Ron admits truth in Villeneuve link.
Ron Dennis has confessed to speaking with Jacques Villeneuve's management about a contract for 2001, but only because he feels that enough detail has already been leaked.
The McLaren boss is reportedly upset that the team behind the BAR star felt obliged to reveal that talks had taken place for 2001, and moved to clarify the situation over the British GP weekend. Dennis subsequently revealed that 'negotiations' had been one-sided, and that he had had no intention of discussing his driver line-up before Austria at the earliest.
Ron Dennis has confessed to speaking with Jacques Villeneuve's management about a contract for 2001, but only because he feels that enough detail has already been leaked.
The McLaren boss is reportedly upset that the team behind the BAR star felt obliged to reveal that talks had taken place for 2001, and moved to clarify the situation over the British GP weekend. Dennis subsequently revealed that 'negotiations' had been one-sided, and that he had had no intention of discussing his driver line-up before Austria at the earliest.
''I had a 'phone call from Villeneuve's manager a few weeks ago, asking about the driver situation for next year,'' he admitted, ''I was polite, listened to what he had to say and then told him that it would not be until eight or nine races into the season that we would start to look ahead.''
McLaren has made a relatively poor start to the 2000 campaign, failing to win a race until David Coulthard crossed the line first at Silverstone on Sunday. Ironically, it is the Scot's place which is most likely to be under threat if the team decides to change its line-up, following team-mate Mika Hakkinen's double championship success in recent years, but he shows no immediate concern.
''It is inevitable that the team is going to look at who's available,'' he told Britain's Motoring News, ''but, if I win, my market value goes up. I know what my contractual position is, and I'm happy with that.''
The McLaren management views the situation in a similar fashion, with Mercedes boss Norbert Haug refusing to discuss Coulthard's future so soon after his driver had won a race. Dennis, meanwhile, has another take on the Villeneuve approach, claiming that it may have a disruptive motive.
''These things are unsettling for our current line-up,'' he said, ''I feel that I am being used for purposes other than the real one regarding Villeneuve's future.''
Coulthard, meanwhile, continues to be linked to several teams for 2001, including Jaguar, Jordan and Villeneuve's current team BAR.
