Ganassi targets Button in swap deal.

Williams protege Jenson Button could find himself plying his trade on the other side of the Atlantic next season, if an exchange of drivers happens between the Grove team and Chip Ganassi Racing.

The pair have a long history of using drivers groomed by one other, and Ganassi this week admitted that he would be interested in taking Button should Juan Montoya agree terms to drive for Williams in F1 next year.

Speaking to Britain's Motoring News, Ganassi said that, given the choice, he would prefer to run the 20-year old to Williams' test drive Bruno Junqueira, who has already been linked to a season in the USA should he fail to land an F1 seat for 2001.

The opportunity to team Button with veteran Jimmy Vasser may be scuppered, however, by the strength of the Briton's desire to stay in grands prix. He is tied to a five-year deal with Williams and, should Montoya opt to switch to the Grove team next year, is likely to be in hot demand from other sections of the grid. While he insists that his priority is cementing another season with his current employer, Button also feels that staying in grands prix is the best way of keeping his name in the frame for any future options, and may not want to switch to a series many view as secondary to Formula One.

Neither Williams nor Ganassi will confirm Montoya's situation for next season, and dismiss rumours that he has already signed for the former.