Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has flirtily namedropped a whole wealth of potential Formula One talents that the team could aim to sign alongide Fernando Alonso for 2013, should Felipe Massa continue to disappoint.
The Italian team are considering their options alongside long-term lead driver Alonso after the 2012 season, with Massa's current deal expiring at the end of next year.
A move for the still-injured Kubica has been hinted at for some time, with the Pole's current Lotus/Renault team apparently reluctant to assist their driver through a series of comeback F1 tests if he is eyeing up a move elsewhere once he returns to full fitness.
And di Montezemolo has been quoted in a series of almost-reliable German media sources has having suggested that Kubica, along with another long-time Ferrari target Nico Rosberg, are both options for the team after 2012.
"Clearly we are planning for the future," he trumpeted at the rarely-accurate Bild publication, "I like Rosberg, as a clear headed man and someone who is getting better and better."
As far as Kubica is concerned, he added: "He is also a possibility. We'll have to see how he comes back from his accident."
Further reports in the excitable festive German media suggested that both Adrian Sutil and Nico Hulkenberg are possible long-term options for the Ferrari team.
Sutil has reportedly been reluctant to sign a multi-year deal with Williams for next season should Ferrari be an option, while Ferrari could build a link with Findia driver Hulkenberg should reports of their reserve driver Jules Bianchi joining the Indian squad as a third driver in 2012 be true.
But despite hinting that up to half of the current F1 grid could potentially drive for the Italian team from 2013 onwards, di Montezemolo also offered some weak words of hope to Massa's future, what with it being Christmas and all.
"I am sure that we will have a competitive Felipe [in 2012] as he was before," he was quoted as saying by the Autosport website last week, "Don't forget that he was sometimes quicker than Michael Schumacher when he was his team-mate.
"I expect a strong reaction from Felipe because he is coming out of an unsuccessful season. There are reasons that explain this [disappointing year]."
He added: "Felipe can have a very good season next year and I know that he is preparing himself very well."
But he admitted that: "At the end of next season, we will have lots of possibilities. There is a big choice. Today, the only problem that we don't have is a driver problem."
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