Cotterik
06-16-2005, 05:02 AM
David Coulthard has entered talks with BAR-Honda regarding a 2006 race seat, according to a report in this week’s Autosport magazine.
The Scot is being courted by the Brackley-based team as a potential lead driver in the event that Williams exercises its option on Jenson Button’s services, and is reported to have had “outline conversations” with BAR management.
However, Coulthard is also engaged in ongoing negotiations to extend his current tenure at Red Bull Racing and may still stay put.
A source close to DC was quoted as saying: “David is extremely happy at Red Bull and the team’s performances have exceeded his expectations this season.
“But BAR-Honda is a works team with a serious amount of backing and if he has a chance to go there he would be foolish not to look at it.”
Coulthard is a close friend of BAR sporting director Gil de Ferran, who was his team-mate in the formative stages of his driving career in the UK at Paul Stewart Racing.
Another of de Ferran’s racing contemporaries, fellow Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, has also been linked to the BAR drive amid evidence that his relations with Ferrari have become strained in recent weeks.
But de Ferran insisted that sentiment would not prevent him from being “absolutely professional and objective in any judgement I make”.
It is looking increasingly likely that there will be at least one vacancy at BAR next year.
Williams has first refusal on Button if (as is almost certain) the Briton fails to score 75 percent of the championship leader’s points by the Turkish Grand Prix on August 21.
Furthermore, Takuma Sato’s place in the team is said to be in jeopardy – despite Honda’s enthusiasm for having a Japanese driver – after a poor 2005 campaign so far.
Test driver Anthony Davidson recently turned down an offer to drive for the Newman/Haas Champ Car team based on asurances from BAR that he stands a high chance of being promoted to a race seat next year.
Courtesy of Itv-f1.com
The Scot is being courted by the Brackley-based team as a potential lead driver in the event that Williams exercises its option on Jenson Button’s services, and is reported to have had “outline conversations” with BAR management.
However, Coulthard is also engaged in ongoing negotiations to extend his current tenure at Red Bull Racing and may still stay put.
A source close to DC was quoted as saying: “David is extremely happy at Red Bull and the team’s performances have exceeded his expectations this season.
“But BAR-Honda is a works team with a serious amount of backing and if he has a chance to go there he would be foolish not to look at it.”
Coulthard is a close friend of BAR sporting director Gil de Ferran, who was his team-mate in the formative stages of his driving career in the UK at Paul Stewart Racing.
Another of de Ferran’s racing contemporaries, fellow Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, has also been linked to the BAR drive amid evidence that his relations with Ferrari have become strained in recent weeks.
But de Ferran insisted that sentiment would not prevent him from being “absolutely professional and objective in any judgement I make”.
It is looking increasingly likely that there will be at least one vacancy at BAR next year.
Williams has first refusal on Button if (as is almost certain) the Briton fails to score 75 percent of the championship leader’s points by the Turkish Grand Prix on August 21.
Furthermore, Takuma Sato’s place in the team is said to be in jeopardy – despite Honda’s enthusiasm for having a Japanese driver – after a poor 2005 campaign so far.
Test driver Anthony Davidson recently turned down an offer to drive for the Newman/Haas Champ Car team based on asurances from BAR that he stands a high chance of being promoted to a race seat next year.
Courtesy of Itv-f1.com