McLaren distractions can boost Schumi

The Newey saga could distract McLaren in Canada

BBC Sport's motor racing correspondent Jonathan Legard says McLaren have to ignore distractions this weekend if they want to challenge Michael Schumacher.

Michael Schumacher probably can't believe his luck as he prepares for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.

At a time when his chief championship rivals should be concentrating their efforts on extracting maximum reliability from their cars, McLaren have been working overtime to secure the continued presence of their brilliant technical director, Adrian Newey.

Newey's u-turn over his projected move to Jaguar has been a thoroughly embarrassing and unsettling distraction.

And Jaguar's threat of legal action against Newey and McLaren means the story is far from over.

Quite how McLaren can be faulted is hard to question. Newey's conduct in signing two contracts is another matter.

Backdrop of uncertainty

His apparent readiness to leave and the uncharacteristic inconsistencies in performance will have struck at the heart of a team which prides itself as the epitome of pitlane professionalism.

After the unedifying scramble for two points in Monaco, McLaren can ill afford another off weekend around a track where Schumacher rarely stumbles.

If the name Villeneuve didn't carry such emotional resonance in Montreal, they could re-title the circuit in the German's honour.

In his nine races in Montreal, Schumacher has four victories, two second places and one fifth to his name.

Schumacher could be celebrating again

He's been on pole no less than five times.

David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen can muster one win and one pole between them.

Against a backdrop of such uncertainty, Coulthard's newly-honed focus on the bare essentials of a race weekend faces another stern test.

For a start, he could avoid a repeat of last year's startline fumble when he stalled on the grid.

But he should have no complaints about overtaking opportunities - unlike Monaco.

The fast, long straights, the hairpins and the chicanes of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve positively encourage passing.

That means maximum engine power, hence Michael Schumacher's warning that BMW Williams will be a force.

They've already starred at high-speed tracks like Imola and Austria. But after crashing out foolishly in Monaco, Juan Pablo Montoya needs to learn his lines better around a completely foreign track.

The more experienced and consistent Ralf Schumacher will be disappointed if his Williams doesn't figure at the front end of the grid and the race.

Set on a man-made island in the middle of the St Lawrence River, the circuit also hits the brakes hard.

Play to the galleries

A couple of years ago, Heinz-Harald Frentzen ended up in the barriers when his Jordan failed to answer his brake pedal!

Frentzen would do well to stay on the road in 2001, and not just for the obvious reasons.

His position within the team is under increasing scrutiny. He's been regularly out-qualified by Jarno Trulli.

And with a decision imminent from engine suppliers Honda about their future plans, Jordan need to make a point or four to stay ahead of BAR.

One or other will reportedly be dropped at the end of the season. The pair are currently separated by just a point in the constructors championship.

On his home circuit, Jacques Villeneuve would love to play to the galleries and move BAR ahead of their Honda rivals.

He still maintains there's at least one more world championship in him, and with the top teams unlikely to change drivers for next year, BAR is his best bet for the moment.

Can Irvine continue his return to form?

Villeneuve's battle for points or a podium finish could be complicated by Jaguar's positive progress.

This weekend will reveal the real value of Eddie Irvine's impressive third place in Monaco. Was it Irvine's skill around a track he loves or a major aerodynamic improvement on the car?

According to team boss, Bobby Rahal, the changes were made with circuits like Canada in mind. The result in Monaco was a bonus.

If man and machine do perform as strongly again, Rahal will willingly stick two fingers up in the direction of the "friend" whom he thought was joining him from McLaren.

Not that Adrian Newey is likely to be in Montreal. He has enough to sort out back home.

Cool is the word from the weather forecasters for the weekend outlook. McLaren need to keep theirs as successfully as they kept their technical genius.