Coulthard quickest in battle of the team-mates

(31-Oct-98) - David Coulthard declared himself happy with his third place
on the grid and believes his weekend is starting to turn a corner.

The Scot suffered with handling problems during yesterday's practice
sessions but now appears confident in the car and is quicker than Eddie
Irvine in fourth.

"I am happy to be third on the grid because I have continued to
improve throughout the weekend and I am now significantly quicker than
Irvine."

The McLaren team-mate admitted there was still time to be found but felt
confident his performance could improve further: "I am losing some
time through the first sector but as I only managed one proper run in
qualifying there is plenty of scope for improvement."

Meanwhile Eddie Irvine was forced to settle for fourth place on the grid,
behind the two McLarens. The Ulsterman is under pressure to help Michael
Schumacher win his third drivers' title by finishing second, ahead of both
McLarens.

After a session where he struggled to find his usual Suzuka form, Irvine
admitted he couldn't have caught the McLaren of Coulthard, let alone
Hakkinen: "Fourth is the best I could do. One of my runs was spoilt by
yellow flags, but at least I am ahead of the pack. I decided not to go out
for the final run once we realised my fourth place was safe as I could not
have matched Coulthard's time."

His decision to not go out means he has another new set of tyres for the
race, however, Irvine clearly feels that he may be in no position to aid
his team-mate: "What can I do to help Michael? Looking at his
performance today, maybe I am the one who needs help!"

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