Thursday June 1st, 2000

Benetton boss Flavio Briatore said on Thursday he was a firm believer in young talent but failed to offer much public support to his struggling Austrian driver Alexander Wurz.

With speculation still surrounding Wurz's Formula One future, Briatore was asked ahead of Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix about future changes.

Asked specifically about 26-year-old Wurz's future with the team, Briatore replied with a curt "I don't know."

Pressed several times to say whether Wurz would finish the season with Benetton, Briatore said "I have no idea about that."

Paddock rumours have suggested that Benetton were interested in signing the unsettled former world champion Jacques Villeneuve from BAR and Briatore made no secret of his admiration of the Canadian driver.

"A driver like Villeneuve, everybody wants... If you want to win you need a winning driver," he said.

But he said Benetton needed to get a lot better before they could think of securing someone like him.

"I don't think we are ready with the car to have a driver like Jacques Villeneuve. We need to have the technical situation under control."

Briatore, who returned to Benetton in March after French carmaker Renault bought out the team, said he had not yet had time to make all the changes he wanted to make.

"It's not something you do in an hour or two months," the Italian said.

Benetton are fourth in the constructors championships, but Wurz has yet to score a point while his Italian team mate Giancarlo Fisichella has scored 10.

"I'm very happy with Giancarlo. He had a very good race in Germany and he's motivated," Briatore said.

Benetton, without an official test driver, have also been trying out two youngsters recently.

"I still always believe in young talent," said Briatore, adding that Brazilian Antonio Pizzonia had done a good test drive in Spain recently and would be testing for Benetton again at Monza shortly with Italian Giorgio Pantano.