Japan's Sakon Yamamoto has been lined up to race for the Spyker Formula One team for the last seven races of the season after the departure of Dutch driver Christijan Albers.
There was no official confirmation from the Silverstone-based team on Wednesday, but a well-placed source said an announcement was expected early on Thursday.
Yamamoto, 25, was a test driver with Spyker's predecessors Jordan in 2005 and made seven race starts for Honda-backed Super Aguri last year before reverting to a role as second test driver. He finished three races and scored no points.
Yamamoto's confirmation as partner to German rookie Adrian Sutil in the struggling Ferrari-powered team will end the hopes of Indian Narain Karthikeyan and Austrian Christian Klien.
The team gave Germany's Markus Winkelhock a one-off opportunity at the Nuerburgring last weekend, and he astonished his home fans by leading the race after switching to wet tyres before anyone else.
Test drive
Honda reserve driver Klien tested with Spyker after the team terminated Albers' contract due to non-payment of sponsorship money, while Williams test driver Karthikeyan had also been mooted as a candidate.
Honda confirmed that Klien, dropped by Red Bull last season, would be attending next week's Hungarian Grand Prix as their regular reserve driver.
Meanwhile, Formula One's governing body could puncture McLaren's championship bid on Thursday and slam the brakes on Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton's title hopes.
The 'spy saga' that has gripped the sport for weeks, with leaders McLaren stunned by revelations about their now-suspended chief designer Mike Coughlan and leaked Ferrari data, comes to a head in Paris.
McLaren will appear before the International Automobile Federation's (FIA) World Motor Sport Council, charged with unauthorised possession of documents and confidential information belonging to their Italian rivals.