Mika Hakkinen has yesterday denied that he intends to retire from Formula One at the end of this season, but he said again said that he would only support team-mate David Coulthard's current championship bid if directly ordered to by McLaren.
In recent weeks, the double-world champion's F1 future has been cast into doubt, with rumours of an October exit from the sport refusing to die. Speculation which was ignited started by Hakkinen's dismal performance this season has have been further fuelled by McLaren delaying any announcement of their driver line-up for 2002.
Yesterday, though, Hakkinen said he did not intend to retire but that his future depended on McLaren. "I haven't said anything to anybody about these rumours, but the first part of my answer is no," said the Finn. "The second part, though, is that the team has an option for me next year and I'm currently going through discussions with Ron (Dennis), looking for good solutions for next year. Obviously Ron likes fast drivers."
A dreadful first half of the season has seen Hakkinen take just nine points from 10 tenraces, and with Michael Schumacher racing away with the championship on 78 points, the Finn's chances of claiming a third world title are, barring the most exceptional of season run-ins, virtually non-existent.
The McLaren number one has come under increasing pressure to openly come out in support of team-mate David Coulthard's bid for the title - the Scot currently sits 31 points adrift of Schumacher - but again yesterday Hakkinen refused to acknowledge that he should defer to Coulthard.
"There has been very little discussion about this inside the team," he said. "At this stage of the season and with the points I have, I have an extremely small chance to be there in the end. We'll work hard like a team for the end of the season. We'll see how races develop and make a decision when appropriate." Hakkinen's position was confirmed by team boss Ron Dennis.
"The team policy is no different than it was at the beginning of the season," he said. "It has been the same for the 14 years or so that McLaren International has existed. Both drivers have in their contracts an obligation to follow the instruction of the team at any stage of the season. There is an appropriate time when that instruction is given, but that is not linked to any specific moment in the season.
"Any driver can help another, the situation has to be right, track position has to be right and it's at that stage that a decision is right and that's when it will be taken."
Those sentiments will not be music to the ears of Coulthard, who heads into tomorrow's race knowing that it may be his last chance at a significant challenge to a rampant Schumacher.
On track yesterday, Coulthard took the second fastest time of the day behind Hakkinen, and despite being pleased with his progress, Yesterday the Scot was philosophical about his hopes of a third British Grand Prix in a row.
"I'll be doing everything I can, but you can't swim against the tide," he said. "You can only use your equipment to the maximum and see what happens."
In recent races, Coulthard's equipment simply hasn't been good enough, particularly in qualifying, where the McLarens have slipped badly and been regularly eclipsed by the Williams of Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya. A new engine and revisions to the braking system for this weekend will boost Coulthard's flagging hopes, but with Schumacher lurking in a comfortable fourth place yesterday and with Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn branding this weekend's Ferrari, also with a modified engine, "the best package we have had this year", the British Grand Prix is the German's to lose.
Jordan's chances of taking a worthwhile result back home to their factory across the road from the circuit yesterday centred on Heinz Harald Frentzen, who was took fifth fastest. The German feels confident with a new specification Bridgestone tyre. Team-mate Jarno Trulli finished ninth.
The Irish team received a welcome boost at the last race in France, with Trulli finishing fifth and crediting a new Bridgestone tyre for his success there. Indeed, in true Silverstone style, the weekend's weather forecast has occupied as much conversation time as the track action. Both today and race day are forecast to have intermittent showers. If such is the case, qualifying, in particular, could become the kind of lottery last seen at Magny Cours in 1999 when an unlikely Rubens Barrichello in a Stewart took pole while Schumacher dropped to sixth and Hakkinen disappeared to a lowly 14th.
With Ferrari, McLaren and Williams looking as potent as ever yesterday, that could be the best hope for the midfield teams to steal some points this weekend. Frentzen, in particular, can look back to that chaotic, rain-hampered race with hope. Working a clever one-stop strategy, the German took his first victory for Jordan in France.
Tomorrow surely won't throw as significant a result, but the German's best chance of reversing a trend of non-scoring that dates back to the San Marino GP in March may just lie in a little rain dance this morning.
