Monday March 27th, 2000

By Timothy Collings

David Coulthard and his McLaren team must wait a week before learning whether they are second in the world championship or mere tail-enders after two races.

But while former champion Michael Schumacher and Ferrari celebrated their perfect start to the Formula One season with a second successive win at Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix, Coulthard and McLaren remained defiant.

Coulthard, 29 on Monday, was disqualified after finishing runner-up to Schumacher because his car broke technical regulations relating to the front-wing end plates.

The team said the infringement was caused by structural damage inflicted by the bumpy Interlagos track. Cars bottomed out frequently, but McLaren's plea of mitigating circumstances was rejected.

The team appealed against the stewards' decision and a hearing is likely in Paris early next week.

The appeal echoes the one involving Ferrari last October when the Italian team appealed successfully after being disqualified from the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Ferrari finished the season as constructors' world champions while McLaren's Mika Hakkinen took his second successive drivers' title.

Mercedes-Benz motor sport chief Norbert Haug said that despite Schumacher's perfect start, McLaren could regain the initiative in this year's 17-race series.

McLaren are currently without a point while Ferrari have 26 and Schumacher heads the drivers standings with 20.

"Ferrari are undoubtedly very strong this year," said Haug. "But I am not surprised by that. I expected it.

"But we have not shown our best yet and I believe when we do we will prove what we can do. Of course, it is going to be a close struggle, but there is a very long way to go.

Still Searching

"In this race, it was not as easy for Michael (Schumacher) as so many people think. Mika (Hakkinen) was leading when he had to retire and I am sure that if that had not happened, the outcome would have been very different.

"We have had some bad luck and not found our true form yet.

"David (Coulthard) drove an excellent race and has been very unlucky. It is the sign of a really great driver to be able to bring the car home when it is not in good shape and has problems.

"He did that and it was fantastic. I am sure he will prove a lot of people wrong if they think he is out of it all and that we are too. We are just having a very bad start to the season."

Haug spoke in the aftermath of an intriguing race in which Schumacher took the lead at the end of the first lap and then, using a two-stop strategy, pulled clear.

He fell behind Hakkinen after his first stop, before Hakkinen had pitted, but then regained the lead and cruised to victory.

Coulthard had finished ahead of Italian Giancarlo Fisichella in a Benetton with the two Jordans of German Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Italian Jarno Trulli fourth and fifth. Ralf Schumacher, in a Williams, finished sixth.

Coulthard's disqualification moved them all up one place, pending the outcome of McLaren's appeal, and lifted Briton Jenson Button into sixth for Williams.

That will make him the youngest driver to win a world championship point, if McLaren's appeal fails.

After the race, Coulthard made it clear he felt his performance proved he was a title contender. Haug and McLaren team chief Ron Dennis defended their one-stop tactics.

"To have come home in second place would have been a great kick-start to my championship challenge given all the problems the team has had," said Coulthard.

"But these are very early days and there are 15 races to go. We are not despondent. We are in there fighting and we know our car is competitive. It is just a matter of sorting out one or two small reliability issues."