JULY 29, 2001

Zonta not sure if he'll stay, Button sure he won't go

THE continuing drama of the Jordan driving squad with Ricardo Zonta currently standing in for the departed Heinz-Harald Frentzen, has seen Zonta admit he doesn't know exactly how long his tenure in the race team will be.

Since Frentzen's departure speculation has mounted over who would be his full-time replacement and Zonta has admitted that his seat is far from secure. "I got the news only on Wednesday. Maybe after this weekend I will know if I'm going to drive the next race or not," he said.

Several names have been mentioned in connection with the drive, the first being Honda's impressive protege Takuma Sato and another being Jenson Button. The Englishman, who has been linked to Jaguar and Ferrari in recent weeks, was unamused by still more conjecture about his career.

"I am here until the end of next season," said the Benetton driver. "I don't know anything about any driver movements concerning Jordan. As far as I know, Zonta is driving for them."