Silly season gathers pace in Canada

Jenson Button has been the subject of much of the speculation, with strong rumours that the Briton is about to extend his Renault deal by a further two years. He is also believed to have been made an offer by Jaguar.

The British team which has been in the doldrums all season but which pays Eddie Irvine a handsome retainer is understood to have tabled an offer to retain his services in 2003, but at a much reduced rate.

At the same time, Irvine has been linked with a return to Jordan, who may have a seat available if Giancarlo Fisichella makes a move. Only a top team would appeal to the Italian and be able to afford him, and he is understood to have been in contact with McLaren. There could also be a Jordan seat available if the team switches from Honda engines and does not retain Takuma Sato.

McLaren is sure to keep faith with Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard has reiterated this weekend that he has a firm contract for 2003. Coulthard has been linked to Toyota, however. The Scot has been at McLaren for seven years. In previous seasons it has been a given that his preferred option would be to stay put, but with McLaren struggling for competitiveness this year, Monaco notwithstanding, it is conceivable that he might contemplate an offer from a team such as Toyota, whose performance can be expected to go north and who could provide him with a sizeable retainer.

Allan McNish's seat could be under pressure at Toyota, although he is believed to have been told that he is safe for a second year if he performs at a similar level to team mate Mika Salo.

Finally, it has been suggested that British American Racing boss David Richards might even contribute towards Jacques Villeneuve's salary if the 1997 World Champion were to move to Renault. Flavio Briatore has shown previous interest in Villeneuve and that would save Richards from having to fork out 25% of the team's budget on Villeneuve's retainer if he stays at BAR.