David Coulthard tells McLaren-Mercedes not to sell out his title chances

   Copyright c 1998 Nando.net
   Copyright c 1998 Agence France-Presse

SILVERSTONE, England (Jul 7, 1998 - 13:15 EDT) - Briton David Coulthard has
pleaded with his McLaren-Mercedes paymasters to let him continue to battle
for the World Championship title.

The 27-year-old is third in the drivers' standings going into Sunday's
British Grand Prix at Silverstone, 20 points behind teammate Mika Hakkinen
and 14 adrift of Ferrari's Michael Schumacher.

Coulthard believes it would be wrong for McLaren to now put all their
support behind protecting Hakkinen's increasingly-slender lead in the
remaining races.

"I have demonstrated my loyalty to the team on the two occasions I
have been asked to move over," he said. "Now it is for the team
to keep doing what they have been, which is to allow us to go out there and
race."

Coulthard handed Hakkinen his maiden grand prix win in last season's finale
and then abided by a pre-race deal to give the Finn another triumph in this
season's opening race in Australia.

"I really don't see why team orders should become an issue. The team
is capable of supplying equal machinery," he insisted.

"If I qualify in front and am leading into the first corner, then what
more can the team ask for in terms of me going out to try and get a win.

"I think the championship should be won, because you have to beat
everyone. It's a recent thing what everyone has been saying about you
should put all your eggs in one basket. But why?

"The only way to win championships -- McLaren know this, though
Mercedes don't in the modern era -- is to attack. The minute you try to
defend you are on the back foot, and I don't believe the team will do
that."

Despite the technical failures that cost him in Monaco and Canada and the
refueling problem that wrecked his hopes in France last time out, Coulthard
is still confident he can figure in the title climax.

"I clearly would have preferred to have won those races because I'd be
much better placed in the championship," he mused.

"But it happens. It's the nature of the business. If you push things
to the limit they are going to fail occasionally. I just keep focusing on
the next race and do what I'm doing.

"I am certainly not going to adopt an attitude that its an uphill
struggle and be negative. It is going to be difficult to pull back 20
points, but the same way that I'm 20 points down at the halfway point
you've got to say its possible to make them up.

"Mika has not been pushed in any race that he's won. When he has been
pushed he's made mistakes -- Melbourne, Magny-Cours.

"Hopefully, when we are battling on the track, I will be able to play
on the fact that when the pressure is on he has got a bit ragged."

Coulthard's one victory this season came in San Marino and he knows that he
needs to get back onto that victory podium fast -- preferably in front of
another 90,000 sell-out crowd this weekend.

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