Former Jordan driver, Narain Karthikeyan, appears to head the shortlist as Spyker seeks to fill the vacancy following its split with Christijan Albers over "commercial difficulties".

The Indian, who is currently second test driver for Williams, though he's only driven the car once this year (Valencia, 21 Feb), is being considered by the Dutch team, as is Honda test driver, and former Jaguar/Red Bull racer, Christian Klien.

Karthikeyan has admitted to "having a chat" with Spyker boss Colin Kolles at Silverstone at the weekend, while his manager, Mark Perkins, said he is also considering a GP2 drive with Racing Engineering.

Fact is, the Spyker is a dog of a car, and the Silverstone based team is pinning its hopes on a substantially revised model set to make its debut at Istanbul next month.

Furthermore, in the wake of Albers' sacking, it is clear that Karthikeyan would need to provide substantial backing, though this shouldn't be a problem with the like of Tata behind him.

The 30-year-old will need to seriously consider his options, stick with Williams or take a chance with Spyker, should they make the offer.