David Coulthard will have his contract extended, but the future of Red Bull teammate Christian Klien is far from secure.
That was the message delivered to the press in Hungary as the energy drink-owned team’s boss, Dietrich Mateschitz, made a rare appearance in the pit lane.
”David Coulthard will be there (in 2007),” the Austrian billionaire claimed. ”The contract is only a formality.”
The fate of Mateschitz’s 23-year-old countryman Klien, however, appears far less rosy.
The ‘almost independent’ paddock magazine Red Bulletin last weekend predicted a move to an American series at the end of the year, and Mateschitz suggested that Klien has ‘stopped making progress’ after three years on the grid.
Mark Webber is likely to replace him for 2007, paddock speculation suggests.
Asked if Klien’s heritage might save him, Mateschitz said: ”We cannot make decisions on the basis of nationality. We have to have the best people we can get.”
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