Should Hakkinen move over?

McLaren driver David Coulthard's win at the Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday puts him 34 points ahead of team-mate Mika Hakkinen.

Is it time Hakkinen gave Coulthard a helping hand in the race for the driver's championship?

Or is it too early in the season for Hakkinen to put himself out of the race?

David Coulthard's brilliant win at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday means there is only four points between him and Michael Schumacher in the driver's championship table.

McLaren team-mate Mika Hakkinen, however, remains 38 points adrift of Hakkinen after a disastrous start in Austria seemed to sum up his season.

McLaren boss Ron Dennis has stated that it is too early in the season, with 11 races to go, to write off Hakkinen for the title and is reluctant to issue any orders at this stage.

This attitude contrasts directly with Ferrari's team strategy: Rubens Barichello was ordered to surrender second place to team-mate Michael Schumacher in Austria.

With McLaren priding themselves on operating two equal number one drivers and a markedly different, but seemingly successful, formula at Ferrari, what is the future for McLaren?

Should Hakkinen concede to Coulthard?

Or, as Ron Dennis has stated, is it too early to determine anything?

Will the different team strategies decide who comes out on top in October?

Send us your views

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I don't think that Mika should have to back David. David is not a consistent driver, Mika has proved himself and is only just over 30 points behind Schumacher. In 2000 he was 30 points behind Schumacher at the start after three races. In Spain, Mika proved he could win.
Tristan Adams, Britian

I think David Coulthard is very over-rated. He won the last race just because every one else had problems. He didn't even overtake a single car. Lets not forget that he drove the best car on the track for most of his career yet he never came close to winning a WC. He is fast but not in Schumacher's or Hakkinen's level.
Nick, UK

It would now seem that McLaren have no choice but to back both drivers equally considering their view on what Ferrari did on Sunday

  David Henderson, Scotland

I am by no means a Schumacher fan, but I think that what the Ferrari team did was absolutely right. Let's face it, Ferrari's championship hopes hang on one driver - and it's not Barichello! If McLaren wants to win this championship they had better watch and learn from Ferrari and consider doing the same thing as Ferrari, given similar circumstances. Race smarter as well as harder.
Jared, USA (English)

David Coulthard has been a champion in waiting for many years. This year his whole body language and approach are that of a champion. I think he can do it with or without team orders. Team orders are regrettable but unfortunately part of F1. For any one to think otherwise is naive.

Personally I think Ron Dennis comments on Ferraris team orders on the weekend are hypercritical! F1 fans know that Coulthard's moved over to let Mika win the opening race in Melbourne a couple of years ago. Ron Dennis' comments at the time were not dissimilar to Ferrari's comments now. Ron Dennis and McLaren should practice what they preach.
Marcus Gage, London, England

It would now seem that McLaren have no choice but to back both drivers equally considering their view on what Ferrari did on Sunday. However it would make sense for Hakinen to back Coulthard if he doesn't close the points gap in the next couple of races. It would be great to have another British world champion.
David Henderson, Scotland

There is a fundamental difference between the Barrichello / Hakkinen situations ..... ability. Look past national pride and you must realise that Hakkinen is the better driver .... the same can not possibly be said about Barrichello. One race win in 23 races, and that was LUCKY. Schumacher outdrove Rubens in Austria .... he had a better race than anyone making a solid recovery, outdriving even Coulthard who managed to win the race from 7th on the grid without overtaking a single person on the track !!! To the contrary he was passed by Verstappen. Let Mika go for the championship ... the others will have their bad patches - remember last season ?
Sam Allan, England

When it comes to the wire Hakkinen performs better than Coulthard. So I feel Ron did the right thing of not favouring a single driver.

  Ajith, India

He should give up the chase and concentrate on helping out David Coulthard.
Chris Soumbie, Australia

Whether or not Hakkinen has a shot at the top spot isn't the question. Rather, it should be, is he man enough to step aside when the time comes? Or will Dennis have to step in with a top-down directive. Until then, I say race hard!
Brett Rayer, USA

Never discount twice world champ Hakkinen. Coulthard is a consistent driver. But when it comes to the wire Hakkinen performs better than Coulthard. So I feel Ron did the right thing of not favouring a single driver.
Ajith, India

Team orders are not good for the sport and it makes it looked like a rehearsed play where we already know who is going to win without having to watch the races.

