On July 8th, Atlas reported that Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany) had supposedly signed with Williams to drive in 1997. In the latest issue of Autosport, a source close to Williams confirmed the same surprising news. Jacques Villeneuve has recently solidified a two-year contract at Williams and is the only confirmed driver for 1997. It seems that Damon Hill (UK) will be the odd man out of the team.

The Autosport source expressed a disdain for the way Hill will be, essentially, disposed of. To further strengthen the claim, The Times newspaper reported Thursday that Williams will possibly let go of Damon Hill at the end of this season.

Williams has denied the the reports, saying that the news is basically speculation on the part of the UK press. Hill's manager also rejected the news, stating Williams are intent on keeping Hill and the Frentzen news is not serious.

Hill is reported to be asking $18.6 million dollars (US) to drive with Williams next season. It is possible that the Frentzen story may be a ploy to reduce his price. However, Williams has been interested in the German driver for some time. Frentzen was asked to join the team after the death of Ayrton Senna in 1994, but declined and stayed with the Swiss based Sauber team.