London: Ferrari have dampened hopes of a driver announcement at their home Italian Grand Prix next week, saying nothing was on the horizon.
"I'm sorry to disappoint all those with feverish imaginations, who are awaiting Monza in trepidation," the Formula One team's anonymous 'Horse Whisperer' said in a column on the Ferrari website on Friday.
"There are no announcements on the horizon. Why? Because no decisions have yet been taken.
"Furthermore, as happens in the best families, important decisions are taken together at the right moment and not because a certain date on the calendar has been reached," the writer added.
Monza is the last European race on the calendar and Ferrari have made big announcements there in the past, most notably seven-times champion Michael Schumacher's decision to retire - for the first time - in 2006 with Kimi Raikkonen replacing him.
In 2008, they announced contract extensions for Raikkonen and Felipe Massa before the Monza race.
However, they announced Fernando Alonso's signing in 2009 at the Japanese Grand Prix while Massa's contract extension for this season was announced in mid-October after last year's Korean Grand Prix.
Massa's future is again the subject of considerable speculation with the Brazilian again under-performing in comparison with his Spanish team mate.
Despite not having won a race since 2008, when he narrowly missed winning the championship, Massa remains popular at Maranello and team principal Stefano Domenicali gave him hope earlier in the week.
"My favourite choice would be, of course, to keep Felipe because Felipe is a very good guy - very dedicated to the team - and when you look around there are not so many drivers out there that you swap and they immediately deliver," he told the formula1.com website.
Raikkonen, Ferrari's 2007 champion who is now with Lotus, has also been linked to a possible return to the team he left in 2009 to make way for Alonso.
There have also been question marks over Alonso's intentions, although the Spaniard has a Ferrari contract that runs to the end of 2016.
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