AUGUST 28, 2001
McLaren boys console themselves with a grand day out
THE world championship titles may be lost to the McLaren team, but its drivers are looking forward to the Belgian Grand Prix and a race on what is widely held to be the ultimate drivers circuit - Spa-Francorchamps.
"With the perfect mixture of fast straights, corners and tricky hairpins, Spa is one of the greatest circuits in the world and offers numerous overtaking opportunities," said David Coulthard, whose title ambitions received the coup de grace in Hungary two weeks ago.
"There is no doubt it is my favorite track and I'm really looking forward to the weekend. The championship might be over but I still want to achieve the best result possible for the team and myself."
Last year team-mate Mika Hakkinen stormed to victory in Belgium after diving down the inside of both Michael Schumacher and the lapped BAR of Ricardo Zonta in one of the more memorable moments of recent years.
The Finn has endured a miserable time ever since that day, having hardly figured in the 2001 championship standings bar his dominant British Grand Prix victory at Silverstone, and is looking for a late-season pick me up in the Ardennes.
"I always enjoy driving at Spa, it's one of the most exciting and challenging tracks, especially the blast up through Eau Rouge," said Hakkinen. "I have very good memories of last year's race which I really enjoyed and it would be nice to take victory again."