FORMULA 1: Eddie Irvine's hopes of landing a race seat at Jordan, the last remaining drive in Formula One for 2003, are not dead, despite the Irishman strongly hinting yesterday that he would not be racing in the series this season.

According to sources close to Jordan, Irvine, backed heavily by Benson & Hedges, is still in the frame for the drive, even if the driver himself doesn't believe it.

In his column in yesterday's Sun newspaper, Irvine admitted defeat in his pursuit of the second seat at Jordan.

"It's a sad day. I have decided not to drive in F1 this year, or at least at the moment.

"In July last year I made up my mind to drive for Jordan Grand Prix, I had very strong feelings about returning to the team which started my F1 career. Unfortunately, due to the economic downturn, Jordan are forced to look for a driver who brings extra funds to the team, whilst I can only bring speed, reliability and greater experience."

However, Irvine in citing the astronomical fees paid by Jaguar for his services as a yard stick to measure his attractiveness to Jordan, appears to be constructing something of a smoke screen.

It has long been accepted that Irvine's fee for a season with Jordan would be in the region of $2 million, costs that would be picked up largely by the Irishman's personal sponsors.

Benson & Hedges, too, are still firmly behind Irvine's candidacy for the drive, with the tobacco company basing a large part of its desire to expand its involvement with Jordan around signing a "British driver".

However, in recent days a swing towards ex-Sauber driver Felipe Massa appears to have gathered momentum within Jordan. The Brazilian can bring an improved sponsorship package from compatriot oil company Petrobras, which would offset much of the $5 million Jordan are believed to require of a second driver.

Massa, too, is being favoured by Jordan engine supplier Ford, who believe they can build a major promotional campaign around Massa in his home country.

Irvine's guarded and caveat-heavy "retirement notice" seems redolent of a driver attempting a pre-emptive face-saving strike in the light of Massa moving ahead as the race for the drive approaches the final flight.

The possibility that Irvine remains a candidate for the seat alongside Giancarlo Fisichella will have been greeted with exasperated sighs in the camps of the two other Irish drivers battling for the drive, Ralph Firman and Richard Lyons.

Last year's Formula Nippon champion Firman is believed, however, to remain a strong contender for the drive, although finance remains a big issue.

Meanwhile, Renault boss Flavio Briatore has suggested that some Formula One teams were too arrogant to see that they could benefit from limited testing this season.

Briatore said he believed his drivers could gain significantly from a deal, originally presented as a means of helping the smaller and poorer teams rather than wealthy manufacturers like Renault.

"I believe it is the best for me," he said at the track launch of the new Renault R23 in southern France. "The big teams never took Friday into consideration because the original idea was that it was for the small teams.

"Nobody was looking deeply into it to see what kind of an advantage you can have or not: it was only for the small teams - in Formula One the arrogance is very big."