In a telephone press conference this afternoon, Paul Stoddart was giving nothing away regarding possible drivers for his Champ Car project.

In the press release announcing the deal, which sees the former Minardi F1 boss join Keith Wiggins' CTE Racing HVM Team, it was revealed that the Indianapolis based outfit will be entering a "multi-car team", leading to suggestions that three or even four drivers could be entered during 2007.

Though Stoddart remained tight-lipped there is sure to be speculation as to the identity of his drivers.

Nelson Philippe and Dan Clark, who finished fourth and twelfth in the 2006 championship, are both in talks with the team and at least one of them is likely to be retained. However, during today's conference Stoddart hinted that there could be room for Katherine Legge, Jos Verstappen or perhaps Robert Doornbos.

We can't say anything for now, said the Australian, "but we are looking at a number of options."

Legge, Doornbos and Verstappen all have links with Minardi, Jos having raced for the Italian team in 2003 and Robert in 2005, while Legge had her first taste of F1 driving a Minardi at Vallelunga in November last year.

Speaking of Verstappen, who lost his place in the Netherlands A1 GP team just days before the start of the second season following a disagreement over money, Stoddart said: "Jos would be an asset to the series and to the team."

The Australian admitted that funding from his friend and former sponsor Harry Muermans could smooth the way for a Dutch driver. "Harry is not just a business partner but also a friend of mine," said Stoddart, "and he will have some involvement in the team, though the exact nature has not yet been finalised." The Australian then admitted that he met with Muermans in Rotterdam at the weekend.

Referring to Verstappen and Doornbos, Stoddart said: "I have a good relationship with the Netherlands," said Stoddart. "We employed several Dutch drivers, and therefore we had many Dutch fans. I think we can look forward to some exciting announcements in the New Year."

Asked why he chose Champ Car, Stoddart said that the series gives everyone a reasonable chance “without having to go into the stratosphere for a budget”, a clear reference to F1. He also said that the series is “refreshingly free of politics”, certainly compared to F1.

He also said that after spending five years in charge of Minardi in F1, despite his best efforts the sport didn't appear to want to be fan friendly, whereas Champ Car goes out of its way to entertain and allow the fans to get close.

The team, like its nine rivals, takes delivery of its first chassis, the Panoz DP01, on Wednesday (20), with testing due to begin at Sebring on January 23-25.