David Coulthard

David Coulthard (born the March 27th 1971 with Twynholm in the Dumfries and Galloway) is a racing driver Scottish which disputes the championship of the world of Formule 1 since 1994. It disputes the season 2007 at Red Bull at the sides of the Australian pilot Mark Webber.

Biography

Beginnings

After several years of karting, David Coulthard begins his career in 1989 in the British championship from Formule Ford. At the conclusion of season, it sees to allot McLaren Autosport Young Driver off the Year Award (trophy which rewards the best British hope), and its first rolling in Formule 1 carries out, at the wheel of the McLaren - Honda. In 1990, Coulthard passes to the Formule 3. Its first year is opposed by a wound, but in 1991, it gains the Masters de Zandvoort and the Grand Prix of Macao, the two international tests of the calendar. From 1992, Coulthard integrates the international championship of Formule 3000. Ninth of the championship in 1992, then third in 1993, it attracts the eye of the team Williams - Renault which makes its pilot tester of it. That is worth to him to be selected (a little by defect since Williams hoped to engage the German pilot Heinz-Harald Frentzen) to replace Ayrton Senna when this last finds death at the time of the GP of San Marino 1994.

First seasons at Williams

David Coulthard carries out his beginnings Formulates of them 1 at the time of the GP of Spain, on May 29th, 1994. Author of a solid service before giving up, it however does not manage to make safe his bucket until the end of the season. Under the pressure of Renault, Williams indeed manages to make return Nigel Mansell, then exiled in the United States in the championship CART, for the GP of France in July, then for the last races of the season. But meanwhile, Coulthard carried out two beautiful races, in Italy and in Portugal (where it finishes second after having let its team-member Damon Hill exceed it) which enable him to be full-time volunteer at Williams for the season 1995 and thus to be preferred in Mansell. Proof of the interest carried with Coulthard, McLaren also tries to recruit it.

For its first season supplements in Formula 1, in 1995, Coulthard shows on many occasions its beautiful burst of speed and sign several pole positions. But its inconstancy in race costs him many results. It takes down all the same its first victory in F1 at the time of the GP of Portugal, and finishes 3rd championship.

Last nine years at McLaren-Mercedes

Replaced by Jacques Villeneuve for the season 1996, Coulthard finds refuge at McLaren - Mercedes, a team then less powerful than Williams. In 1996, it finishes eighth of the championship with some podiums with the key. The things start to improve in 1997, while McLaren profit from the best engine of the plate. It gains two victories and finishes third of the championship of the world.

From 1998, grace in particular on arrival of the British engineer Adrian Newey, McLaren-Mercedes is affirmed as the most powerful cars of the plate. But whereas its fellow-member Mika Hakkinen gains 13 victories and two world titles in two years, Coulthard must be satisfied with three victories, without never being able to slip into the fight for the world title. Often more unlucky person that Hakkinen, Coulthard also shows its limits while being regularly dominated in pure performances by its Finnish team-member.

In 2000, miraculeusement survivor of a crash landing of plane, Coulthard seems party to achieve the best season of his career since with semi-championship, it counts already three victories, only some points of delay on the leader of general classification Michael Schumacher, and finally took the ascending one on Hakkinen. But the championship rocks at this time there. Hakkinen takes again the hand at McLaren, returns in the fight for the title, and Coulthard finishes the season in a more discrete way and must be satisfied with a news 3rd place with the championship. In 2001, Coulthard takes finally the measurement of Hakkinen, which is about to put a term at its career Formulates 1 of them, but taking into account the fall of form of McLaren, is not able to fight with Schumacher with the championship. It finishes nevertheless vice-champion of the world, the best result of its career.

In 2002, the fall of form of McLaren continues, and Coulthard must be satisfied with only one victory, with the Grand Prix of Monaco. It is also victim of the rise to power of its new Finnish team-member Kimi Räikkönen, which with the wire of the season, gradually takes the ascending one on him. A tendency which is confirmed in 2003, year of the last victory to date of Coulthard, then in 2004, catastrophic season during which, for the first time of its career, it does not go up only once on the podium.

The Red Bull challenge

Replaced at the conclusion of the season 2004 by the Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, Coulthard seems condemned to a departure forced with the retirement, for lack of wheel. It finds finally refuge in the new stable Red Bull Racing, but for a only one season old contract, proof that the leaders of the anglo-Austrian team express doubts on the level of motivation and competitiveness of the Scottish pilot. Coulthard quickly succeeds in convincing the skeptics of his intact talent. Regularly faster than its young team-member Christian Klien, it also registers invaluable points. It renews its contract for the season 2006, the occasion for him to join again with the podium, at the time of the GP of Monaco, which it finishes in third position, with the opportunism of the old veteran who it became. Small joke orchestrated by the department of communication of the stable, it is vêtu of a red cape of Superman (film whose Red Bull made promotion at the time of the weekend Monegasque) which it receives its trophy.

Always at Red Bull in 2007, where it makes team with Australian the Mark Webber, Coulthard announces the prolongation of its contract for the season 2008 at the time of the Grand Prix of Great Britain.

Others

David currently lives with Karen Minier, old a Belgian mannequin which interviewed the pilots for TF1 at the time of the seasons 2003 and 2004.

Course before F1

1983 Karting Junior, Scotland, Champion
1984 Karting Junior, Scotland, Champion
1985 Karting Junior, Scotland, Champion
1986 Open Karting, Scotland, Champion
1987 Open Karting, Scotland, Champion
1988 Open Karting, Scotland, Champion
1989 Formulates Ford 1600 British, Champion
1990 Formule Vauxhall Lotus Series British, 4th
1991 Formule 3 British, Vice-champion
1992 Championship European F3000, 9th
1993 Championship European F3000, 3rd

Statistics Formulates 1 of them

( After the Grand Prix of Great Britain 2007 ).

disputed Grands Prix : 221
Victories : 13 ( is 5,88% )
marked Points : 518 ( is 2,34 points per disputed race )
Pole Positions : 12 ( is 5,42% )
Départ First line : 37 ( is 16,74% )
Second place in Grand Prix : 26 ( is 11,76% )
Third place in Grand Prix : 22 ( is 19,95% )
Podiums : 61 ( is 27,65% )
In the Points : 116 ( is 52,48% ) à vérifier
Meilleures towers : 18 ( is 8,49% )
Tours at the head : 896 ( is 8,01% of the traversed turns )
km at the head : 4.206 ( is 8,03% of the traversed km )
traversed Tours : 11.173
traversed km : 52.356
hat tricks ( Victoire/Pole position/Better turn ): 1 ( is 0,45% )
Abandons : 74 ( is 33,48% )

Beginnings in F1 : 1994 , at the time of the Grand Prix of Spain, on the Circuit of Catalonia, with Montmeló, close to Barcelona, the May 29th 1994 - ( Result: Abandonment
First victory : 1995 - Grand Prix of Portugal, on the Circuit of Estoril, the September 24th 1995
First pole position : 1995 - Grand Prix of Argentina, on the Circuit of Buenos Aires, the April 9th 1995

Results in championship of the world of Formula 1

See too

Pilot of Formula 1: classification by Pilot victories
of Formula 1: classification by better Pilot turns
of Formula 1: classification by Pilot podiums
of Formula 1: classification by Pilot poles position
of Formula 1: classification by hat tricks

External bonds

Official site of David Coulthard
cd. fans France

Random links: