Philippe to land Toro Rosso test seat

(GMM) Champ Car race winner Nelson Philippe is on the verge of landing a ride as Toro Rosso's test driver.

The 20-year-old Frenchman was spotted in the formula one paddock in Melbourne last month and reportedly met with Renault boss Flavio Briatore and spoke about a management deal.

He was also shown around Albert Park by former Minardi F1 team boss Paul Stoddart, who has bought the Champ Car team (CTE-HVM Racing) that Philippe raced for last year.

At the end of 2005, Stoddart sold his Faenza based grand prix team to Red Bull, who renamed it Toro Rosso.

STR, co-owned by former grand prix winner Gerhard Berger, has not yet announced a replacement for its Champ Car-bound test driver of 2006, Neel Jani.