28 replies to this topic

[berge]

Rosberg,
"the fact that McLaren has not published its continuation agreement with Mika has nothing to do with Mika."

"if David Coulthard does not know at the moment who his team-mate(next year)is, David must not know for which team he is driving next year."

Brundle, Hungarian GP
"well murray, there's clearly things going on behind the scenes(re, 2002 lineup)that I'm not privy to" or something along those lines. He ducked murray's question about why McLaren hasn't announced their 2002 line up.

Is Coulthard, not Hakkinen, the one getting ditched?

[skylark68]

It is weird and Rosberg is adamant and firm that Mika is in. What an odd thing to say about DC.

I was also surprised by Martin Brundle's bafflegab when asked about it and his commenst did stick with me as well.

DC's more subdued comments, as seen on another thread, may be an indication that he is trying to rehabilitate himself.

When Ron Dennis openly talked about brain fade I wondered about DC's place on the team.

Now, if he left, who would replace him????? That is the curious thing about this. Who??? (Jacques, please?????????)

[berge]

Raikkonen?
in return for free one year old merc engines, of course:)

[schumigal]

Based on this year's performance, i think DC will be signed. Mika, while doing excellent job for some of the races this year seems to be lacklustre in some races too particularly in qualifying, where he usually outqualified DC. Whatever the result, i think it will do Mclaren good to keep one of the existing driver, i dun really mind MIka or DC, and get a new driver in. Perhaps Kimi, Nick or Fernando!

[brett_sequeira]

well scumigal potentially mika has more potential to win a wdc than dc so i would make more sense keeing mika and umpind dc for a fresher. yeah raikonen is a good bet but he would need to stay at mclaren for a long time cause if he did not it would be a bad investment for mclaren. in that rgard i would think that heidfeld would be a better bet. but kimi looks damn good too. however 2 finns on the post race interview would be too unbearable.

[THE FULL MONTY]

I'm not impressed with David's perfomance... It's the same than every year.... 2 races won, and 40 points behind Schumi... The problem is that Mika should have 70 points at the moment...

;)

[cosmoK]

Originally posted by schumigal
Based on this year's performance, i think DC will be signed. Mika, while doing excellent job for some of the races this year seems to be lacklustre in some races too particularly in qualifying, where he usually outqualified DC.

But it's not that simple is it? Mika is still widely acknowledged as the better driver, and also if you want someone to play mentor to a young driver, the fatherly & peace-loving Mika makes the better choice.

When all's said & done, I think Ronny still finds it more difficult to let go of Mika then he does DC. They've been through a lot together, and Ron might feel he owes Mika one for all his car problems this year. Of course DC had the same car problems, but does Ron care enough about DC to actually feel sorry?

[skylark68]

I was just scanning a few sites and on Galeforce, they said "It seems that David Coultard is confident that his services will be retained for next seasons championship..." and that article is dated today. So, with Rosberg's statements and this quote, it appears DC is not a shoe in for McLaren.

And while I admire the Finns, I don't think I could bear Raikkonen and Hakkinen on the same podium post race conference. Wow, would that be a contest for who takes the longest to come up with a witty reply. Yikes.

Heidfeld is German and that would be more in line with Mercedes.

Also, Jacques would be a natural fit. In fact he is the logical candidate and has many good years of racing left. He is fluently tri-lingual, photogenic and did well in high school. He lives a clean life, enjoying such sports as chess and waterpolo and he sings for the local choir. He donates time every Tuesday to the local soup kitchen, donning blue jeans and a checkered shirt with casual running shoes to compliment the wardrobe. He captains a boat and allows no alcohol or drugs on board. His motto: "just say NO to drugs, alcohol and pre-marital sex." I hope Mclaren is watching.

Anyway, I am out of fantasyland and have to say I think you are onto somethimg here, berge, and this is indeed very interesting.

[Vetinary]

Originally posted by berge
Raikkonen?
in return for free one year old merc engines, of course:)

Does the deal includes the built-in launch control failu...I mean, system?;)

[Ricardo F1]

Full Monty - what about two losses of races through LC for Coulthard. . . . . the qualifying between the two of them has been so close all season it's hard to say who would have what if both McLarens had been reliable.

