'Hill is back on the up'- Jordan

He said he now expects Hill to match his team-mate Heinz-Harald Frentzen and help secure third place in the Constructors' Championship.

'Damon was very close to scoring a point in Spain and I think he is back on the up,' said Jordan. 'He is at a difficult stage in his career with the media always trying to disclose what he is going to do in the future.

'Even I do not ask him (about that), and I have more right than most! There is no doubt he has it in him, and our third place in the championship rests just as much on Damon as on anyone else in the team.'

Hill won the Canadian Grand Prix while driving for Williams in 1996, but his best result this year has been 4th at Imola. The Jordan driver has been slower than his team-mate Frentzen most of the time, and rumours have persisted that he plans to retire at the end of the season, if he is not dropped by Jordan anyway. The Englishman currently lies 9th in the Drivers' Championship. Frentzen is 4th overall.