Motor racing: Formula One chance for McRae

COLIN McRAE, the former world rally champion, has been offered a drive in Formula One. The 30-year-old Scot, who is set for victory today in the Rally of Portugal, will test drive a Stewart Formula One car later this year and could eventually make the switch to grand prix racing.

McRae, who won the world rally championship in 1995, has driven a Formula One car before. Back in 1996, a publicity stunt gave him the opportunity to swap places with Martin Brundle and drive a Jordan while his fellow Briton took the wheel of his championship-winning Subaru. Brundle subsequently entered the 1996 British Rally in a Ford, while the late Jim Clark, twice the Formula One world champion, also tried rallying.

"To drive in Formula One is something I have been thinking about for quite a while," McRae said. "If I do the test and I am competitive, then I must consider what I might be getting into. If I am committed, there is no reason why I couldn't drive in Formula One."