After the departure of former two-time world champion Fernando Alonso from the Woking-based McLaren team, various names have been linked with his vacated seat. Experts believe that McLaren will be looking for a young driver. But there have been reports that McLaren should look to seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher as the German might be looking to resume his Formula One career after retiring at the end of the 2005 season.

Recently, a Schumacher declared his desire to drive for McLaren. But it was not Michael who is wooing McLaren but his younger brother Ralf. The younger Schumacher who is said to be the highest paid driver in his time has left Toyota at the end of the last season and is now looking for a seat in a competitive team as Toyota failed to give Ralf a competitive car.

Ralf said that he is not the only driver wanting the vacant seat in McLaren. "It's no secret that the seat at McLaren-Mercedes is by far the most coveted there is," said the younger Schumacher. "Every driver out there in the market would love to sit in their super car," the German added.

Other drivers who have been linked with the McLaren seat are Heikki Kovalainen, Nico Rosberg, and Adrian Sutil. Kovalainen of Renault is one of the younger drivers who have upstaged their much seasoned teammates. Last season, Kovalainen outperformed Giancarlo Fisichella in almost every race. Renault though is expected not to let Kovalainen go as they would try to team him up with Alonso next season.

Nico Rosberg, the son of former world champion Keke Rosberg, is making his tour of duty for Williams. He is seen to be a great complement to Lewis Hamilton as they are both young and talented drivers. Williams though has issued a warning to McLaren saying that Rosberg is not for sales as he is the future of the team. Adrian Sutil, on the other hand, has a contract with Spyker which has been bought by Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya. Sutil has been Hamilton's teammate in the GP2 Series and will be a good teammate for Hamilton. But Spyker's new owner has expressed his desire to retain Sutil for next season.

As to Schumacher's declaration, McLaren is yet to comment. Even McLaren's engine partner has yet to make a statement regarding the vacant seat in the Woking-based team.

Kamui Kobayashi will replace France's Franck Montagny as Toyota's test and reserve driver next season, the Formula One team said on Friday. After his final test in Barcelona, Montagny said farewell to the Toyota team.

The 21-year-old Japanese has been backed by Toyota since 2001 as part of the company’s young driver programme. Kobayashi is a product of Toyota’s TDP scheme which is aimed at honing young drivers.

"He (Kobayashi) tested the car last winter and showed he had the potential to drive in Formula One in the future," said Toyota head honcho Tadashi Yamashina.

The Japanese auto giant is still seeking a replacement for Germany's Ralf Schumacher, who left at the end of the season last month, alongside Italian Jarno Trulli in their 2008 race lineup.

Kobayashi has competed in the Formula 3 Euro Series for the past two seasons, finishing fourth in the championship in 2007 with one race win, and had his first F1 test with Toyota last December, divulged iTV.

“The TDP scheme has been very supportive of me during my career and I am very grateful for all that support,” he said. “This is a great challenge for me and I am very excited about becoming a Formula 1 driver. Since the start of my career I have dreamed of reaching Formula 1 and to have the chance to join Panasonic Toyota Racing as third driver is a fantastic opportunity for me.”

“My first tests for the team last winter went well but I still have things to learn about Formula 1 and it will be a great experience for me to test more regularly for the team. The role of third driver is very important as I will be helping a lot with the development of the car throughout the year. I am sure I will learn a lot about Formula 1 cars and hopefully this will help me in my future career but for now I am focused on helping the team move forward,” the Japanese driver concluded.

“I am very pleased to welcome Kamui to the team. He tested the car last winter and showed he had the potential to drive in Formula 1 in the future. Now, after another season gaining experience in Formula 3, we believe he is ready for the challenge of Formula 1. It is also very gratifying to see the TDP scheme delivering results and helping a promising young driver to reach Formula 1,” added Yamashina.

Additionally, another Japanese driver to have emerged from the TDP, Kazuki Nakajima, and he will be racing for Toyota-powered Williams in 2008.

The past Formula One season has been a roller coaster ride for the Woking-based McLaren team. At the start of the season, they have been dominated by Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix. But rookie Lewis Hamilton showed the world that McLaren is still one of the top teams in the sport.

After the departure of the double-world time champion, much melee regarding the drivers has erupted. But McLaren announced that they will be taking their time in naming their new driver for the 2008 season.

Martin Whitmarsh, the team's Chief Executive, said: "Until the second McLaren drive is sorted out I don't think you'll see much movement (in the driver market), so we're not really hurried." Although there have been no reports as to who the team is favoring right now, one driver will not be included on the list.

Ralf Schumacher who left Toyota after the season is said to have expressed his interest in joining McLaren, a team which has been the foremost rival of Ferrari, his brother's long-time home in Formula One. Dennis reportedly told Schumacher's manger that Ralf will not be on the list of drivers to be considered by the team.

Meanwhile, Hamilton named three drivers who may be on the top of the list and they are Nico Rosberg, Adrian Sutil, and Heikki Kovalainen. But he added that he will stand by the decision of his team. "I'm really not bothered who I am racing with,' said Hamilton. "It's another team decision and I stick by them whoever they choose. I'm very happy I've got one seat. I get to stay and do what I love doing."

Hamilton said that he wishes his former teammate the best in his career. "I wish Fernando the best for the future and really hope wherever he goes he is successful," said Hamilton. "But I'm going to be there competing against him and I look forward to the battle. I welcome whoever is going to be with us and look forward to the challenge. I hope they work as hard as me to take the team to the championship," he concluded.