Wurz warns Raikkonen to perform
McLaren's new signing, Kimi Raikkonen, has been warned by the team's test driver that he must be on the pace straight away if he wants to establish himself as a top-line star
Alexander Wurz, who was passed over by McLaren for the drive, reckons that the combination of driving for a top team and being a replacement for double world champion Mika Hakkinen, leaves Raikkonen with little time to get up to speed.
"He definitely has to deliver," Wurz told Austrian newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten. "In a team fighting for the championship, no learning season is possible."
He admitted that it hurt to miss out on the drive, having spent the year as McLaren's test driver, but added that "time heals your wounds." Wurz will stay on in the role for another season and, if Raikkonen fails to deliver, it is likely that the Austrian would be the first port of call as a replacement.
Wurz added that he believes Raikkonen's team mate, David Coulthard, has a good chance of beating Ferrari's Michael Schumacher to the world title, as long as McLaren comes up with a competitive car.
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