Speculation Mounts In Formula One
The Age
Thursday June 1, 2000
It's only six rounds into the formula one calender, with the world championship a long way from decided, but the sport's so-called silly season already seems to have begun.
Several drivers and teams have been linked with fresh partnerships as speculation mounts about who will be teaming up with who - and who will no longer be part of the show - when the music stops at season's end.
And where better to generate even more gossip than that lifestyle haunt of the rich and famous, Monaco, where round seven of the title race takes place this weekend. For many of the highly paid drivers, Monaco is a home event as the principality's status as a tax haven makes it a highly attractive residence.
And yesterday, former world champion Niki Lauda increased speculation with his suggestion that dual titleholder Mika Hakkinen (who has already scotched rumors that he planned to retire) should quit McLaren and move to another team to rekindle his passion for the sport.
``If he wants to carry on racing with full motivation, then he has to leave McLaren," the Austrian told Germany's Die Welt newspaper.
``I can speak from my own experience: I left Ferrari after four years because I got fed up," said Lauda, who won the title in 1975 and 1977 with Ferrari and 1984 after moving to McLaren.
Lauda said there could be a grain of truth behind the paddock gossip about Hakkinen's retirement schedule. ``It would certainly match the impression he has created," he said.
Lauda also said that Hakkinen and Ferrari's championship leader Michael Schumacher, as well as the cars they were driving, were equal in performance - but the German had ``sharper elbows" and greater mental toughness.
``When someone being lapped sees him (Schumacher) in his rear-view mirror, then he makes room," he said. ``With Hakkinen that is less the case ... And when the cars are equal, that can make all the difference."
Earlier this year it was the turn of Benetton's Alexander Wurz to have his position in the team questioned after a lacklustre start to the season in which he had been outgunned almost everywhere by teammate Giancarlo Fisichella.
Wurz is better than he has shown, but the blunt truth is that he remains scoreless while the Italian has amassed 10 points and is sixth in the standings.
Australian Mark Webber, the test driver for Arrows, was one of those who enjoyed 15 minutes of fame when his name was put up as a possible replacement for the Austrian, but Benetton chiefs have said Wurz's position is safe to the end of the year.
Long term, however, Benetton (which has just been bought out by Renault and will probably be known under the French manufacturer's name) will be looking for at least one star driver.
And rumors in Britain suggest that driver could be 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, one of the most charismatic drivers in F1 and certainly one of the most talented.
The French-Canadian would seem to fit the Renault bill on a number of fronts, and Williams and McLaren have both ruled him out as a candidate.
The other driver mentioned is, surprisingly, Williams' Jenson Button, despite the great impression the 20-year-old has made in his early races. But Williams has an option on impressive Colombian Juan Montoya, who won the Indy500 on Sunday, and may be keen to exercise it as early as next year.
Few expect Jaguar's Johnny Herbert still to be part of the scene in 2001. The Briton has already talked about driving Indy cars in the future. -- with agencies
© 2000 The Age