Mat Coch writes:

The silly season has begun in earnest as rumours linking drivers and teams for the 2011 season begin.

One such rumour surrounds who will partner Robert Kubica at Renault. While reports from within the team suggest Vitaly Petrov will be retained, there is speculation that he could be replaced by Virgin driver Timo Glock.

Fuelling speculation was the appearance at Silverstone of Mexican Carlos Slim, CEO of Telmex, the telecommunications giant. Slim's appearance in the paddock has raised suggestions that he could support fellow Mexican Sergio Perez (pictured) as he looks to make his Formula One debut.

Petrov has been a feature of 2010, often for the wrong reasons by frequently getting involved in incidents, though he has the support of Renault boss Eric Boullier who said in a recent podcast that his future is in his own hands. "His future is actually in his hands. We have not been disappointed in him, he is clearly the best rookie in the paddock."

The Russian has been out-qualified by teammate Kubica 10-0 so far this season, while Glock has beaten his own Lucas di Grassi 9-1. It's thought Glock would be replaced by Sergio Perez should the German vacate his Virgin seat. Currently racing for Barwa Addax Team in GP2, Perez is also believed to be backed by former McLaren team manager Jo Ramirez, who made an appearance in Valencia.

Having driven for Arden in 2009 Perez finished twelfth in his debut season before winning the GP2 feature race in Monaco and dominating the sprint race at Silverstone. The 20-year-old Mexican graduated from British Formula 3, and represented his nation in A1GP on two occasions.

Backed by Telmex the Mexican is an attractive proposition to Virgin who, like all new teams for 2010, operate on a fraction of the budget of the established teams. Glock was linked with a move to Renault after Toyota withdrew from the sport at the end of 2009 before signing for Manor - which was subsequently renamed Virgin.