SEPTEMBER 20, 1999

Team orders at McLaren

DAVID COULTHARD is likely to be told what to do by the McLaren team at the forthcoming European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring as Mika Hakkinen's World Championship challenge has been rather dented as a result of his accident at Monza.

DAVID COULTHARD is likely to be told what to do by the McLaren team at the forthcoming European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring as Mika Hakkinen's World Championship challenge has been rather dented as a result of his accident at Monza. Hakkinen is now equal on points with Eddie Irvine and Heinz-Harald Frentzen is only 10 points behind. Coulthard is two points behind Frentzen.

In all probability team orders will not be brought into play unless Coulthard is ahead of Hakkinen as Mika needs as many points as possible to pull clear of Irvine. A Hakkinen victory in Germany with Frentzen failing to score would wipe out the Jordan driver's hopes but Irvine's challenge will remain alive whatever happens. McLaren's aim is obviously to get Coulthard to finish second in the title race but this is going to be very hard unless Irvine does not score.

Ron Dennis admitted last week that it is "only logical" to help the driver who has the best mathematical chance of winning the title.