Monteiro convinced he'll stay at Spyker

The Portuguese driver is already understood to have put together a good enough sponsorship package to remain with the team for a third season, and is now awaiting the final confirmation from his bosses that they want him to remain on board.

"In my head I'm staying here," he said in an interview with the team's official website. "We'll find out soon enough.

"Obviously we're working on a totally different basis now. The team knows what I'm worth, they know what I can do, and like Christijan I would become a paid driver and not a paying driver. We are negotiating now.

"We've put Spyker in contact with some sponsors, and it's up to them to finalise those deals. For me it's a different kind of negotiation now.

"There are always drivers on the market of course, there's always competition, but Spyker have told me that they have faith in me, and what they want to do. Now it's a matter of the details, I guess."

The recent Dutch takeover of the MF1 team has made the outfit an attractive option for a number of drivers keen on securing a race drive for 2007.

Christian Klien visited the team's factory last month to have a look around, while Gary Paffett has also been linked with a role there.