AUGUST 16, 2000

Minardi boss retaliates to McLaren accusations

MINARDI team boss Giancarlo Minardi has retaliated after McLaren driver David Coulthard criticized his driver Marc Gene at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Coulthard accused Spanish driver Gene of not moving over when about to be lapped, claiming that the time he lost cost him second place to Michael Schumacher.

But Minardi denied any suggestions that Gene had held up Coulthard. He said: "Coulthard was slower than Gene on the previous and the next lap. When he found Gene ahead of him he was about one and a half seconds behind Schumacher and it was thanks to this gap that Michael managed to overtake Gene on the straight.

"Coulthard, however, had to wait until after the next chicane to get past. He might have lost seven or eight tenths at that point but that's part of racing and it doesn't mean that we block everyone who is about to lap us."