Team boss Eddie Jordan tried unsuccessfully to lure the 30-year-old Scot to the Jordan team as a replacement for fellow Briton Damon Hill two years ago and is prepared to increase his offer in a bid to get Coulthard to put pen to paper.

Although Jordan lack the budget and technical back-up of the McLaren team, Coulthard has been unsettled in recent weeks after his team refused to turn their sole championship attentions to him.

Coulthard's unhappiness at the Woking-based team was further exasperated a fortnight ago when he stalled the MP4/16 on the grid at the Spanish Grand Prix. Dennis accused him at the end of the race of "brain fade" but it later transpired that a technical fault was to blame for the incident.

McLaren have so far this season failed to be the same reliable force that earned Hakkinen back-to-back drivers' titles in the 1998 and 1999 seasons, but the result of that Austrian Grand Prix, where Coulthard won magnificently from seventh on the grid would seem to make a move pretty doubtful. Coulthard would be unlikely to sign a contract with Jordan while he is in with a great chance of a drivers championship.

Despite not getting all the support he feels he deserves from Ron Dennis, it is difficult to see what would make the move attractive for Coulthard. Until Jordan can prove they are in with a chance to win races again, the Scot would likely think he is much better off where he is.