IRVINE V. DENNIS: ROUND THREE.

The spat between Jaguar driver Eddie Irvine and McLaren boss over who said what in their contract meetings took another turn in the Melbourne paddock yesterday, with the latter taking a swipe at Irvines character.

The two had swapped accusations in the press on-and-off over the Australian GP weekend, with Irvine claiming he turned down a seat at McLaren because of a low wage, and Dennis countering with the fact that he felt the Irishman offered nothing new to the team, and that McLaren turned him away.

We have the ability to pay what we want to who we want, Dennis argued, but we have never taken a decision based on money. Money was not an issue here - it was only an issue with Damon [Hill].

We chose the drivers we wanted, and they are both very highly paid and very happy. The decision not to offer Eddie the drive was based on nothing else but who we felt was best for the job. I was positively impressed at the meetings we had with him - our discussions were very amiable and friendly - but now I am disappointed in him.

His concept that we clone our drivers, and do not like colourful individuals, personalities, those that paint their hair, wear weird baggy clothes, swear, or like fast girls, is ludicrous, he continued, with reference to Irvines alleged attack on current pairing Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard, We will put the two drivers in whether they are poor communicators, ugly, or have no dress sense. And its after we decide who we want, that we start to discuss money.

The way Eddie behaves stems from the fundamental weakness that we are all insecure and, the more you are thrust into public life, the more relevant those insecurities become.

Irvine hit back by claiming that he had not been the one to break details of the talks. Instead, he insisted, he had only commented when information had already become the topic of paddock conversation.

Everyone was talking about it but me, he said, I was the only one there except for several people from McLaren - and it certainly didnt come from me.

Yes, I told them that I wasnt going to drive for the sort of figures Coulthard is supposed to earn, but [Dennis] told me that I was better than Coulthard. You cant get people cheap, and its not as if Ron cant afford it.

This one could run and run.