Damon Hill broke his silence yesterday over the failure of his negotiations to drive for the McLaren-Mercedes team in 1998, accusing the them of bad faith and lack of seriousness in the offer they made him. Almost simultaneously, the McLaren-Mercedes team confirmed that they will have re-signed their current drivers David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen for the 1998 season, having concluded new deals with the two men several days ago.
"There were negotiations over recent weeks during which time an offer to drive for the team in 1998 was made," said Hill. "After consideration of the terms of the offer I felt I was left with no alternative to reject it. It did not accord with what I had previously been led to believe from our prior negotiations, and I did not consider that it demonstrated a serious commitment to me as a driver from Mercedes."
Hill was offered a £1.4 million retainer to be supplemented by a £700,000 bonus for every win he scored. After considering the offer, Hill and his manager Michael Breen, decided that taking would could be a 60 per cent pay cut from his current £4 million retainer he currently receives from Arrows.
The McLaren team chief Ron Dennis would not be drawn into a war of words with Hill over their failure to reach an agreement. "Our press release says it all," he said, referring to the bulletin announcing the decision to retain Coulthard and Hakkinen.
However, sources close to McLaren hinted that the team never entered into negotiations with Hill. The financial terms were offered as a fait accompli as the only means whereby the 1996 world champion could find his way into the cockpit of the car many people expect will be the one to beat next season.
Sources close to the Hill camp suggest that he believed he is worth more on the basis that not many drivers have the ability and sheer racing savvy to string together a world championship winning season.
This view has cut no ice with the pragmatic Dennis who believes that his recruitment of former Williams chief designer Adrian Newey - ironically the man credited for much of the performance advantage displayed by Hill's title winning Williams FW19 last year - could give his cars the sort of edge Damon enjoyed when he drove for Williams.
The failure of Hill to secure a McLaren drive has sent confusing messages to the F1 paddock. On the one hand, Hill has frequently asserted that "money is not everything", yet by allowing a McLaren drive to slip through his fingers he has, paradoxically, sent a signal to the other teams who might be interested in his services - Arrows, Prost and Jordan - that he might be available on the cheap as his options are reducing fast.
Meanwhile, out on the circuit, posting fourth fastest time of the day, Hill was immeasurably aided by the performance of the Bridgestone rain tyres fitted to his Arrows. Ahead of him in the provisional order were the Benettons of German GP winner Gerhard Berger and his team-mate Jean Alesi, plus Rubens Barrichello's StewartFord which earlier this year scored a splendid second place in the rain-soaked Monaco race on Bridgestone rubber.
Berger and Alesi set their times earlier in the session when the track conditions were at their least wet. Both use Goodyear rubber, the development of which attracted obliquely subtle criticism from both Ferrari drivers Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine, who set fifth and 14th fastest times respectively.
Guardian Service
