Sauber Says No Friction with Villeneuve

Sauber were at the centre of rumours throughout the Canadian Grand Prix weekend that they were about to part ways with Villeneuve - with speculation having been fuelled by comments attributed to Sauber himself, which claimed he had said that the former World Champion was 'too slow'.

But although the stories grabbed the attention of Villeneuve's local media, with team boss and driver widely quoted throughout the weekend, Sauber himself has insisted that the real situation inside the team is no cause for concern.

"I don't like playing a game of words," said Sauber, who saw Villeneuve qualify an impressive eighth overall in Montreal. "What people say and what is written are two different things.

"When I speak to Jacques, things are calm and constructive. He knows that he must be quicker and we know that we have to give him a quicker car. His performance in qualifying was a nice surprise, his race unfortunately was soon over with damage to the front wing."

There are no shortage of candidates who have been linked with the second Sauber seat, especially with Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz having made it clear that he is ready to offer one of his young men, but Sauber insists that no conversations have taken place at all.

"I know that Dietrich Mateschitz has at least one driver too many at Red Bull, but there was no phone call," he added.