Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat alleges that a deal has been made but  that no confirmation will be made until both race seats have been filled.

Kobayashi had hoped for a race with Toyota, but the Japanese manufacturer have pulled out of the sport.

Giancarlo Fisichella, Nick Heidfeld and Pedro de la Rosa are believed to be on Sauber’s shortlist, and Peter Sauber has already expressed a desire for a blend of youth and experience behind the wheel.

It is also rumoured that Belgian driver Bertand Baguette (what a name!) will get the test and reserve driver role in Sauber, if you believe comments made by his manager. Baguette drove for BMW Sauber during the last day of the youngsters’ test in Jerez.

Turun Sanomat has also reported Malaysian oil company Petronas will maintain it’s backing of the Swiss team.

The 2009 Formula 1 cars were back on track today as 12 of the hottest young chargers tried to top the timesheets.

And it was Spanish driver Andy Soucek who took the spoils in the Williams-Toyota, with the fastest time of 1m19.158 from 87 laps of Jerez.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for the current FIA Formula 2 champion, however, as he spun forcing a red flag during the test session.

Scottish Paul di Resta was second in the Force India-Mercedes followed by Brit Gary Paffett in the McLaren.

Mike Conway, who competed in Indy Cars for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing last season, was behind the wheel of the Brawn GP car and managed 6th place, behind Jules Bianchi in the Ferrari (5th) and Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bull-Renault (4th).

On today’s drive in the F60 Bianchi said:

“I am really proud to have made my Formula 1 debut at the wheel of a Ferrari, for the greatest team in the world. At the start, I was being careful not to make any mistakes, then once I felt confident, I pushed harder. The team spirit here is incredible and I hope I have made a positive impression on them and I want to do even better tomorrow.”

British Formula 3 Champion Daniel Ricciardo was delighted with his outing in the Red-Bull Renault. The Australian red Bull junior driver said:

“I don’t think I stopped smiling all day.”

“Working with the team was great and they let me go at my own pace until I built up some confidence. After that, we began working on things that will be useful for next season.

“This was the first time I’ve ever driven a Formula One car round corners, having previously only done a straight line test and I have to say, it’s got more grip than anything else I’ve ever driven.”

In seventh place was Alexander Rossi in the BMW Sauber. The American said:

“I very much enjoyed this day. It is impressive what the car does, how predictable and precise its reactions are, and how high the overall grip level is. But I have to admit I am also a little bit disappointed because being a racing driver you always want to be the fastest!

“I think in the afternoon we didn’t manage to find the perfect balance. Physically I have to say it was as demanding as I expected it would be.

“The power steering is a great help compared to GP2, but the g-forces obviously are higher.”

Belgian driver Bertrand Baguette secured the Renault F1 test drive after winning the 3.5 category of the World Series by Renault earlier in the year. After completing 105 laps, in 9th place, Baguette said:

“This was my first time in an F1 car and I really enjoyed it. There’s a huge difference between the F1 car and a World Series car, especially the efficiency of the brakes, which is incredible, and the speed you can carry through the quick corners.

“Also, it’s a completely different world and I’ve been getting used to working with five or six engineers instead of just one. We started the day with a long run so that I could get used to the car and then we started the technical programme as I worked on improving the set-up of the car.

“It was an amazing experience for me and I hope to do this again in the future.”

Testing continues at Jerez tomorrow.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009: Jerez testing
1. Andy Soucek (Williams-Toyota) 1m19.158s (@87 laps)
2. Paul di Resta (Force India-Mercedes) 1m19.369s (@46 laps)
3. Gary Paffett (McLaren-Mercedes) 1m19.426s (@54 laps)
4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull-Renault) 1m19.534s (@113 laps)
5. Jules Bianchi (Ferrari) 1m19.626s (@91 laps)
6. Mike Conway (Brawn GP-Mercedes) 1m19.920s (@58 laps)
7. Alexander Rossi (BMW Sauber) 1m20.227s (@82 laps)
8. Marcus Ericsson (Brawn GP-Mercedes) 1m20.333s (@50 laps)
9. Bertrand Baguette (Renault) 1m20.511s (@105 laps)
10. JR Hildebrand (Force India-Mercedes) 1m20.537s (@49 laps)
11. Oliver Turvey (McLaren-Mercedes) 1m20.856s (@27 laps)
12. Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 1m21.325s (@69 laps)

Images from today’s test are in our gallery.

The new Mercedes team have today announced their two drivers for the Young Drivers Test at Jerez, Spain which will take place later this month – Mike Conway and Marcus Ericsson.

Mike Conway, the 26 year old from Kent, England has previously won the Formula Renault and British F3 titles. This year he has competed in the IndyCar series, with his only podium being a third place. He finished 17th in the drivers standings.

The 19 year old Swede Marcus Ericsonn won the Formula BMW title in 2007 and just this year he has triumphed and won the Japanese F3 title.

The full list of young drivers heading for Jerez so far is:

BMW Sauber:
Alexander Rossi
Esteban Gutierrez

Mercedes:
Mike Conway
Marcus Ericsson

Ferrari:
Jules Bianchi
Daniel Zampieri
Marco Zipoli
Pablo Sanchez Lopez

Force India:
Paul di Resta
JR Hildebrand

McLaren:
TBC

Red Bull Racing:
Daniel Ricciardo

Renault:
Bertrand Baguette
Lucas di Grassi

Toro Rosso:
Brendon Hartley
Mirko Bortolotti

Williams:
Andy Soucek
Nico Hulkenberg

2009 Formula Renault 3.5 series champion Bertrand Baguette will test for Renault in Jerez next month – his first time in an F1 car. The Belgian driver will take to the wheel on December 1st.

Baguette said:

“This will be a great first for me. It’s all my childhood dreams come true and, at the same time, it’s every racing driver’s ultimate goal.

“It’s thanks to Renault that I was able to get into single-seater racing, by winning a programme set up by Renault in Belgium to discover up-and-coming young talent from karting.

“Since then, I’ve driven every Renault single-seater, from Formula Renault 1.6 to Formula Renault 3.5 via Formula Renault 2.0. Driving the Renault F1 R29 kind of completes the set as far as I’m concerned! The first few laps in Formula 1 must be really unbelievable, with a lighter, more powerful car that has just phenomenal cornering speeds.

“I’ll have everything to learn, not just the car itself, but also a new environment, lots of new parameters, a different way of working. The only thing I will be familiar with will be the Jerez circuit!”

“The most important thing for me is not really driving the fastest possible lap,” he added. “The aim of this day will be to work hard with the team and to carry out the test programme that Renault F1 Team is going to define seriously and professionally.

“Rather than my outright speed, it will be my ability to analyse the car’s handling and my communication with the members of the team that will be gauged. I can’t wait.

“I’m going to have to take things one step at a time and be cautious. It’s a terrific opportunity to be able to take part in testing with a team as prestigious as the Renault F1 Team.”

Renault have already signed one driver for the 2010 season – Robert Kubica, however more recently the rumours have circulated as to whether the Enstone based team will stay in Formula 1 for next season.