After savouring victory in Monaco on Sunday, McLaren has told David Coulthard he will probably have to wait another three months for a top-podium finish again.
After savouring victory in Monaco on Sunday, McLaren has told David Coulthard he will probably have to wait another three months for a top-podium finish again.
McLaren boss Ron Dennis is aware that the twisty roads of Monte Carlo and the front-row start helped his driver.
Coulthard denied four-time world champion Michael Schumacher what would have been a record-equalling sixth win at Monaco but, more importantly, also broke Ferrari’s four-race winning streak. The German finished in second place and his brother, Ralf, finished in a distant third for Williams BMW.
But the upcoming circuits will be different, especially the next race in Canada in June.
“The next race we can go to and feel we are going to be really competitive and can win again is Hungary on August 18,” Dennis said.
“The nature of the circuit means we can again do a good job. But what happens between now and then is going to be a real challenge. It’s going to be tough on some of the remaining circuits, and the next race in Canada is going to be painful for us. We are under no illusions that we still have to improve our package before we can truly be on the same level as Ferrari.”
German Heinz-Harald Frentzen believes that Coulthard’s win on Sunday was good for the sport. “Certainly it is more exciting for the championship that David won the race and Michael (Schumacher) was second,” Frentzen said. “It certainly makes it more interesting and that is good for the sport.”
Meanwhile, McLaren’s former world champion, Mika Hakkinen, will decide within the next few weeks whether he wants to return to Formula One in 2003 after taking this year off. The Finn has said he expects to be welcomed back by the team, but Dennis is not so sure.
“There’s nothing automatic about it. If Mika wants to drive then it is for us to decide if that’s the right thing for the team,” Dennis said.
“Mika, David, Kimi and anyone who drives for the team understands that they are an integral part of it, but they are not the sole and exclusive part. The team is run by its management, not by its players or particular drivers.”
