Belgian GP McLaren race notes

Chassis Numbers: Mika Hakkinen: MP4 - 14/04 David Coulthard: MP4 - 14/06 T. Car: MP4 - 14/07

West McLaren Mercedes driver David Coulthard led every lap of the Belgian Grand Prix from the start to the finish. His team mate Mika Hakkinen claimed second place which earns the team the full sixteen points putting the West McLaren Mercedes team in the lead of both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships.

DAVID COULTHARD 'This is my first time victory at Spa and it is a circuit at which I have always wanted to win, so today's result is great. I managed to get a better start than Mika and although we came very close at La Source I pulled away from him as we went round the corner before getting the power down and pulling away into the lead. We touched briefly at the first corner but fortunately it was nothing to worry about for either of us. This is always a great circuit and the car was feeling better than it had done in warm up this morning so I was able to push throughout the race, which gave me a buffer to the competition.'

MIKA HAKKINEN 'I made a mistake at the start and it resulted in David getting away from the grid more strongly than I could. We were very close round the first corner and obviously it was disappointing not to get ahead. But you have to look at the bigger picture and as David and I have equal machinery, it would have been very difficult to pass. So, after running for about five or six laps I decided that it was better to concentrate on the race and collect six valuable points. Today's result makes the championship very interesting and there is everything still to play for.'

RON DENNIS 'Both David and Mika are extremely tough competitors which was demonstrated by their competition at the first corner. We were all thoroughly relieved that their cars survived the incident and thereafter they drove a faultless race. This result clearly positions us to achieve our goal in the forthcoming races.'

NORBERT HAUG 'A fantastic double victory. When you consider the title fight, it was a difficult decision not to apply team orders but we decided to act in the sporting spirit. It was a well deserved victory of David's at this driver's circuit of Spa, which he achieved in great style. '