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Date of
birth : 27 March 1971
Birthplace : Twynholm
Marital status : Single
Height : 182 cm
Weight : 75 kg
Wins : 12
Points scored : 400
Number of GP : 141
Pole Position : 12
Podiums : 57
First GP : 1994 (Barcelona)
Best result : 1
P R O F I L E
David Coulthard began his formula1 career in challenging
circumstances, after he was promoted from test driver to
race driver at Williams following the death of Ayrton
Senna. The team let him go in favour of Jacques
Villeneuve in 1996, and so he moved to McLaren.
He won his second Grand Prix, in Australia, that year
but was asked to relinquish a third victory in the
European Grand Prix to boost Hakkinen's confidence. One
win in the 1998 San Marino GP left him unable to
challenge for the title, but two wins the following year
(in Great Britain and Belgium) saw him improve his
reputation.
The Scot was determined to succeed in 2000 and his three
wins certainly helped him towards his goal (Great
Britain, Monaco and France). His calm handling of the
fatal plane crash that killed both pilots in the run-up
to the Spanish Grand Prix also saw him grow in stature
in the eyes of the press and public. However, once again
he was only able to manage third in the championship
standings.
2001 was a year plagued with reliability problems for the team and despite his gallant efforts, he just couldn't match the performance of a very dominant Michael Schumacher. Finishing second to the German, David ended the year well ahead of teammate Mika Hakkinen, who opted to announce his retirement, ending what was the longest partnership in the history of the sport.
David partnered young Kimi Raikkonen in 2002 with fresh hope that it would finally be his year to shine, but once again it wasn't to be. The McLaren charger wasn't up to par with its rivals and David was forced to settle for fifth in the championship while the Woking team slipped to third on the constructor's ladder.
The new 2003 contender won't be introduced until the fourth round of the season, but once again David is hoping that it will be all he is anticipating and will once again be in the title hunt.
C A R E E
R H I G H L I G H T S
| 2002 |
Placed
5th with 41 Points |
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| 2001 |
Stays
with McLaren for a record sixth season alongside
Mika Hakkinen. Has his best-ever result on the
drivers' world championship, when he finished as
runner-up to Michael Schumacher. |
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| 2000 |
5th
season with McLaren. He is third in the drivers'
championship with 73 points. |
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| 1999 |
Stays
with McLaren. 2 race victories and 4th in the
drivers' championship with 48 points. |
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| 1998 |
Stays
with McLaren. One race victory and six second
places assist Mclaren's constructor's bid, but
Coulthard himself can only manage 3rd in the
driver's race. |
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| 1997 |
Stays
with McLaren. Victory in Australia and Italy sees
him finish 3rd in the Drivers' World Championship
with 36 points. |
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| 1996 |
Joins
McLaren-Mercedes. Finishes second in Monaco and
seventh overall |
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| 1995 |
Finishes
3rd in the Drivers' Championship in his first full
season, winning his maiden GP at Portugal. |
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| 1994 |
Test
driver for Williams-Renault. Promoted to race
driver at the Monaco Grand Prix. Finishes 8th
overall with 14 points. Voted Scottish Sports
Personality of the Year and ITV Young Sports
Personality of the Year. |
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| 1993 |
Test
driver for Williams-Renault. Finishes 3rd in F3000
Championship with PSR. GT Class Winner at the Le
Mans 24 Hour Race with Jaguar. |
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| 1992 |
F3000
racing with PSR. F1 test with Benetton-Ford |
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| 1991 |
Runner-up
in British F3 Championship, with 5 wins (more than
any other driver in the Championship). Winner of
the "European Marlboro Masters of F3"
and the Macau Grand Prix |
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| 1990 |
Joins
Paul Stewart Racing (PSR) in the GM Lotus team.
Competes in British Vauxhall Lotus Challenge and
GM Lotus Euroseries. Wins the McLaren Autosport
Young Driver of the Year Award. Tests the McLaren-Honda
MP4/5 Formula One car. |
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| 1989 |
Formula
Ford 1600 racing, winner of both FF1600
Championships (Junior). 3rd in the Brands Hatch
Formula Ford Festival. Competes and impresses in
selected senior races. |
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