McLaren clarifies its position on Wurz
McLaren has clarified its own position with regard to third driver Alexander Wurz, who has had discussions with Jaguar about possibly replacing Antonio Pizzonia
"We were approached by Jaguar," explained team boss Ron Dennis in Barcelona, "and they did not wait for a response before approaching Alexander, which was not particularly correct in our opinion. We have discussed it, spanning the last two weeks, and we have always had a policy with regard to out third driver that we would never stand in the way of his racing career.
"Myself, Norbert Haug and Martin Whitmarsh have considered our position carefully and have made a proposal that could see Alexander leave and go to Jaguar. It is for them to decide whether they accept it or not. We have fully involved Alexander in our position."
A release fee of $3 million has been touted around the paddock but Dennis would not be drawn on the financial details of the deal. "Of course there is money involved," he confirmed, "but it is not a huge sum and it is only representative of our investment in Alexander and not profiteering."
The McLaren boss confirmed that if Wurz did leave the team it would impact on McLaren's development of the new MP4-18 and that Pedro de la Rosa's testing duties would be extended.
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