Sunday October 31st, 1999

David Coulthard said today he may sue Michael Schumacher for slander, if the German does not apologise for remarks he made about Coulthard in the post-race press conference. Schumacher contended that David Coulthard deliberately blocked him while he was about to be overlapped, and said that made him wonder if a similar situation at Spa last year was not also pre-meditated by the Scot.

"If Schumacher doesn't apologise for his remarks there could be legal repercussions for him because he is questioning my integrity," Coulthard said. "He needs to realise that if he wants to discuss something he should discuss it with me and not the whole world. This could have very serious repercussions for him."

Schumacher claimed that Coulthard's driving cost him 10 seconds - vital for his chances of winning the race, which saw Hakkinen dominate it from start to finish. But Coulthard dismissed those claims, saying: "He only lost two seconds, not 10. There is one set of rules for Michael and there is one set for everyone else. I am very disappointed he is questioning my integrity over Spa. It is just ludicrous and shows that despite what we discussed at the time that he holds grudges.

"He has a real problem admitting his mistakes. I am not denying I held him up but it was not a deliberate attempt to ruin his race. Anyway, I would say that deep down that he is quite happy with the result because he didn't want Eddie (Irvine) to win the championship despite the very public image of being out there to do all he could after Malaysia. He will be happy because he wants to be the Ferrari champion."

"When he came to pass me the second time I pulled to the left and waved him through but at the same time he showed me the fist. I am sorry and disappointed how the last two races have been decided and the tactics employed. But ultimately, Mika had beaten Eddie anyway today."