Bruno Senna this week admitted he is in promising negotiations to step up into a formula one race drive in 2009.

The 24-year-old Brazilian, who was born mere months before his late uncle Ayrton made his own grand prix debut in 1984, revealed that his good opening season in GP2 has led him to talks with F1 teams.

"I guess it gave me good possibilities to go to formula one next year," said Senna, who finished the sport's feeder series second behind champion Giorgio Pantano.

"We have been speaking with quite a few teams and there is great interest from a few of them," he told reporters at a Mercedes event in Germany.

"So there are a few opportunities as a race driver, a few as a test driver, but there is a lot of competition and I need to come ahead of the competition right now on the negotiations and see if I can get a race drive," Senna added.

It is believed that Toro Rosso - co-owned by a close friend of the Senna family, Gerhard Berger - is Senna's most promising opportunity to take up a spot on the 2009 Melbourne grid.

There are also openings at other teams, including Honda, but opportunities there are likely to be limited to test driver roles.

"Toro Rosso is one of the possibilities, not the only one, but it can make the whole difference and for sure he (Berger) still gives me great advice and help all the way," said Senna.

Source: GMM