  Sharon, UK

Hakkinen should not give up, 'cos it ain't over 'til it's over! Each individual driver should fight for the championship. I think that if Michael Schumacher wins the chanpionship it won't be honorable because he needed the team's help to win. If he is such a brilliant driver, he shoudn't have to rely on the team to gain points or a victory. Team orders are not good for the sport and it makes it looked like a rehearsed play where we already know who is going to win without having to watch the races.
Sharon, UK

Ferrari are once again, going to destroy everything that they have made so far. Barichello will leave for sure Ferrari at the end of the season after that stupid pit policy, Schumacher may fill not comfortable being helped to earn few points in that, at the moment that Toyota offers him probably a lot of money and a better enviroment! I hope that the only one that must leave right now Ferrari is Todt, in the name of the team.
Ilias Tselios, Greece

Anyone who thinks that McClaren don¿t have team orders are sadly deluded. It is a well known fact that Ron Dennis has favoured Mika Hakkinen over David Coulthard for many years. In 1998 in the second race of the season David was asked to move over for Mika to take the win. David then had to ride shotgun for Mika for the whole season and further more asked several times to keep the Ferrari of Michael Schumacher at Bay so Mika could take the wins. Ron Dennis is a clever man and this is his chance to score brownie points in the PR war between Mclaren and Ferrari. In the end it boils down to money. The big car manufacturers behind these teams want winners in order to sell more cars, not moral dilemmas about who let who win. Move over Mika, it¿s Davids turn. Sorry Barichello, Schumi¿s the best.
D Raval, England

Coulthards win on Sunday was fantastic to watch - a great drive under immense pressure. I admit that I've never really believed that he would win a world championship, but after two stunning victories in Brazil and Austria, I'm really hoping that he can go all the way. As for team orders, I think that Ron Dennis has got it absolutely right; until one driver is mathmatically unable to win the championship, then they should both be treated equally.
Kevin D., UK

Fans pay money to see men racing and any hint of pitlane tactics insults the intelligence of those fans

  Steve Cahill, England

I am amazed at Ron Dennis's hypocrisy. Was it not 2 or 3 years ago that he ordered DC to let Mika through in the first race of the season in Australia? Ron should be aware that his attempt to stir things up with his "That's not the way we do things at McLaren" diatribe cuts no ice with people who actually possess memories. Fans pay money to see men racing and any hint of pitlane tactics insults the intelligence of those fans.
Steve Cahill, England

I think FIA should ban team orders. This will usually be difficult to prove, but such blatant moves as Ferrari's this weekend should result in the disqualification of both drivers. In the MacLaren camp I think that the two drivers are of a similar level and the current points gap between the two is unrealistic, but I would like to see Coulthard win!
Keith, UK

McLaren would never do what Ferrari did, at least not during the sixth GP! We still have eleven to go and nothing is yet decided. The only thing we know for sure is that Ferrari works for Schumi only, so we may see it happenning again during the season.
Bruno Martins, Brazil

I do not agree with team orders. A true champion should be able to win the race , under any circumstances, with his own effort.
Wong KW, Malaysia

I think it would be up to the drivers to make their own decisions if such a situation occured

  Jon-Paul Shooter, England

I think it would be up to the drivers to make their own decisions if such a situation occured. Hakkinen is not going to give up his championship chase just yet, and if he had to, he is a sensible enough guy to let David through if it helped in the championship. The McLaren drivers don't suffer from the animosity that surfaced in the Ferrari camp earlier in the season.
Jon-Paul Shooter, England

Let them both fight for the championship. If Coulthard is good enough, then he won't need Hakkinen to ride rough-shod. Look what happened to Ferrari in 1999. Irvine had to give way to Schuey several times, losing vital points. Schuey then went out at Silverstone, Irvine lost the championship by a handful of points, that he might have had if he hadn't had to give way to Schuey. Let the fighting carry on. That is if both cars can get off the line!!!
Ian Westwood, United Kingdom

For this season I would say that now McLaren should send out team orders making Coulthard their priority. Mika Hakkinen is out of the Championship race and I for one would love to see Schumacher defeated again. In the long run, I think that both Hakkinen and Coulthard are well capable of winning the Championship (as is Barrichello) and I think they should all be allowed to battle it out.
Mark, UK

Actually, the swop between Mikka and David in Australia was agreed between themselves. Ron Dennis had nothing to do with it.
Brian, England

Ferrari's championship efforts often seem too stage-managed

  James Newey, UK

I disagree that Coulthard's only chance of winning is with the help of team orders. Ferrari's championship efforts often seem too stage-managed, with Schumacher belittling himself with his dependance on a team-mate playing second-fiddle to him. This is something I think Coulthard, who has shown himself to be of championship material, can cope without.
James Newey, UK

