Team orders for McLaren?

The Scot may be asked to back Mika Hakkinen's charge to win the championship, starting from this weekend's German GP.

The tactics would also help erase the memory of last week's collision between the team-mates at the A1-Ring.

Hakkinen leads the championship from Ferrari's Eddie Irvine by two points, while Coulthard lies 16 points behind the Finn.

Mercedes competition boss Norbert Haug said, 'We have to be fair, and it is difficult to keep the guys motivated (if you impose team orders), but we'll have to make the decision sooner or later. We have to think about it.'

However McLaren boss Ron Dennis said, 'There is provision in both our drivers' contracts for any time of the year (for team orders) but we don't exert them until there is a mathematical possibility to do it.

'I don't think we're in that situation. David could have won that race, maybe should have won that race.

'That would've put him in the position of having a go at the world championship because it's close up there.'