David Coulthard: Gentleman Driver

David Coulthard has spent 15 years in Grand Prix racing and has been involved in more than his fair share of controversy and battles.

Some moments fans will never forget include the nearly-fist fight between Michael Schumacher and he at Spa in 1998 after Schumacher drove into the back of Coulthard in spray, wearing that ridiculous cape in Monaco 2006 and his two British Grand Prix victories.

We may also remember that David survived a light aircraft accident in 2001, the same year he stormed past Michael Schumacher in a thrilling duel in Magny-Cours. Here, we look back over the career of a man who resembles in style and manner the great Stirling Moss.

A true gentleman driver, fair and honorable to a fault, the sort of man then, perhaps never destined to take Grand Prix racing's ultimate prize, in a time that has no use for gentlemen any longer.

Early Career

David Coulthard was born in 1971 in the town of Twynholm, Scotland. His racing career took off when he won as a "wee lad" of 12 years of age, the Scottish Junior Karting Championship.

It was not only a victorious junior season, but it was a double victory, as David won the title again the following season cementing his ability early on.

In 1986, Coulthard joined the bigger Karting leagues and earned himself in great fashion the Scottish Open Karting Championship adding another trophy to his cabinet but more importantly sending the message about his speed to those on the look out for young talent.

Again this was a double championship win, making it 1986 and 1987 champion as well as the Super 1 category champion to boot. Three titles in two years wasn't bad for a young guy not even able to shave yet!

At 18 years old, David managed to bag himself a taste of that sweet Formula One cherry by driving his first Grand Prix car in 1989. 1989 was a most successful year, which saw him winning the junior British Formula Ford series and finishing third in the prestigious Formula Ford Festival.

To obtain that coveted prize of a test in a Mclaren F1 car, he also won the Autosport Young Driver award. David Coulthard was on his way.

The beginning of the 90's saw the beginning of Coulthard's ascent into car racing proper. With team owner Paul Stewart the son of three time Formula One Champion Jackie, Coulthard entered Formula Vauxhall and Opel Lotus Euroseries and finished the season in third place despite breaking his leg at Spa in the latter series.

There was Brundle and Senna, Schumacher and Hakkinen. Coulthard vs. Barrichello was to become a permanent fixture in both driver's careers now as it was Rubens who had beaten the Scot into second place in 1990's Euroseries.

Barrichello beat Coulthard again in 1991's British Formula Three championship. However, Coulthard was not without success this year, DC lifted the trophy at the Marlboro Masters race and the Macau F3 Grand Prix.

Harder times followed in 1992. Coulthard and Paul Stewart moved up together to Formula One feeder series Formula 3000, which is now GP2. Coulthard took a string of third places at the end of the season, but he finished ninth overall in the championship and looked to struggle at the outset.

David switched teams to the Pacific team for 1993 and climbed to third place overall taking a single victory but placing higher on average in races. Those ahead of him were Formula One future drivers, Olivier Panis and Pedro Lamy.

Formula One - The big time

David Coulthard began the tragic 1994 season in Formula 3000 again. Early in the year however, the great Ayrton Senna crashed and died at Imola and Coulthard, as he was now Williams test driver was thrust into the Brazilian's race seat as No. 2 to Damon Hill.

His first year was a learning process in which he occasionally allowed his abilities to show with placing in the points in his second race and taking second place at Estoril. Coulthard was replaced by British hero Nigel Mansell for the last three races of '94 but still placed eighth in the Driver's Championship. He was retained for the full 1995 season.

The Williams Renault was a quick car for the 1995 season and David challenged Damon Hill early on for the lead in the team. However, it was also a season of silly mistakes and lack of experience. High points included finishing second in his first race at Brazil and winning at Estoril.

However, Coulthard crashed out of the lead embarassingly at Adelaide by sliding into the pit wall on a pit stop and also picking up a stop and go penalty in the lead of the British Grand Prix.

It would prove to be a difficult year for Coulthard and Mclaren as he switched to Ron Dennis' outfit for 1996. Mercedes engines were powerful but unreliable and Coulthard struggled with endless retirements to only end the year seventh.

His skill and tenacity did get him second place in Monaco however, in an incident packed race. Things began to come together a little more for 1997, the final season for wide cars and slick tyres.

Coulthard won the season opener in Melbourn and again in Monza where the Mercedes engine excelled. Third overall was his reward after Michael Schumacher's demotion from the title fight.

