Petrobras Jr confirms Pizzonia and Sperafico.

Brazilians Antonio Pizzonia and Ricardo Sperafico have been announced by the Petrobras Junior Team as its drivers for the 2001 season, replacing champion Bruno Junqueira and his partner Jaime Melo Jr.

At a press conference Sao Paulo a couple of days ago, the young duo talked about their expectations concerning their debut season in the FIA International F3000 Championship which, this year, kicks off in their homeland.

Our first race in Sao Paulo will be very difficult," Pizzonia admitted, "On the one hand, it is a pleasure to race at home but, on the other, I wish it was the last race so that I would have time to gain experience. It will be the first time I have raced in Brazil since I left the country four years ago."

Pizzonia, who won the British Formula Three Championship in 2000, will be testing at the Interlagos circuit by the end of January.

"I need to get used to the cars," the self-styled 'Jungle Boy' explained, "They are heavier, more powerful and have a better braking system than the ones I have known until now."

To reach an agreement with Petrobras, Pizzonia had to say no to several F1 racing teams interested in using his talents to complement their testing programmes. The youngster ran with Benetton last season, and also had a test with Arrows a couple of weeks ago, before opting for a year in F3000.

"I think it was the best choice to sign with Petrobras," he explained, "The teams which wanted me as test driver wanted also to sign a three-year contract, what I think is too much. I am not experienced enough to race in F1, and I guess, after this season, I will be able to find something better for me."

His partner at Petrobras will be the 21-year old Sperafico, who hails from Parana in the southern part of Brazil. His credentials are as impressive as Pizzonia's, having won last year's Italian F3000 Championship title.

"I have a little advantage over my opponents because I am already used to the car," Sperafico smiled, "I've also raced at Monza and Interlagos, the circuits which will be part of the calendar for the first time. I think this can help me."

Petrobras, the biggest of the Brazilian oil companies, believes that the cost of the team for this season will be around US$2.4million, of which around 45 per cent needs to be found by the drivers and their personal sponsors.

"We have no interference in choosing the drivers," revealed Claudio Thompson, who co-ordinates Petrobras' motorsports sponsorships, "Paul Jackson and David Sears are in charge of that - Petrobras just wants both drivers to be Brazilians."

Thompson also stressed that the company would put no pressure on either driver to win the teams' or drivers' championship in their first year, although, from what they had seen, felt that Sperafico, in particular, may spring a surprise.

"We know it is their first season at the F3000 International Championship. We just want them to perform as well as they did in the lower categories", Thompson said.

"We were surprised to see Sperafico's performance during the tests in Jerez de la Frontera and Barcelona," added Paul Jackson, who was already familiar with Pizzonia's way of driving following the youngster's few, successful, seasons in Britain. Jungle Boy himself was also full of fighting talk, but mindful of the fact that F3000 remains a tough nut to crack.

"We want to fight for the title, but it is important to have in mind that it is our first year here and that Bruno Junqueira, for example, won the championship in his third year at the F3000, Pizzonia said.

The FIA F3000 campaign kicks off at Interlagos during the Brazilian GP weekend at the end of March.

Driver profiles - Petrobras Jr.

Antonio PIZZONIA

Name: Antonio Reginaldo PizzoniaPlace and date of birth: Manaus/Amazonas - 11/9/1980

Career:

Started in 1990, in Sao Paulo, racing with go-karting (Brazilian Champion)
British Formula Vauxhall Jr - 1997 - 2nd
British Formula Vauxhall Jr / Winter series - 1997 - 1st
British Formula Vauxhall Jr - 1998 - 1st
British Formula Renault / Winter series - 1998 - 1st
British Formula Renault - 1999 - 1st
European Formula Renault - 1999 - 2nd
British Formula 3 - 2000 - 1st
* Best driver in Formula Renault history (passing Alain Prost)
* 15 season wins in 1999
* 91 races: 47 wins, 74 podiums, 48 pole positions and 46 best laps

Ricardo SPERAFICO

Name: Ricardo Luiz SperaficoPlace and date of birth: Toledo/Parana - 23/7/1979

Career:

Started influenced by his father, Dilso Sperafico, a former Brazilian Stock Car driver.
British Formula Ford / Winter series - 1996 - 1st
Italian Formula 3000 - 2000 - 1st