(born
March 27 ,
1971 in
Twynholm ,
Dumfries And Galloway ,
Scotland ), is a Scottish
Formula One racing driver for
Red Bull Racing . He has been one of the most successful drivers in the current era of the sport with 13 grand prix victories. By virtue of a long career, much of it spent in top teams, he has amassed a large points haul, and lies fourth on the all-time scorers list, being the top
British scorer.
Coulthard began
Karting at an early age, graduating to Formula Ford in
1989 . His performance was so impressive that he won the first ever McLaren/Autosport Young Driver of the Year award. In
1990 , he suffered a broken leg at the
Circuit De Spa-Francorchamps , yet still came back the following year to win
Formula 3 races at
Zandvoort ,
Netherlands and
Macau ,
China . In
1992 , he raced in the
Formula 3000 series, finishing ninth, and in
1993 he improved to third overall.
In
1993 , Coulthard became test driver for the world champions Williams Renault and played an important role in advancing the car's technology. For 1994 he stayed with Williams as tester, but following Senna's tragic death at Imola, was promoted to the race team alongside Damon Hill for Barcelona. He spent much of the season driving the second car, but had to step aside for ex-champion
Nigel Mansell on four occasions. Renault were keen to have a big name in the second Williams, and Mansell, at that time reigning Indycar champion, fitted the bill. Coulthard showed flashes of speed, but errors and bad luck saw him take just one podium, a second at Estoril. For the last three races he had to sit back and watch Mansell take his place, but it was he, and not Nigel, who would race for Williams full-time in 1995.
The season saw him demonstrate his undoubted pace, but he only won one race, the Portuguese Grand Prix. There were other races where he could have won, but poor luck and mistakes once more cost him. He did score five pole positions however, four of them consecutively. Some unforced errors tarnished his season however: at Monza he spun off on the formation lap, whilst in Adelaide he crashed coming into the pits. With
Jacques Villeneuve on his way to Williams for 1996, Coulthard had to look elsewhere.
In
1996 , Coulthard
Contract ed with McLaren to drive alongside future champion
Mika Häkkinen . His first season with McLaren was unremarkable, as the
Mercedes -powered team struggled to find speed. He led at Imola and lost out to an inspired
Olivier Panis at Monaco. In
1997 , in his second year with McLaren, he finished the drivers championship tied with
Jean Alesi for third place (after the disqualification of
Michael Schumacher ). He had taken two wins and could have added more, but for problems. At Jerez he was on course to win after Villeneuve moved over, but McLaren ordered him to surrender the win to Hakkinen. In
1998 , the McLaren was consistently the fastest car on track, but it was Hakkinen who made the most of it, winning the title. Coulthard took just one win and spent most of the year in a supporting role.
In
1999 , a combination of under-performance and bad luck saw him finish the season in fourth place, as McLaren lost the constructor title to
Ferrari . Hakkinen had become champion, whilst Coulthard won twice. In
2000 , he was involved in a tight battle for the drivers championship with Schumacher and Häkkinen, but eventually fell out of contention into a disappointing third place finish. In
2001 he finished the year in second place, but with barely half the points (65) tallied by runaway winner Schumacher (123).
Coulthard's subsequent years at McLaren, from
2002 through
2004 , were disappointing as well, as he was regularly out-paced by younger teammate
Kimi Räikkönen . Many of Coulthard's critics argue that his decline began in
2003 , when the
FIA introduced the single-lap qualifying format, causing David to freeze up (i.e. develop stage-fright) during his hot lap. He openly admitted that he did not like the format and was a vocal opponent of the format. With the announcement that
Juan Pablo Montoya was to join McLaren in
2005 alongside Räikkönen,
2004 was to be Coulthard's last year with the team. A poor ninth place finish in the final 2004 standings (24 points, equal with the injured
Ralf Schumacher ) hadn't helped Coulthard's cause for
2005 either. However, he was signed by
Red Bull Racing , who were attracted by Coulthard's experience, and was teamed with the inexperienced
Christian Klien and
Vitantonio Liuzzi . Coulthard's contract at Red Bull Racing was also extended prior to the 2005
British Grand Prix , to prolong Coulthard's Formula One career to at least the end of 2006. David's stint at Red Bull was a renewal for the Scottish driver scoring points in many races and becoming one of the more outspoken and media savvy drivers. His sixth place position in the 2005 Japanese GP, ahead of his old rival Michael Schumacher, is representative of how he is able to drive the wheels off an inferior car. For 2006, he continues at Red Bull, partnered with Christian Klien.
