Sunday October 13th, 2002

By Alan Baldwin

Alex Yoong, Malaysia's first Formula One driver, is looking into racing in America next year after what was probably his last Grand Prix appearance today.

"I'm looking at America but I don't think Formula One is totally out of the question either," the 26-year-old Minardi driver said at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Minardi owner Paul Stoddart said earlier in the year that Yoong could test for the tail-end team but will not be racing. Yoong, dropped by Minardi for two races this season after he failed to qualify on three occasions, said he had raised his game since he returned last month.

He said he would be interested in CART rather than the rival IRL series in America, and said any testing duties with Minardi would have to be meaningful.

"About two races ago he (Stoddart) talked to my father about it (testing), but he's been talking about me being a test driver since midway through the season," he said. "To be a test driver and do a whole year's testing would be a good idea but I don't think Minardi can offer me the right amount of testing duties that I would need or want.

"This year I have done a total of five days testing. And that's a regular driver doing five days so I think any Minardi test driver is going to get half a day. So there is no real meaning in my being a test driver."

Yoong said the Malaysian sponsors would in any case want him in the car as a race driver.

"I have not been talking to the Malaysian sponsors in detail about next year. I'll be certainly talking to them over the winter and we'll see what happens."

High Point

He said his experience with Minardi would remain the high point of his motor racing career even if he had a few regrets.

"The results weren't what I expected them to be, I didn't qualify for three races, and it was very disappointing for me personally. But I've done no testing all year."

Yoong said that his country could not expect to have another Formula One racer in a hurry.

"We've got a couple of guys who look like racing in Formula Three at the moment. I think if they keep at it they could go somewhere but realistically they are still a long way from being ready.

"We've got some young kids who are in karting now who are very promising for the future but they've got nowhere to go from there. There's no racing in Malaysia."

Published at 17:00:20 GMT