MOTOR SPORT / Australian Grand Prix: McLaren team-mates Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya have dodged questions about where they would be driving next season, saying they were focused only on this weekend's Australian Grand Prix.
McLaren's decision to sign world champion Fernando Alonso from Renault next season has intensified speculation about where the two drivers will be next year. Raikkonen has been linked with a move to Ferrari but the Finn was giving nothing away in Melbourne yesterday. "I don't know, a lot of things can happen in the next few years," Raikkonen said.
Montoya was also playing his cards close to his chest. "I'm just concentrating on this year," he said. "When I was in America and I was moving to Formula One I signed the deal eight months before but I was still pushing as hard as I could for the team and it's the same here."
Alonso has warned Renault cannot afford to rest on their laurels, challenging them to win the next two races. The Spaniard has called for a repeat of the early-season dominance which brought four consecutive wins to start 2005. That set up a drivers' and constructors' championship double and Alonso wants the same again after sharing a win apiece with team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella so far this term.
"Last year we won the first four races so we need to win the other two to have a clear gap now," he said. "At the moment it is not enough, we are trying to do the same as last year.Thanks to mistakes from our opponents and our good work we have managed to win the first two but it's a very close fight."
Meanwhile, Silverstone's owners are reviewing their options after a grass-roots revolt against plans to lease the British Grand Prix circuit to developer St Modwen for 150 years.
"There is no board intention whatsoever to attempt to push through existing proposals," British Racing Drivers Club chairman Stuart Rolt told members this week in a letter inviting them to assess the alternatives.
"It is clear there is strong opposition to these plans even in their un-finalised form," he added. "We acknowledge that there is little prospect of the necessary strong majority of members approving any move for us to proceed with the St Modwen/ Northern Racing proposal."