For 1998, David Coulthard had the best car in the field. Everyone else struggled with the new grooved tyre rules and Coulthard and teammate Hakkinen were miles ahead of the pack.

Coulthard was handed the lead in the opening race in Australia when Hakkinen pitted erroneously. An agreement had been made between the two drivers, however that whoever reached turn one first on the opening lap would win the race.

Coulthard slowed handing victory to Hakkinen and perhaps that year's Championship. Honourable and gentlemanly as always. There were problems and collisions with Schumacher for 1998 but Coulthard was a force when he was on form and his car was good.

Anyone who saw Coulthard’s fight back from the end of the field in Austria will testify to that. Despite his pace, David could manage only the one win at Imola.

1999 saw David score one more victory than he had managed in 1998 yet still be the clear No. 2 at Mclaren. David though sent the British fans into space with a victory at Silverstone.

He won again at Spa after clearly stamping his authority over team mate Hakkinen with a gentle nudge at the off.

At the end of the season though, he had scored less points than was required to secure Mclaren a second Constructors Championship in a row and was forced into a slowing role, holding back Eddie Irvine at the end of the Japanese Grand Prix.

A position Coulthard did not enjoy.

David stayed with Mclaren for another three years. 2000 saw David wrap up another Grand Prix victory at Silverstone which has earned him a place in the hearts of British fans.

In 2001, DC challenged Michael Schumacher for the World Championship, and although nobody will forget his courageous fight in Magny-Cours in arguably the best French Grand Prix to date (maybe tied with 1999), Schumacher had wrapped the title up by the Hungarian Grand Prix. This would be Coulthards peak.

2002 was a mediocre year for both Mclaren and Coulthard as they fell behind even BMW Williams.

2003 with Mclaren saw some flashes of speed but not enough pace to challenge too highly for the Championship. David won in Australia but no more. Raikkonen had now even surpassed DC.

2004 was a frustrating year for both Mclaren men, and it was clear DC needed a change of scenery. He and Raikkonen squabbled mainly with Renault over third place and Red Bull signed the Scot up for their maiden 2005 season and a new adventure began.

2005 saw a transitory year for both DC and for Red Bull. They scored points but little else with few results to rave about coming their way.

For 2006, Adrian Newey was on board from Mclaren and hopes were high for his influence to turn around the situation. For both 2005 and 2006, David Coulthard was the better of his two teammates with both Christian Klien and car-sharer Vitantonio Liuzzi lacking experience and precision that Coulthard possessed.

2006 saw David Coulthards hard work pay off as he took third place at the Monaco Grand Prix, the race he had won twice before with Mclaren. For 2007, Mark Webber joined the team from Williams and he and David settled into a very calm and experienced driver pairing.

The two men rarely fought on the circuit, however. Webber outpaced David from the start but it was a difficult year for the team which saw many retirements and few points. Points did come though, and Coulthard scored the first of them.

2008 will be David Coulthard’s final season in Grand Prix racing. At the half way stage, Coulthard has had a mixed final year with the most recent set back being a collision with Sebastian Vettel at the British Grand Prix on lap one.

He also had a number of drivers running into him at the outset of the season with a crash from Felipe Massa in Melbourne and another from Jenson Button at Bahrain.

There have been good races this season, however with another third place coming for David in the Canadian Grand Prix where he finished behind the winning BMWs in a race where experience and patience were needed.

We are sure not to see any retirement antics from David Coulthard that we have seen from previous retiring drivers such as Damon Hill, retiring a healthy car because he could not be bothered to finish the race.

He still loves racing and he still wants to win. He challenged the greatest driver in the history of Formula One for the championship in his career and was always there or there abouts in pace.

He was a top level racer and a man who deserves much of the credit for the progress of Red Bull who have surpassed even Toyota in the rapidity of their development. Coulthard can look back on an admirable time in the racing big time.

The future could hold anything for David Coulthard, but his time as a top line Grand Prix driver is going to end in the same way as did British legend Stirling Moss': A true and honorable gentleman driver with raw talent and firey sense of competition and fairness but always the nearly man.

Nevertheless fans and foes alike must pay respect to the Scot, he is a British great. He will be missed for 2009.

David Coulthard: Career in numbers

Grand Prix Starts:

247 (eventual to the end of the 2008 season)

Grand Prix Wins:

Pole Positions:

Points Scored:

533 (to date British Grand Prix 2008)

Teams Driven for:

Williams 1994-1995

Mclaren 1996-2004

Red Bull 2005-2008

....And millions of Formula One Fans.....