Jean Alesi's name is the latest to be thrown into the ring of possible replacements for sacked Jordan driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen, but where the rampant speculation of last week was founded on conspiracy theory and wild rumour, Alesi's candidacy appears to be built of more solid stuff.
While a spokesperson for Jordan refused to comment at Hockenheim yesterday, sources close to both Alesi and his team, Prost GP, admitted discussion were being held.
Alesi's management team, when asked whether the two teams were talking about a deal simply said: "We cannot deny it."
Prost team personnel also confirmed to that the two teams may be close to a deal, saying: "We're talking."
That, however was denied by Prost boss Alain Prost, the four-time world champion insisting he had binding deals with his two drivers, Alesi and Brazilian Lucian Burti.
Prost's denials aren't completely watertight, however, with other sources within Jordan suggesting that during the course of the German Grand Prix weekend "there had been a lot of comings and goings" between the two teams.
Alesi himself, speaking after he had secured his third point of the season for Prost said he expected to make an announcement regarding his future within the next few days.
The move makes sense to both Alesi and Prost for financial reasons, if nothing else. Prost GP has been in financial trouble since the start of the season, since main sponsor Gauloises pulled out of F1. A replacement was found, in South American cable TV company PSN, but the revenue is believed to be substantially less than the deal from the cigarette company. Short of much-needed finance, Prost this year turned to the Diniz family, which bought into the team this year through former driver Pedro Diniz.
Prost himself maintains a fragile hold on the company and is believed to want to keep control and is reportedly talking to a number of new sponsors. In the short-term though, the company is in difficulty and a buy-out of Alesi's contract by Jordan would represent some much needed operating capital for a team that this weekend was rumoured to have been unable to afford a supply of napkins for its multi-million dollar motor home.
For Alesi it would mean release from a team that is believed to have paid no part of his $2million salary this year.
If Alesi does move to Jordan for the remaining five races of the season, it will be the reinstatement of a partnership which dates as far back as 1989 when Alesi won the Formula 3000 championship for the Irishman.
The contractual sparring occurring in the paddock took away from a race that was won by Williams' Ralf Schumacher and that was characterised by a massive start line smash involving world champion Michael Schumacher.
The German got away from the line only to immediately suffer a gearbox problem which saw him slow to almost to a halt. Careering up behind the Ferrari man was Prost's Burti. The Brazilian's view was obscured by Jordan's Ricardo Zonta and the as Zonta avoided Schumacher, Burti ploughed into the back of the German at over 130 mph, a smash that launched the Brazilian into the air and landed him on top of the Arrows of Enrique Bernoldi. Miraculously, no driver was hurt and all made the grid for a re-start.
