11/21/24
December 30, 2003
Coulthard out at McLaren at end of 2004.: In F1, Silly season now starts at the beginning of the year.
See, this is another of those strange to American ears deals. I don't follow motorsports but even in the US I don't think drivers are allowed to sign a contract with another team before their current one expires. Certainly this is true for NFL/MLB/NHL/MLS/NBA.
posted by billsaysthis at 12:28 PM on December 30, 2003
Meanwhile Williams has a real problem if they expect to have to coax a world championship performance out of either of their drivers this year. JPM won't be supported well enough, and Ralf (IMO) just doesn't have it in him. Kimi very nearly did it in 2003 in a year-old car, so he'll be the one to watch this year for sure.
posted by Space Coyote at 10:07 PM on December 30, 2003
This is hardly news. The question is: Will Coulthard be out before the start of 2004? Williams know Montoya will be off to McLaren at the end of the year. How much are they going to want him to know about the car? If they're going to keep him in the dark, how is he going to be able to provide proper feedback to his engineers? Don't be surprised if McLaren buyout the final year of Montoya's contract.
posted by salmacis at 04:27 AM on December 31, 2003
This shoe was expected to drop, but at least now it might shake up some hiring and firings. I wonder if someone like Toyota or Renault has the bank to buy out his contract for 2004.