Red Bull Hand Coulthard Lifeline

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from bbc.co.uk/sport:

--Red Bull hand Coulthard lifeline--

Coulthard has lost his place at McLaren to Juan Pablo Montoya

David Coulthard has been given renewed hope of a return to Formula One next season by new team Red Bull Racing.

"Among the experienced drivers with 'development know-how', Coulthard and Nick Heidfeld would be of interest," said team boss Dietrich Mateschitz.

But Mateschitz made clear which drivers were favourite to lead his team.

"Christian Klien should get his chance, but he has to prove himself in a series of tests like Vitantonio Liuzzi, who won the Formula 3000."

Earlier in the week, it seemed as if the door was shut on Coulthard by Red Bull Racing.

"Coulthard is not part of our selection," Mateschitz told German newspaper Bild am Sonntag on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old Scottish driver was dropped by McLaren in favour of Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya for the 2005 season.

Red Bull, who bought Jaguar on 15 November, gave Klien, Italian Liuzzi and American driver Scott Speed the chance to test their new vehicle in Barcelona last week.

Klien, who raced for Jaguar last season, has also been presented with a new deal.

"We have offered Christian Klien a contract. He deserves the chance to race for a second year," said Mateschitz.

Austrian Mateschitz quelled speculation that friend and compatriot Gerhard Berger, the former Ferrari driver and BMW motorsport director, could play a role in Red Bull's future.

"I don't think that Gerhard can have any interest in heading our team; that's something he could have done a long time ago with other teams," he said.

"Our conversations and his specialist input so far have been on a strictly friendly basis and I hope that will continue in the same way in the future."

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Red Bulls opens a life line for DC

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I don't believe this story, Liuzzi will get the drive with Klien because they are the ones Red Bull backs. That's why Bjorn didn't test earlier in the week, because they only wanted Liuzzi to look good.