Despite rumours Jos Verstappen will, on Monday, be announced as a Jordan driver for 2004, team owner Eddie Jordan is targeting former Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld as the man he wants to lead the Irish team in the 2004 Formula One championship.

Former Minardi-driver Verstappen has emerged as a front- runner for one of the vacant seats at Jordan in recent weeks, the Dutchman's chances of landing one of the grid's few remaining drives being buoyed by heavy sponsorship backing from the Trust computer company and from Dutch property development group Muermans.

But while Verstappen can dangle the carrot of a rumoured $10 million in personal backing in front of the financially-troubled Jordan team, sources close to the Irish squad have indicated Heidfeld is being lined up as Jordan's preferred choice and that the team principal has been attempting to put together a sponsorship package that will allow the under-rated German to pilot this season's Jordan EJ14 car.

According to the source, Jordan, within the past fortnight, travelled to Germany to meet with representatives of Deutsche Post in an attempt to reinvigorate the logistics company's interest in Formula One, which it backed away from at the end of 2002, after spending a year and a rumoured $23 million as Jordan's title sponsor.

Despite the company's withdrawal from the sport following a period of retrenchment in the post-September 11th economic downturn, Jordan is believed to have maintained good relations with the company and is seeking to sell them Heidfeld as of similar benefit to the company's promotional activities as Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jordan's last German driver, who fronted high-profile television commercials for Deutsche Post in his native country.

Heidfeld's case for being awarded the drive was strengthened by a solid showing at a three-day test he undertook for Jordan at the beginning of last December, where the German adapted quickly to the team EJ13 car and set a fourth fastest time between three Ferraris but ahead of the BAR's of Takuma Sato and Jenson Button and, crucially, almost a second ahead of 2003 Jordan driver Ralph Firman.

The German's chances, though, appeared to be evaporating in recent days as Dutch media reports insisted Verstappen had signed a deal with the Irish team and would be confirmed next week. However, Jordan and the Dutchman's manager, Raymond Vermeulen, yesterday denied any announcement would be made on Monday.

"It could last another few weeks. Late January? Maybe even February, but it could all gain momentum in which case it would all be over earlier," Vermeulen told Verstappen's website. "Tomorrow the situation could be different altogether. We are positive about developments, talks are continuing."

A Jordan spokesman confirmed no deal had yet been done, saying: "Eddie (Jordan) is still looking carefully at the shortlist of available drivers."

The intangible for the team owner is where a Dutch/German driver pairing will leave main sponsor Benson & Hedges. The tobacco company is known to be keen on maintaining a British driver at Jordan, and Firman's passage to a race seat at the team last year was believed to have been considerably smoothed by his Irish passport and English upbringing, which appealed to the company's marketeers.

The company, which has acted as title sponsor for Jordan for all but one of the last eight seasons, is believed to be keen to continue its association with Jordan.

Likewise, Firman's future appears to be in the balance. The Anglo-Irish driver scored a single point in his rookie F1 season, at the Spanish Grand Prix, but was hampered by a lack of testing.

Meanwhile, Jordan announced yesterday it will renew winter testing on Janauary 20th in Barcelona, where, over a four-day test, it will run the EJ13 for the last time. This season's EJ14 challenger is likley to be available for the following test at Silverstone starting on February 1st.