In hot pursuit of my post, Webber Waits, comes the news that his services will not be required at Williams next year. The team have opted for a line up of Nico Rosberg and Alex Wurz, leaving Mark Webber out in the cold.

Mark is too good a driver to be ignored, however, and it seems he has a good chance to be with Renault, McLaren or Red Bull in 2007. Everything still depends upon where Kimi Raikkonen decides to go and now Michael Schumacher enters the equation too. Rumor suggests that Ross Brawn will be leaving Ferrari at the end of the year, either permanently or on sabbatical. And, if Ross is going, the chances of Michael retiring increase.

All of which leaves Mark Webber waiting to see what happens before deciding between whatever offers he has. Such is the competition for seats in F1 these days that it is possible he might be left with nothing. Perhaps that is the price for being forthright in your views on your team’s prospects.

Another who may be wondering about that today is Jacques Villeneuve. Following the news that he cannot drive in Hungary because he is not fully recovered from an injury sustained in the German race, comes a rumor that he will not be returning to the Sauber BMW team at all. Certainly, Robert Kubica will take his seat in the Hungarian race and, such is the enthusiasm for the Pole’s driving skills, this must hurt Jacques’ chances for next year.

Of course, this may well be groundless speculation emanating from the Polish press but it has to be admitted that the way Jacques withdrew was a little unusual. The team announced that he had advised them that he was not ready to race yet; this was the first indication we’d received that Jacques was injured at all.

Whatever the truth, it does look as though Villeneuve will not be in a Sauber BMW next year. It seems likely that America will gain another F1 refugee instead.

Much of the gossip of the moment centers on where Mark Webber will be heading for 2007. Frank Williams is in no hurry to sign him up for another season, it seems, and has let his option expire, perhaps with the intention of offering Mark the drive but for less money. Former champion, Alan Jones, has advised Mark to stay put and this might be a good plan, provided he gets the offer. Meanwhile there is the possibility of a drive at McLaren or Renault, although this looks a little unlikely, given the numerous driver options available to those teams.

Much hinges on Kimi Raikkonen’s eventual decision. If he leaves McLaren for Ferrari, Webber’s stock must increase in view of his talent and experience. And, if Kimi goes to Renault, it would make sense for McLaren to take Mark on for the second car alongside Alonso. But, if Kimi stays at McLaren, all bets are off and Mark would do best to stay where he is.

It looks as though Alan Jones is right; Mark should stick with Williams. The chances of a drive with Renault are remote to say the least, especially when we remember Fisichella’s statement that his teammate for 2007 will be a Finn. McLaren already have a star signed up in Alonso and so are most likely to offer the second car to someone they know, Pedro de la Rosa or Gary Paffett. So Mark can do little but wait to see what Frank will offer him.

Formula 1 is perhaps the only sport in which it becomes fairly common for drivers to take a pay cut. I think Ayrton Senna started the trend when he once offered to drive for Williams for nothing. But it is only the stars who can afford to do that; at the back of the grid new drivers are on a pittance and often bring much-needed sponsorship money with them. Webber must have been receiving a good wage at Williams and could afford to settle for less, I would think.

However, if I were Ron Dennis, I’d be thinking seriously about giving the second seat to Webber. Experience counts and his other options can get their experience in lesser teams - their time will come. David Coulthard spent many years with McLaren and always did a sound, competent job for them. Mark Webber could do the same but with the added frisson that he might just prove quicker than we’d thought. His performance in Germany gave some hint at that.

Whatever happens, I hope Mark does not run out of options. It would be a pity if he were to find himself without a decent drive for next year.

As usual, this time of year is filled with more rumors of driver changes than you can shake a stick at. Michael Schumacher seems fairly definite for Ferrari next year but the other two hot properties of the moment, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, are still suggested as wild cards. Renault is reported as trying everything to persuade Alonso from his McLaren contract for 2007 and Raikkonen could be with Ferrari or Renault or even stay with McLaren.

Such is the fuss surrounding these three that it’s easy to forget that there are other good drivers available in F1. Jacques Villeneuve made a very good point when he spoke out against the present fashion for throwing new wonder boys into a top F1 seat without them serving an “apprenticeship” in a minor team first. Even the great Ayrton Senna did his time with Toleman.

It will be surprising if Renault and McLaren take the risk of putting Kovalainen and Lewis Hamilton into their second cars, in spite of all the rumors. Far more likely is that one of the smaller teams will take them on.

Which suddenly increases the stock of the older drivers. Jacques himself must be a good buy, considering his experience and continued motivation. And David Coulthard becomes the bargain of the year, being experienced, reliable and quick enough to win grand prix. Had Montoya continued, he too would be an excellent choice for any team.

There are other drivers too that are capable of doing a good job. Webber, Barrichello and Button still have tremendous potential if given a decent chance. And Scott Speed would be an obvious pick if you fancied a minor gamble that could pay off handsomely. He is showing good pace and has the added benefit of bringing American interest with him.

What we tend to forget very quickly is that a solid and honest second driver is always an asset to an F1 team. And it is not always a good idea to have two stars driving your cars; remember how Senna and Prost used to collide occasionally and steal points from each other. Second drivers care about the team, stars care only about winning.

So I don’t see a Schumacher/Raikkonen combination at Ferrari as the dream ticket. It would be interesting, of course, and settle a few arguments about who really is the best, but the team would suffer from the inevitable prima dona squabbles. Far better for the sport would be for the three hot shoes to be in separate teams.

I suspect that, when the dust of the silly season settles, there will be few new faces in F1 and even fewer surprises. Raikkonen will be at Renault, Alonso at McLaren and Schumacher at Ferrari as always. In the second seats will be reliable and proven drivers and any newcomers will be with Toro Rosso, Red Bull, MF1 and Super Aguri. Honda and BMW Sauber might experiment with one car but will keep a wise old head in the other.

It’s the way things usually pan out and it makes perfect sense to me.

Much of the gossip at Silverstone was about the new star of GP2, Lewis Hamilton. He is tipped for a drive at McLaren next year, although this seems unlikely in view of the team’s need to have two experienced and proven drivers to maximise the potential of the car.

It raises the point of how drivers will progress into F1, now that the Minardi name has disappeared. The team lives on in the shape of Scuderia Toro Rosso but its ethos has changed fundamentally; it is now intended to be a gateway for American drivers into F1. Perhaps the big teams will come to regret the demise of little Minardi, for it has given so many now-famous drivers their first break in the premier formula.

Consider some of the names that once drove for the second Italian team. Michele Alboreto had an early association with the team and Pierluigi Martini had a Minardi seat for many years. Then Alessandro Nannini, Gianni Morbidelli, Christian Fittipaldi and Alex Zanardi made their F1 debuts in Minardi cars. And there was a time when the team was run by a certain Flavio Briatore.

Even today, there are drivers who owe their start to Minardi; Jarno Trulli and Mark Webber are two, for a start. And then there is some guy named Fernando Alonso. With a name like that, what chance did he stand of getting into F1, had not Minardi eased him in?

So I wish Lewis Hamilton the best of luck. I hope he gets the F1 drive he so clearly deserves, but I suspect that he might have to wait a bit longer than next year before someone gives him a chance.