Grapevine: Montoya interest stirs driver market

In the aftermath of McLaren's capture of Fernando Alonso, there has been plenty of speculation that Dennis would be in the driving seat when it came to deciding who the Spaniard's teammate would be after he joins the team.

With one seat already taken for 2007, Dennis may have been thinking that he would be able to dictate terms and keep a lid on drivers' wage demands when it came to negotiations over a new contract with either Kimi Raikkonen or Montoya.

But with sources suggesting that McLaren's options on both Raikkonen and Montoya were not taken up by their expiry date on December 31, both drivers could now in theory be free to not only begin talks with rival teams but also sign another deal.

There has been no doubt that Raikkonen has generated interest from other teams, believed to include Ferrari and Toyota, as he seriously considers a switch of teams, but autosport.com also understands that Montoya's availability has excited several outfits as well.

It is not clear who these teams are, but they would likely include Red Bull Racing, where Montoya would be able to renew his working partnership with Adrian Newey. A lot of drivers are going to be keen to get their hands on a Newey-designed car in 2007.

Although Raikkonen's departure would not be a big surprise to the outside world, a Montoya defection as well could leave Dennis struggling to find a top-line driver to put alongside Alonso.

The options are limited and it could leave Dennis needing to take a gamble on a young up-and-coming driver - with some suggesting that test driver Gary Paffett or even McLaren protege Lewis Hamilton could be given their F1 race chance.

The scenario leaves Raikkonen, Montoya and Dennis set to play an intriguing game of poker over the forthcoming season in their bid to land the best possible deal as F1's silly season gets into full swing.