No team orders, says Coulthard

There had been speculation that McLaren would instruct Coulthard to abandon his own title ambitions to help those of Mika Hakkinen.

However, the Scot, who is 12 points behind joint leaders Hakkinen and Ferrari's Eddie Irvine, said he expected no orders to be introduced while he was still fighting for the crown himself.

'I am definitely in with a shout of the championship,' said Coulthard. 'Although it's an outside chance because I'm fighting with my team mate who holds a 12-point advantage over me.

'If Mika finishes in front of me at the Nurburgring then I would expect some team orders to be introduced.

'All the fuss really amazes me because if you go back to the 1960s, team orders were just as much a part of motorsport then.'

Coulthard also dismissed suggestions that his relationship with Hakkinen was strained following their first lap collision at last month's Belgian Grand Prix.

'I have no problems with Mika as a team-mate and we race on the basis that we will be hard but fair with each other.

'We don't always see eye-to-eye but show me a competitive situation where people do.'