David Coulthard is under growing pressure to get back to winning ways amid speculation that his future at McLaren is far from safe.
The BBC this week reported claims from inside the McLaren-Mercedes team that bosses are hoping to sign Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya, as early as next season. The Columbian is known to be unhappy at the large discrepancy between his Williams salary and that of his German team-mate, Ralf Schumacher.
McLaren have not yet confirmed their driver line-up for 2004 and it was assumed that Coulthard's place with the team was assured. Now it appears that McLaren's intention to sign Montoya will guarantee Coulthard, at best, one more season with the Woking-based outfit. It is however unlikely that Montoya will move before the end of 2004, when Coulthard's contract expires. However Coulthard's lacklustre performances this season have seriously damaged his chances.
The Scot has raced for McLaren-Mercedes for 8 consecutive seasons, after joining them from Williams in 1996. Speculation has grown that his future is uncertain with many suggestion a split in this long racing partnership would be good for both parties.
Any move by McLaren for Montoya is likely to be blocked by Williams technical partner, BMW. The car manufacturer is known to have a high opinion of Montoya and his south-American heritage is beneficial for the German firm's marketing activities. Furthermore, given that Montoya's contract runs beyond 2004 with Williams, a sizeable pay-off would be needed to secure his services early.
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