Grand Prix, Ron Dennis was asked on when the MP4-18 would debut, answering cryptically, "No sooner than Canada and no later than Silverstone." Following the debut of Ferrari's F2003-GA at the next grand prix in Barcelona, Coulthard commented that, "We have to have the new car out as soon as possible. That's the only way I believe we can continue to challenge for the Championship." Norbert Haug, then Vice-President of Mercedes-Benz, commented in June, saying that "I have never seen a more impressive car [the MP4-18]." The effects of the radical design changes were immediately clear at the MP4-18's test debut at the Circuit Paul Ricard. Straight away, the car faced overheating problems due to the small area within the sidepods (in which the radiators are situated) that did not allow for the decompression of heated gas or air. This was quickly amended in the second test, with two holes punched at the rear of each sidepod, just below the "Mercedes" logo on the car. However, this did not resolve their problems, with the Mercedes engine proving to be delicate and requiring more cooling than expected. The cooling problems were so severe that Marc Priestly mentioned the car was coming back from every test "on fire", requiring the constant presence of fire extinguishers in the pit box. At another test in Jerez, McLaren test driver Alexander Wurz suffered a large shunt due to floor delamination, the cause of which was never determined. He walked away unharmed. At the Barcelona tests in June, Kimi Räikkönen did not fare well either, shunting at the final turn, bruising his knee and writing that chassis off. Wurz successfully tested the MP4-18 for in Austria; however, when he came back into the pits it was determined that the internal temperature of the gearbox had reached , causing delamination. Later on in the 2003 season, it looked more and more apparent that the MP4-18 would never see the light of day, with Dennis commenting in August that "We've got a full test after Hungary – a comprehensive test with four cars, most likely two in Monza and two in Barcelona – and we'll make the choice after that. But it's leaning more and more towards continuing with the MP4-17D." The car was never mentioned again for the rest of the season. Legacy The MP4-18, despite its drawbacks, was the foundation for the MP4-19 which raced in