Grapevine: Telefonica wants Montoya at Renault

The McLaren driver will be out of contract at the end of this year and his recent comments claiming he was open to offers from rival teams appears to have kicked Renault's backers into action.

According to insiders, Telefonica was left far from impressed at Fernando Alonso's decision to defect to McLaren in 2007 - especially because the team will be sponsored by telecommunications rival Vodafone.

With Telefonica keen to tap into both Spain and the Spanish-speaking South American market through its F1 involvement, having just withdrawn from its sponsorship involvement in MotoGP, company bosses are believed to have set their sights on capturing Montoya after his recent outspoken comments regarding his future.

Montoya had said: "I am looking around to see what I am going to do. It's not decided what is going to happen here (at McLaren), but I am open to offers. I've got to see what I'm going to do, but I can't wait to see whether Ron [Dennis] makes his mind up."

It is understood that Telefonica has already made contact with Montoya's manager Julian Jakobi, and although it is not thought a deal is imminent, Telefonica is believed to be putting pressure on the Renault management to chase hard after Montoya.

Telefonica could take over as Renault's title sponsor in 2007, with Mild Seven pulling out of the sport at the end of this year, and that financial input would likely give them a say in driver preference.

Speaking to autosport.com in Barcelona last month, Montoya admitted that an offer from Renault would be very tempting.

"I think at the moment if you had an option from Ferrari or Renault or Williams like they used to be, or a long-term commitment from another team, then you would take it," he said.

However, the major hurdle in convincing Montoya to come on board is the uncertainty about Renault's long-term participation in F1.

Montoya has made it clear that he would prefer a lengthy contract, while Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn has reiterated today that the French car manufacturer will only stay in the sport as long as it made business sense to the carmaker.

However, Renault's title success last year and the fact that their R26 appears to be the benchmark at the moment will make any serious offer from the team very tempting for Montoya - especially at a time when McLaren have lost a lot of major technical staff.

Remaining at McLaren in 2007 remains an option for Montoya, although there is also believed to be some interest from Toyota's bosses in Japan now that the Colombian has made it clear he is on the market.