Coulthard Will Keep Fighting, Says Dennis

David Coulthard is a more determined driver than ever this year and will hit back hard after Sunday's British Grand Prix nightmare, according to McLaren boss Ron Dennis. Coulthard, whose Formula One title hopes were severely dented by a first corner shunt at Silverstone, can also expect more help from recharged teammate Mika Hakkinen after the Finn won on Sunday.

Hakkinen showed considerable mental toughness in brushing aside speculation about retirement and his apparent lack of motivation to win in Britain for the first time. Dennis, who was critical of Coulthard on occasion earlier this season and is often said to favour Hakkinen, said the Scot had developed similar resilience.

"Very often we don't recognise change in ourselves, but there was a change in David," he said when asked about Coulthard's form compared to last season. "It wasn't a sort of light switch change, it was a change over a period of time.

"But he is now a very resolute mature racing driver, one who will definitely accommodate comfortably the failures that inevitably are part of being a Grand Prix driver. I can't see him having anything other than a bit of a moody evening. By the time he's testing in Monza in a few days he'll be fully motivated and ready to go," said the team boss.

"We'll go to Hockenheim with two drivers more than capable of winning the race."

Coulthard has played second fiddle to two times champion Hakkinen for most of their record six years together at McLaren, helping the Finn to the title in 1998 and 1999.

Strong Reply

This season Hakkinen has suffered a run of bad luck and poor form, leaving him with just nine points from 10 races before he won for the first time in 11 months on Sunday. The Finn is now out of the title race, with Coulthard McLaren's sole contender 37 points behind Ferrari's Michael Schumacher with six races to go, but his win showed that the old Mika was back in business.

"He's proved that he still has the motivation and hasn't forgotten how to drive a car," commented Mercedes chairman Juergen Hubbert, who added Hakkinen's future would be known within "a few days."

Dennis confirmed on Saturday that he and Hakkinen were negotiating the duration of a new contract and Hubbert said a decision was expected soon from a driver who can now expect to play a major part in the rest of the season.

"I don't think Mika's motivation has really been anything other than close to 100 percent," said Dennis. "We all go up and down by two or three percent...I'm sure he would have found a little bit more out of himself if he was contending the World Championship in a more serious way from a points standpoint.

"But one thing's for sure, he'll go to every race for the balance of this season with absolute commitment to win it and that's what we need. It will contribute to helping David if its required...certainly it's what we need for the constructors' (title). We're fighting for both."