[berge]

dennis,
"we know almost exactly to the day when we are intending to put out a press release and explain what our strategy is."
strategy?? is this that famous ronspeak.
autosport says that dennis echoed rosbergs comments about hakkinen staying during hungarian gp.
no mention of coulthard anywhere.
all quotes from coulthard contain "confident", "fairly certain", "not worried", etc., he doesn't confirm that he HAS a contract.

it's gotta be raikkonen or heidfeld. heidfeld is tied to McLaren, but, considering how impressive Raikkonen has been in his ROOKIE year against Heidfeld, Dennis might be looking at Kimi as his "future Schumacher(snr.) beater. And who better to teach him the ropes at McLaren than his fellow countryman, Mika.
Does this make sense, or have I lost it?;)

[MuMu]

Originally posted by skylark68
He is fluently tri-lingual, photogenic and did well in high school. He lives a clean life, enjoying such sports as chess and waterpolo and he sings for the local choir. He donates time every Tuesday to the local soup kitchen, donning blue jeans and a checkered shirt with casual running shoes to compliment the wardrobe. He captains a boat and allows no alcohol or drugs on board. His motto: "just say NO to drugs, alcohol and pre-marital sex." .

[Melbourne Park]

Originally posted by skylark68

Also, Jacques would be a natural fit. In fact he is the logical candidate and has many good years of racing left. He is fluently tri-lingual, photogenic and did well in high school. He lives a clean life, enjoying such sports as chess and waterpolo and he sings for the local choir. He donates time every Tuesday to the local soup kitchen, donning blue jeans and a checkered shirt with casual running shoes to compliment the wardrobe. He captains a boat and allows no alcohol or drugs on board. His motto: "just say NO to drugs, alcohol and pre-marital sex." I hope Mclaren is watching.

[Hakk]

If Coulthard would be set to leave MacLaren, I am sure we would have heard some rumours about him moving into some other team. His only otpions would be Jordan.
I don't think David is going anywhere. MacLaren will stick with Mika and David.

[QdfV]

I can't see them leaving also, but it would be time for some change at McLaren, going downhill for the second season (relative to almost all other teams). No better drivers then Mika probably, so that would make DC the likely candidate to leave, as his performance this year has nothing to do with DC becoming a better driver.

[QdfV]

Actually, it is down for the third season I suppose, as it was in 1999 they already lost the contructors title.

[RaggedEdge]

If DC knew of Mika's contract with McLaren, it was a careless statement by DC to speculate of his contract and team mate next year and with Rosberg's comments it has landed an egg on his face.

However, it sounds like DC is in a dark of McLaren's contract situation, very possibly including his own contract.

I suspect McLaren just wants to make a big-package announcment of MH, DC, their test driver and tyres at the same time, possibly showing off their new Paragon complex at the same time.

[JDeRosa]

In David's own words:

I think our chances for next year are very good," said Coulthard. "The team has the resources and I am improving with each year. I don't see that there is any reason why that should have peaked this season, so we will be fighting as hard as we can to take the Championship back."

"I feel that I am growing as a driver and that is a positive thing to go against the disappointment when you don't have victories," he added. "I think I know what it is to keep myself pushing onto the next level and I am just going to keep working on it."

Next year is his year!

[Jaybee]

What a great way to run a team, Ron! Not only do you have problems with race strategy, problems with electronics, difficulty in choosing tyres but now you have put your two drivers at each others throats with all this dithering. Must be great for McLaren morale!

[RaggedEdge]

If McLaren are seriously considering to guarantee a race seat after 2002 for their third driver, this becomes an offer that few of the young drivers could refuse. This would also make the negotiations for the "mere" test driver very complex, because it would directly interfere with the No.1 and No.2 race seats as well.

I agree with Jaybee that this suspense creates demoralising speculation, which has culminated on Rosberg having to correct DC in a publicly slightly embarassing way.

