Davidson wants to impress while testing for BAR this season

Davidson will test for BAR on the Fridays of race weekends this year and deputise if Jenson Button or Takuma Sato become ill or injured.

Davidson, who competed in two Grands Prix for Minardi in 2002, said: "I hope my performances will get noticed.

"This is one of my biggest opportunities."

He added: "You never know what could happen."

Davidson knows there could be plenty of F1 drives available in 2005.

Several contracts expire at the end of the 2004 season, including at BAR, where Button is bring linked with a return to Williams when Juan Pablo Montoya switches to McLaren.

"We could have been in the running for a pay drive, going down the Justin Wilson route," added the 24-year-old, referring to fellow Brit Wilson, who is struggling to stay in F1 after losing his drive at Jaguar.

"But it seems better to be in a top team and getting paid to drive a Formula One car. I'll learn a lot without being too much in the limelight."

Davidson, who tested for BAR last season, was promoted to third driver after Sato succeeded former world champion Jacques Villeneuve as Button's team-mate for the 2004 campaign.