Stoddart: Wilson Could Join Jaguar this Season

Minardi boss Paul Stoddart said today that he is "50 percent certain" Briton Justin Wilson will join Jaguar as a replacement for Brazilian Antonio Pizzonia before the end of the season.

Wilson, who made his Grand Prix debut with Minardi in Australia this year, is understood to have developed interest from teams such as BAR-Honda, Renault and Jaguar over a possible move next year.

But after Britain's Observer newspaper claimed Jaguar were trying to pay off Pizzonia and bring in Wilson for the German Grand Prix in two weekends' time Stoddart told Atlas F1: "There is obviously no smoke without fire."

Jaguar attempted to remove Pizzonia around the time of the Spanish Grand Prix in May after the Brazilian youngster struggled in the opening races of his debut Formula One season. Now it appears they could be trying to do so again and Stoddart admitted: "There's a lot of talk about it. No deal is done as we talk now but will it change in the next week or the next day? It could do."

Stoddart become known for his ability to groom drivers after he nurtured Fernando Alonso through his first Grand Prix season two years ago before the Spaniard moved to Renault. The Australian team chief also brought in compatriot Mark Webber last year, Wilson's former Formula 3000 rival, and sold him on to Jaguar, where Wilson could now join him.

The deal, the Observer reported, was virtually secured until a last-minute hitch meant that Jaguar could not pay off Pizzonia's contract. But Stoddart insisted he is still prepared to move Wilson on if they can overcome the stumbling block.

Asked if he would be happy to let him go for the next race if a deal could be brokered, Stoddart said: "Of course I would, at any time, no problems whatsoever. Basically Justin has done enough this year to prove that he is absolutely worthy of his place in Formula One. He is my rookie of the year and I think most people's rookie of the year.

"He's following in the footsteps of Fernando and Mark and not only would I be happy to, but I'd be proud of it. Maybe it might not be until next year. At the moment it is fifty-fifty but these things can unbelievably change."

The Jaguar deal, it has been rumoured, could include subsidies for Minardi's Cosworth engines for next year and possible payments to Stoddart for the early contract buyout. If the move does happen, Stoddart would not be happy to take Pizzonia in exchange but is looking to bring in another young driver in a bid to continue his impressive run of talent spotting.

"There's no shortage of young stars," said Stoddart. "I think we have quite a wealth of talent in the wings and if we were in a position to give another kid a break we'd be quite prepared to do so."