Wheldon pitches for BMW seat.

IRL champion-elect, and 2005 Indianapolis 500 winner, Dan Wheldon is understood to be pitching for a Formula One seat for next season.

The Briton's manager Julian Jakobi has been canvassing both Williams and BMW on his behalf and, on Friday, met with the latter's Mario Theissen in the Interlagos paddock. BMW will set up its own team in 2006, having severed its ties with Williams and bought into the Sauber set-up, but has only filled one of its two seats - despite the claims of current Sauber incumbent Jacques Villeneuve.

Wheldon, who was a karting rival of Jenson Button, had hoped that his Honda connections from the IRL would lead to an opportunity with BAR in F1. However, following Button's successful exit from his Williams contract, the Brackley team's race seats are filled for the next few years, and there is no shortage of young talent on tap, with four drivers having been signed to BAR's development programme in recent weeks.

Jakobi didn't want to comment on Wheldon's chances at either team, but told Crash.net: "All I can say is that he hasn't re-signed with Andretti-Green yet."

He added that Wheldon's winning record spoke for itself, with the Briton poised to add the IRL crown to his resume simply by starting this weekend's event at Watkins Glen. Having impressed in his homeland, Wheldon turned his attention to the USA when the finances to move up the ladder failed to materialise, but won rookie crowns in each of the three feeder series he contested before getting his IRL break with Panther Racing. He is the first Englishman to the win the Indy 500 since Graham Hill in 1966, and will be the first to win both the 500 and the IRL title. The last man to do the double of 500 and series title - albeit in CART - was one Jacques Villeneuve ten years ago

The 27-year old could face competition from GP2 pace-setter Nico Rosberg at Williams, while Villeneuve insists that his Sauber contract should be honoured by BMW when it assumes control of the Swiss team at the end of the season.

Jakobi is well known in F1 circles, as he also manages Juan Pablo Montoya and Pedro de la Rosa, and, in the past, worked with Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Villeneuve.