Personally, Iwould like to see points deducted for allowing a team mate through. We would then see a championship were the best driver would win fair and square. If either David Coulthard or Michael Schumacher were to win this year's championship due to team mates constantly moving over, the public would then be questioning the true ability of the driver.
John Hitchmough, England

I've always been critical of Coulthard, even up to yesterday! However in Austria he showed that he is the best driver to challenge Schumacher. He should be given full support from McLaren and Hakkinen. Barrichello signed a contract knowing the full details on what was expected as a driver for Ferrari. He gets paid good money for this; that is being number two, so he has nothing to complain about..
Peter, UK

I can guarantee you that Hakkinen, come the end of the season, will finish ahead of Coulthard. Coulthard has been riding his luck this year, but F1 always evens things out and ability always shines through in the end.
Dom Sabatini, Scotland

Only a true gent would insist on no team orders now, even if one of his drivers is doing so much better than the other

  Steve Blackburn, UK

I think that Ron Dennis is the best bloke on Earth! Only a true gent would insist on no team orders now, even if one of his drivers is doing so much better than the other. If Schumacher is champion because of it, then no matter. Ron and the McLaren boys are above such behaviour and therefore superior people in every way. I also don't think that anyone could justifiably accuse Rubens Barrichello of being a martyr.
Steve Blackburn, UK

Coulthard all too often under-achieves in competitive machinery: If he's going to be anywhere near Schumacher in the final shake up, he'll need all the help he can get from Hakkinen.
Lee Patrick, Russia

What is the matter with Dennis? It is very clear he does not want Coulthard to win. Whilst I agree that Hakkinen could mount a late challenge, the bottom line is that Schumacher will at the same time be getting points, so the only loser will be Coulthard. It really is time that McLaren played the team card, especially since everyone else, including the commentators accept it is a legitimate part of F1 team racing.
Alastair Davis, London

I think Ron Dennis should wait for another two to three races and then decide. It is too early to count Hakkinen out. We all know what the Flyin Finn is capable of. Hakkinen, I believe, will still pose a great threat to Schumacher. I don't see Coulthard keeping his momentum when it matters.
Maverick, Greece

I think McLaren should not apply team orders yet because, as Ron Dennis said, now is too early. I am a Coulthard fan, but I was very upset too to see Mika lose the lead in Spain and not start the car in Austria. I wish both of them would score points in every single race for the rest of the season. McLaren will know when to apply the team order to their drivers. You only have to look at Ruben's face to see the consequence of forcing team orders on a driver.
Ben Lee, Australia

As David Coulthard implied today, he has helped out Mika in the past

  Martin Smith, USA

As much as I hate them, team orders work. I remember back to the days of the JPS Lotus and Mario Andretti winning races, where the late Ronnie Peterson was, in my mind, often the faster of the two drivers. As David Coulthard implied today, he has helped out Mika in the past and it is only fair that he see some support in return. It would be just his luck that the FIA try and ban team orders before he gets his chance to benefit.
Martin Smith, USA (working abroad missing F1)

It really is sad that a driver with who has the potential to be the world champion is put in position of playing second fiddle to his team mate. Once again Hakkinen was a victim of the unreliability problems at McLaren. Even though I don't like it, I think he should now support a Coulthard win as it would require some devine driving from him (Hakkinen) to get back into contention for the championship.
Fahd Akram Ali, Pakistan

It's high time McLaren learnt from their rival camp Ferrari that they too should implement team orders. Coulthard's only realistic chance of winning the title is if he is backed up by the Flyin Finn.
Jalu Mirza, India

McLaren should follow Ferrari tactics and implement team orders, which will greatly benefit Coulthard in the long run. Hakkinen has been unlucky this year and fallen victim to circumstances. His hopes are ended now.
Pervez Mirza, India

If McLaren had team orders last season Mika could have won

  Andy C, UK

F1 is a team sport. If McLaren had team orders last season Mika could have won. Michael Schumacher starts with an advantage in every race, with one less car to beat. If Coulthard is to be a realistic challenger he needs the same advantage.
Andy C, UK

Team orders should be implemented and Mika should help Coulthard chase Schumacher for the championship.
Delzad Mirza, India

Never count Hakkinen out until the season ends. What if Coulthard doesn't finish the next couple of races and Hakkinen does? What will happen then?
Ronnie Mirza, India

I say let them both fight for the championship. Team orders takes away some of the excitement and as seen with Rubens Barrichello, can spoil a race. Such tactics can only be demoralising and reduce performances. Give Hakkinen a chance!
Paul Murray, Scotland