DC blames Gene and unfair treatment

[Ed-f1]

David Coulthard has questioned whether he and team-mate Mika Hakkinen are receiving equal treatment from McLaren.

Team boss Ron Dennis has always insisted his two drivers receive identical equipment. He was furious with Ferrari’s Ross Brawn when he suggested Hakkinen was McLaren’s top man.

But Coulthard’s comments will set sceptics talking about whether McLaren are as fully committed to the policy of equality as they claim. The Scot was blown away by Hakkinen in the Hungarian Grand Prix, despite having the measure of the Finn is qualifying.

A suspicious Coulthard told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica: “I fought the balancing of the car for the whole weekend, and I didn’t manage to find an optimal one.

“Mika had the same problems as mine. And then suddenly, he started flying. Strange…”

Not surprisingly, Hakkinen was keener to tow the team line. He firmly dismissed suggestions he enjoys preferential treatment.

"More attention to me?” said the Finn. “I did not sleep the night (after qualifying), I was so worried. There is no favouritism.”

And

David Coulthard and Marc Gene are involved in a war of words after the McLaren driver accused the Spaniard of costing him second place in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Minardi driver, who eventually trailed in 15th three laps adrift, denied he had had any effect on the outcome of the race.

Coulthard finished third, half a second behind Ferrari rival Michael Schumacher as Mika Hakkinen romped to victory in Budapest. But the Scot reckons it would have been a different story if he had not been delayed by the Minardi duo of Gene and Gaston Mazzacane.

"It felt like there were four Minardis out there, not two," he said.

"Everyone saw how close it was when I came out of the pits after the second stop. There was probably just a cars length between Michael and but I had lost a lot more than that behind the Minardis. Without them I could have got out in front of him.

"Michael got them into turn five and for some reason they wouldn't let me past until much later in the lap. They didn't cost me the race because Mika won it fair and square but they certainly cost me second place today.”

Coulthard joked he had been the victim of a “conspiracy” between Ferrari and Minardi, Formula 1’s only two Italian teams.

He added: “I don't mean to be disrespectful to Minardi but they are in Formula One in name only not on performance.”

Coulthard said Gene nearly hit him when he tried to get past on one occasion, but the Minardi driver saw things differently.

He hit back: "I disagree that I have done anything wrong. I don’t know about my team-mate but I did not do anything different to Coulthard than I did to Schumacher. I always move over before the end of one lap and I think that is good enough.”

Asked about the incident in which Coulthard claimed they nearly collided, Gene added: "That was not my fault either. He tried to overtake at a place where drivers never expect anyone to try and overtake. I was going to let him past at the next chicane."

Gene’s argument was not helped by the fact he received a 10-second penalty during the race for holding up Eddie Irvine.

I think you'll find DC that Mika is just better than you. Full stop. There's nothing "strange" about it. And maybe if you hadn't had the best car for your whole career you'd be more sympathetic towards Minardi.

Can't you just stop blaming other people?

[Liz]

Box of kleenex and new dummy for Mr. Coulthard please.

[Schume]

Looks like DC has woken up to what most people have known for ages.
Mika is McLaren's boy as far as the WDC is concerned

Ron D is known to favour Mika.

Mika got the pit stop call in Germany.

Suddenly Mika's car is starting like a rocket and running out of sight for a whole race, after going like a dog in qualifying.

TGF has always said that Mika was his main rival for the WDC.


Is poor old DC the only person on the planet who has missed all this??

[Gt_R]

Since Mika's shunt, one could sense the bond between the mechanincs, Mika n Ron. i would not be surprised if ron just decide to give David a good setup to please david by qualifying ahead of Mika, then come race day, gives Mika an exceptional setup( david still having the "good" setup) and lets mika win the race....and the 3rd WDC...while david can fight michael, he cant do a thing about mika...Does well for the teams point of view..no?
Com'on. A three time in a row WDC is surely better exposure for the team and sponsors den a whiner getting his first!

[Minardi fan]

I agree - SHUT UP DAVID.

Gene was waiting for the end of the lap to let him past - why should he sacrifice his race for DC? And I'm sorry, but DC had plenty of chances to get close to TGF, and lap after lap he didn't.

Just because Mika proved why he's no.1 at McLaren in Hungary doesn't mean you go blaming someone else for YOUR bad day.

TWIT.

[Jay]

"I agree - SHUT UP DAVID."

Well I would say "Get your head checked Marc".

There was not question in that race. Gene held up Irvine, Hakkinen and Coulthard significantly during the Hungarian GP. And there is no question that he cost DC second place. I have quite honestly seen drivers get 1 race suspensions for less.

Nothing too much against the guy though. Although the only reason he is in F1 is his money, he still has shown the occasional flare.

