Coulthard gets new McLaren deal.

David Coulthard will still be a McLaren driver next season, following the agreement of a contract extension today [Friday].

The Scot has pushed himself forward as the team's main championship contender this season, and topped the times after day one of the French Grand Prix. The decision to agree to a new, one-year, deal with McLaren, he revealed, was to remove one more distraction from his pursuit of the title, and to give him job security for 2001.

''It is excellent news for me, and will allow me to get on with the job in hand,'' Coulthard told news agency Reuters, ''It ends any speculation regarding my future, and is a big boost to my confidence.''

The deal should mean that McLaren continues to field the most settled line-up in Formula One for another season, and ends debate which suggested that Jacques Villeneuve may be joining the team next year. Although the Canadian has all but ruled out the move on PR grounds - he doesn't want to do as much as McLaren would like - question marks continue to hang over Mika Hakkinen's participation in 2001, despite his contract having another year to run. Team boss Ron Dennis has denied that the Fin will quit at the end of the year, however, and is confident that Hakkinen and Coulthard will be driving together next season.

''We are very impressed with our drivers this year,'' he said, ''and we've taken the unusual step of announcing David's new contract to dispel all doubts over the future line-up of our team.''

Coulthard and Hakkinen finished first and third on today's first practice day at Magny-Cours.