This week's Grapevine brings you information fresh from the paddock on: Jordan: The Real Thing? Silly Season: That Montoya Rumour

Jordan: The Real Thing?

With the world financial climate looking relatively bleak for the short and medium term future, there's no surprise that half the rumours floating around the in crowd are funding related. Usually, the biggest coups relate to who has managed to lure which sponsor from whom, and what the impact will be on the loser; however, at this point, the emphasis seems to be more on how to bring more money into the sport, rather than poaching it from competitors.

That said, there is more than one team with an eye to benefiting from Prost's misfortune: should the team fail to make the grid in Melbourne, don't be surprised if the Acer branding has made its way onto another car... Arrows and Jordan are both supposed to be very interested in attracting the sponsor's backing in return for some high speed advertising space. And since Malaysia got in to bed with Minardi, there's more than a sniff of interest from Sauber, who are rightly concerned about the loss of Petronas' funding in the short term. Even if Prost remain in the Championship, the sponsorship could change hands: Prost might be persuaded to sell up the contract for short term cash, rather than go under before the end of the season.

For all of Jordan's supposed interest in Acer, there are more interesting rumours that the team are courting the world's biggest sponsorship giant: Coca-Cola could be taking pride of place on the rear wing, if the rumoured plans come together. A three year, big money contract, sufficient to bank-roll the company through the recession, with options for a three year, sliding scale extension, pursuant to performances through the initial period. In other words, the sort of golden goose that small and medium sized teams can, typically, only dream of.

There's an element of sense in such a deal. Since Formula One returned to the States, the improved exposure there has made it a more attractive "world marketing" proposition; mix in the Jordan image, which is youthful, fun and going places, and there is a strong match to the Coke branding.

As always, there is a cautionary tale associated with all such rumours. It's well known that Benson & Hedges have reduced their funding levels, commensurate with both a withdrawal from advertising in the sport ahead of the tobacco sponsorship ban, and the reduced marketing spent in line with most of the world's larger companies. The hole this puts into Jordan's budget is not inconsiderable - so it would be no surprise that this rumour is a ploy, aimed at planting the thought that another company believes it worthwhile coming in as title sponsor. This alone could be sufficient leverage to persuade Benson & Hedges to extend their funding, to retain the coveted rear wing advertising board.

Or, on the other hand, it could be a gambit pointed at luring Acer on board: after all, any team who is good enough for Coca-Cola dollars, is clearly a good bet for anyone: though, obviously, the price per square inch of car surface will be necessarily higher.

Silly Season: That Montoya Rumour

It is no surprise to learn that driver's agents have an almost magical tendency to encounter rival team principals on holiday, or passing through airports, where there is room for a quiet word on the prospects - and package expectations - of the drivers they are representing. It's even less surprising to learn that journalists have an unerring talent for passing through the same airports at the same time: and whether or not an observed encounter actually includes conversation, let alone one that revolves around a driver, the potential alone makes for a good headline.

With the off season starting to look boring between launches, and limited world interest in the second seats at Minardi or Arrows, there was a sudden spate of rumours about Juan Pablo Montoya's future, apparently pinning him down as a future Ferrari driver at the expense of Rubens Barrichello. Even as race fans the world over salivated at the prospect of one of the sports newest shining lights taking the challenge to Michael Schumacher on equal terms, all parties moved swiftly to deny the rumour, quelling it before the boat could even consider rocking.

Of course, it's not really about getting Montoya into a Ferrari. Frank Williams has survived this long in the Piranha club through knowing precisely the value of his cars, his drivers, and most importantly, his lawyers. He makes no bones of ensuring that when a driver is signed to his team, he stays signed. The price of breaking Montoya's contract is decidedly prohibitive: so much so, that even Ferrari would have to think very hard before attempting to swallow it, signing a driver who has not yet won a World Championship. No, in this case, it is about taking advantage of two possibilities: ensuring that, by making them worry about keeping a star on board, when Williams take up their option on Montoya for 2003, his compensation is comparable to his exceptionally well paid teammate; and taking the perfect chance to try and destabilising Rubens Barrichello.

Ironically, the rumour was not started by Montoya, or anyone working on his behalf. The pointers for this one go back to McLaren, who would benefit most from the fuss. The more Williams have to pay Montoya to take up the option on him for 2003, the less they can spend on their car. The team are already looking unhappy at forking out on Ralf's massive pay rise, since the subsequent economic slowdown is threatening their sponsorship income. Schumacher, though favourite for the title, has an unassailable position at Ferrari. On the other hand, ever since Eddie Irvine demonstrated that Barrichello can be thrown off by mind games, he has been a target for rumours concerning the security of his future. When he's at his best, he'll finish alongside Schumacher, but continued work on this chink in his armour could well be enough to slip a McLaren or two between the Ferraris over a race distance.

The good news for Silly Season fans is, should Montoya continue into 2002 as he finished 2001, his ever rising star will fuel a whole heap more rumours concerning his bright future, and the limited teams that can offer it to him.