end of the day if I can't get a drive here I will look elsewhere. It's always worth pushing so in my mind there is always a chance."
Originally Posted by ^^v
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