[Minardi fan]

I suggest you refute your last statement right now.

Gene brings no actual sponsorship money with him, although he has links with Telefonica, and he does not get paid either.

Gene is a very talented rookie, who impressed in 1999 and is doing a bloody good job in 2000. His drives at Nurburgring and Sepang '99 and Austria 2000 in particular were brilliant.

In the races he laps faster than the Jaguars, Benettons and Prosts.

Gene is a great young talent - it is Mazzacane who is the waste of space.

[Jay]

I may have been a little harsh. I guess it was a stupid mistake that others further up the grid have made.

Although DC does have a right to be angry, as without question Gene cost him the position.

And it is true he is not getting paid to drive.

[angst]

I think Gene definately cost DC time - but why did Mclaren bring him in so quickly? he could have put some fast laps in and come out of the pits ahead of MS. So I think a combination of Gene AND pitlane incompetence/politics cost DC second place. It's difficult to judge whether or not the lack of attention paid to DC is deliberate (ie a cofirmation of Mika's status within the team) or just carelessness. What can't be denied is that Mika is afforded prefferential treatment at Mclaren. Personally I think it is carelessness, because I can't see any reason for letting MS have second ahead of DC, because Mika was never going to be caught.
Wonder what happened to Gene though, not usually his style.

[Marshal]

According to Adam Coopers excellent GP analysis on Autosport.com, the reason both Schuey and DC were brought in at about the same time was that they were about to catch the train of cars behind Irvine. If DC had been left out another lap, the feeling was he'd have been delayed by this traffic.

[Martin de Miguel]

I bet you that if Gene had the possibility of driving a Mclaren he would be a lot faster than DC.

[Minardi fan]

I read the article about this in Autosprout today, and I am disgusted with Coulthard's attitude.

Gene was doing the correct thing - waiting until the only reasonable place at the Hungaroring to let a driver through safely - the last corner.

If there was some sort of conspiracy as DC put it against McLaren, then why the hell did Hakkinen have no problems getting past Mazzacane and Gene?

If DC is so good, and if he is that fast, he should have had no problem in getting past Gene and getting right up behind TGF.

I think DC's comments were made because it dawned on him that HE DOESN'T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES to beat Mika or TGF. We've had this from DC before, blaming backmarkers. Remember Imola '99? The cracks are starting to show in DC this season - he knows he can't do it now, and Mika is on a roll. Blaming Minardi is his way of taking from the fact that Mika will win the championship for McLaren in 2000 - not DC.

And finally, I would like to say that DC's comments about Minardi being in F1 simply because of their name are not only insulting to Minardi and the bloody good job they do every race weekend, they are also insulting to every single Minardi supporter - including myself.

Minardi, like Jordan, are the true RACERS in Formula One, the guys who go out there, give it 110%, and are happy just to be racing.

Their success isn't measured with wins - a top ten finish is a good day for Minardi.

As someone else pointed out, DC has never driven for a lower team - all he has known is Williams and McLaren. He lacks respect for the other guys out there who don't moan, they just get on with the job.

FACE IT DC: YOU AREN'T AS GOOD AS MIKA, YOU NEVER WILL BE, SO STOP BLAMING OTHERS FOR YOUR OWN PERCEIVED FAILURE. And indeed, within a few years, stick Gene in a McLaren and he WOULD do a better job than DC.

I have one thing left to say.

MIKA HAKKINEN: WORLD CHAMPION 2000.

[Jay]

"Gene was doing the correct thing - waiting until the only reasonable place at the Hungaroring to let a driver through safely - the last corner. "

None of the other drivers who were lapped did this. That idea is crazy. If you are being lapped by a car on your gearbox you are to move over ASAP. Gene was being lapped, all he had to do was brake a little early going into one of the many corners before the line, and DC would have gotten past. However, instead he decided to push, and even defended his line.

[Valve Bounce]

In my opinion, Gene was wrong in not making a bigger effort to let cars pass. He was not going to finish anywhere near the points, and both M&M commented that Gene should have allowed DC to pass. He held DC up costing him around 1 second, which made the difference at the pit stop.
Many drivers made great efforts to let both TGF and DC pass, including slowing down a helluva lot, and pulling over. Waiting fo rhe end of the lap to let the leaders through is not the right way, I'm afraid.

[abraham]

I follow Jay and Valve opinion.

Let's seperate DC mood and facts. Gene did block DC. Gene was fined. End of the story. What may have happened should DC had passed Gene early is maybe worth of discussion: could he had passed MS like a men? Could he had come out of the pit 1 second earlier? Bad luck.....

As for pure driving skill, DC is a great driver but sure, I'd like to see him drive a Minardi and see if he can bring the car in the points.