Romain Grosjean has emerged as the most likely candidate in the event Robert Kubica cannot return to Renault next year.
Injured Pole Kubica’s current substitute Nick Heidfeld is pushing to keep his seat, but Frenchman Grosjean’s manager is Eric Boullier, the boss of the Renault team and a major player in a government committee to revive France’s presence in F1.
"We are working hard to get Grosjean there (to F1). France needs a good F1 driver," Boullier is quoted as saying by Polish publication Wirtualna Polska.
There are rumours, however, that with Vitaly Petrov staying put next year, Boullier does not consider the Russian ready for a leadership role at Renault.
Mark Webber and Felipe Massa are therefore the other names doing the rounds.
It is believed Boullier is hoping for clarity about Kubica’s situation by the end of August.
"The situation is unusual because of Robert, because we want to wait and see how his situation develops and how and when he can come back," Boullier is quoted by Germany’s motorsport-total.com.