I wonder why only Mika is now doing 2002 development testing with new parts in Silverstone...

See:

http://www.autosport...=15962&series=5

[Oho]

Ave !!!

Most likely yes. With Trulli and Fisi sewn up for 2002 the number of viable candidates to replace either Mika or David is growing thin.

- Oho -

[Taverol]

What about Wurz as a replacement for DC? At Hungary he said he'd love to race a Mac, but then was deliberately vague about his prospects of getting a drive next year.

[pRy]

Originally posted by berge

Brundle, Hungarian GP
"well murray, there's clearly things going on behind the scenes(re, 2002 lineup)that I'm not privy to" or something along those lines. He ducked murray's question about why McLaren hasn't announced their 2002 line up.

Well I think I recall Brundle also added that he wouldn't know anyway, because he only has interests in Coulthard, not Hakkinen, and so he won't be told anything that doesnt concern Coulthard. So while your quote may suggest Brundle was concerned about DC, I think he followed that up by saying the above.

[pRy]

Originally posted by Hakk
If Coulthard would be set to leave MacLaren, I am sure we would have heard some rumours about him moving into some other team. His only otpions would be Jordan.

I wouldn't rule Jaguar out. DC was strongly linked to Jaguar, as they want a British driver. And with the recent rumours about them trying to sell Irvine.... what if that wasn't a joke after all. I mean you don't exactly go to another F1 team and try to off load your number one driver as a joke, and we all know how Jaguar try to cover up the truth (Newey).

How about this for a scenario :

Coulthard leaves McLaren end of this year and signs for Jaguar as their new number one driver, with number one status and the guarentee he will be top dog. DC blames McLaren for a poor season, says something about how he just can't get past the Hakkinen/Dennis love affair, and how he wants a new challenge and to take a British team to the top of F1.

Heidfeld or Kimi join McLaren to eventually replace Hakkinen in one or two years.

Irvine quits Jaguar as a result of his seat being filled by Coulthard, blames the team, says a few things about how they are all clueless, and either switches to Sauber to fill the Kimi/Heidfeld place, or, he quits F1 all together.

[BRG]

Originally posted by Taverol
What about Wurz as a replacement for DC?

McLaren would only sign up a driver like Wurz, who has already been in F1 and failed, if Coulthard chose to move elsewhere and left them with a seat to fill. Why else would you replace a proven winner by an also-ran?

[UserName]

McLaren would only sign up a driver like Wurz, who has already been in F1 and failed, if Coulthard chose to move elsewhere and left them with a seat to fill. Why else would you replace a proven winner by an also-ran?

I would like to know what the "proven winner" could have archieved at Benetton...

DC didnt even made vice champion in cars like the Mc in 1998- so I dont see how exactly this turns DC into a winner...

[arcwulf7]

Failure and success in f1 are pretty transitory states of affairs. Button was a huge success last year, but if this year were the only test, he'd be counted as a short lived washout in f1. Heidfeld was a failure last year at Prost, drawing derogatory remarks from Alesi and Prost, this year he is equalling the driver some people think will be dominating f1 in a few years, in fact, he's outperforming Raikkonen on the most challenging circuits. Panis was at best a journeyman at Ligier/Prost, this year he regularly outqualifies a former WDC. Villeneuve and Hakkinen are both WDC's who this year are being equalled or exceeded by unlauded team mates. Who knows what Wurz could do in a full bore McLaren.

[Odyss]

Why else would you replace a proven winner by an also-ran?

WHINER: noun 1 a : to utter a high-pitched plaintive or distressed cry.

WINNER: noun: a : one that is successful especially through praiseworthy ability and hard work.

DC = David Coulthard not David Copperfield.

[RaggedEdge]

Both Wurz and Panis have left very detailed telemetry trails to the McLaren management. Neither one is considered worth the racing seat, I belive.

When McLaren management compared Hakkinen's similar telemetry trails to Michael Andretti, they did "an Eddie Jordan vs. HHF" to Andretti as soon as they could...