From
2006 , Red Bull Racing will be powered by
Ferrari engines, and technical director
Adrian Newey will join the team. These positive developments have led Coulthard to state that he wishes to remain with the team after the 2006 season, and to add to his victory tally with them.
Among active F1 drivers, Coulthard has the second most wins (13) behind Schumacher. Coulthard is the highest-scoring British driver ever with 500 points (as of the
2006 Australian Grand Prix ), beating
Nigel Mansell 's previous record of 482 points.
Coulthard, along with his personal trainer and then-fiancée Heidi Wichlinski, escaped death in a May,
2000 plane crash. The
Learjet in which they were travelling developed engine trouble, and crashed while attempting to land at Lyon-Salotas airport near
Lyon ,
France . While Coulthard luckily received only minor injuries, the front of the aircraft disintegrated upon impact, killing both pilots. Coulthard and Wichlinski broke off their engagement in early
2001 ; according to tabloid reports, he was associated with a number of women during this time period. However, in a
BBC interview, Coulthard vigorously denied these claims, stating that the tabloid reports were "out of date and inaccurate."
Coulthard now resides in the
Principality of
Monaco . He owns several luxury
Hotel s in
Britain and Monaco, including the Columbus, which is located in Monaco's Fontvieille. There has been speculation that Coulthard will retire soon, however he has denied those reports. Currently, Coulthard has been dating girlfriend Simone Abdelnour.
- 1994: 8th, 14 points (Williams)
- 1995: 3rd, 49 points (Williams)
- 1996: 7th, 18 points (McLaren)
- 1997: 3rd, 36 points (McLaren)
- 1998: 3rd, 56 points (McLaren)
- 1999: 4th, 48 points (McLaren)
- 2000: 3rd, 73 points (McLaren)
- 2001: 2nd, 65 points (McLaren)
- 2002: 5th, 41 points (McLaren)
- 2003: 7th, 51 points (McLaren)
- 2004: 9th, 24 points (McLaren)
- 2005: 12th, 24 points (Red Bull)
- 2nd
- 2nd, Magny Cours 3rd, Silverstone 3rd, Hockenheim 2nd, Hungaroring 2nd, , Aida 2nd
- 3rd, Monte Carlo 2nd
- 1st Monza 1st''', A1 Ring 2nd, Jerez 2nd
- 2nd, Interlagos 2nd, , Catalunya 2nd, A1 Ring 2nd, Hockenheim 2nd, Hungaroring 2nd, Nürburgring 3rd, Suzuka 3rd
- 2nd, Catalunya 2nd, , A1 Ring 2nd, Hungaroring 2nd, ''' Spa 1st'''
- 3rd, , Catalunya 2nd, Nürburgring 3rd, ''' Monte Carlo 1st''', ''' Magny Cours 1st''', A1 Ring 2nd, Hockenheim 3rd, Hungaroring 3rd, Suzuka 3rd, Sepang 2nd
- 2nd, Sepang 3rd, , Imola 2nd, ''' A1 Ring 1st''', Nürburgring 3rd, Hungaroring 3rd, Spa 2nd, Indianapolis 3rd, Suzuka 3rd
- 3rd, Catalunya 3rd, , Montreal 2nd, Magny Cours 3rd, Indianapolis 3rd
- 1st''', Hockenheim 2nd, Suzuka 3rd
- 2004 : None
- 2005 : None
