No early release for Webber

Webber is at the top of Williams' shopping list for next year as it considers replacements for both Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher, who are moving to McLaren and Toyota respectively. But Pitchforth says Webber is staying put for the time being.

"Basically, Mark is not going to leave before the end of the season," he told Reuters. "There is not enough money that would make me release Mark before the end of the season. I've got more than enough money this year to run the team well...I don't need more funds this year. There's no reason why I would enter into any agreement."

Webber is proving to be the key to the 2005 driver market with other teams vying for the 27-year-old's services. Toyota recently upped its offer to the Australian while manager Flavio Briatore could take him to his Renault team to replace Jarno Trulli.

Pitchforth is currently planning a 'sales pitch' to hold onto Webber, but recognises that he has to deliver it to the Australia before he is lured somewhere else.

"I haven't done my sales pitch to Mark Webber yet," he said. "I need to get it all in place first...but I need to do that and make it to him before he's been wooed and made any decision to go anywhere else. To get Mark Webber to stay now I have to present him with a case that shows him we've got the funding and the plans to take the team forward.

"If the team is not performing at the right level, he can look to moving on," he added. "If we had been higher up in the championship, I'd have been in a position where I could have made him stay. But we're not in that position."