The driver market remains largely hinged on Alonso's destination and the identity of his replacement at
McLaren. The Woking team continues to hold interest in several drivers - apparently including
Nico Rosberg and
Heikki Kovalainen, despite the German having been confirmed at
Williams. Should he be prised away from Grove, the market could shift again, potentially opening further options for Alonso, and it appears, albeit unintentionally, as if the Spaniard is playing another game of cat-and-mouse with McLaren.
Ross Brawn's arrival at
Honda may make the Brackley team more enticing for the out-going world champion, but would have to off-load either
Jenson Button or
Rubens Barrichello to make room for him. Likewise, if the speculation about Toyota or BMW proves correct, it would mean bad news for one of the four drivers apparently confirmed at Cologne or Hinwil.
BMW's Mario Theissen did not sound like a man considering dropping either
Nick Heidfeld - another apparent McLaren target - or
Robert Kubica when he spoke to
Crash.net at the weekend, while
Timo Glock has been announced at
Toyota, leaving only
Jarno Trulli - who believes he is secure alongside the German - as the weakest link.
Red Bull, too, has two drivers apparently contracted for 2008, with
David Coulthard and
Mark Webber confirmed well before the end of the season. The Scot has already spoken out against Alonso's arrival, claiming that he has a watertight deal that means he cannot be pushed aside to
Scuderia Toro Rosso - as has been rumoured - while Webber is expected to have similar clauses in his arrangement.
