David Coulthard, a retired 13-time race-winning British Formula One driver, remains a familiar face around the paddock and on television even after his retirement in 2008. He began his racing career in karting at 11, progressing through local championships before moving into Formula Ford in 1989, where he won the inaugural McLaren/Autosport Young Driver of the Year award.
| Nationality | British |
|---|---|
| Born | David Marshall Coulthard 27 March 1971 Twynholm, Scotland |
Coulthard’s big break came in 1993 when he was asked to be a test driver for the world champion F1 team Williams. After the tragic death of Ayrton Senna in 1994, Coulthard was paired with future world champion Damon Hill to complete the team’s F1 season. Despite occasional replacement by Nigel Mansell and rumours of a move to McLaren for the 1995 season, Coulthard was handed the seat full-time in 1995, finishing third in the championship that season.
In 1996, Coulthard moved to McLaren, where he spent eight successful years with multiple wins, with two in Monaco. From 1997 to 2002, he consistently placed in the top five of the championship. In 1998, he played a significant role in helping McLaren win the 1998 Constructors’ Championship, while his teammate Mika Häkkinen won the Drivers’ title. Coulthard’s best individual season came in 2001, when he finished second in the championship behind Michael Schumacher.
After leaving McLaren at the end of 2004, Coulthard joined the reformed Jaguar team, now known as Red Bull Racing, in 2005. He became the highest-scoring British driver at the time, surpassing Nigel Mansell‘s record with 535 race points. Coulthard’s time with Red Bull included notable moments such as finishing fourth twice in his first season, achieving a third-place finish in Monaco in 2006, which saw him don a Superman cape on the podium, and finishing on the podium again in Canada in 2008.
He retired at the end of the 2008 season but remained involved in the sport, and in 2019, he was elected president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, owner of Silverstone Circuit.
David Coulthard Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 1994–2008 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Williams, McLaren, Red Bull |
| Entries | 247 (246 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 13 |
| Podiums | 62 |
| Career points | 535 |
| Pole positions | 12 |
| Fastest laps | 18 |
| First entry | 1994 Spanish Grand Prix |
| First win | 1995 Portuguese Grand Prix |
| Last win | 2003 Australian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix |
David Coulthard Teammates
| 9 drivers | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damon Hill | 25 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Mika Hakkinen | 99 | 1996 | 2001 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | 51 | 2002 | 2004 |
| Vitantonio Liuzzi | 17 | 2005 | |
| Christian Klien | 34 | 2005 | 2006 |
| Scott Speed | 2 | 2005 | |
| Robert Doornbos | 18 | 2006 | |
| Michael Ammermüller | 3 | 2006 | |
| Mark Webber | 35 | 2007 | 2008 |
Race Wins
| Win Number | Grand Prix |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1995 Portuguese Grand Prix |
| 2 | 1997 Australian Grand Prix |
| 3 | 1997 Italian Grand Prix |
| 4 | 1998 San Marino Grand Prix |
| 5 | 1999 British Grand Prix |
| 6 | 1999 Belgian Grand Prix |
| 7 | 2000 British Grand Prix |
| 8 | 2000 Monaco Grand Prix |
| 9 | 2000 French Grand Prix |
| 10 | 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| 11 | 2001 Austrian Grand Prix |
| 12 | 2002 Monaco Grand Prix |
Complete Formula One Results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Rothmans Williams Renault | Williams FW16 | Renault RS6 3.5 V10 | BRA | PAC | SMR | MON | ESP Ret | CAN 5 | FRA | GBR 5 | 8th | 14 | |||||||||||
| Williams FW16B | Renault RS6 3.5 V10 | GER Ret | HUN Ret | BEL 4 | ITA 6 † | POR 2 | EUR | JPN | AUS | |||||||||||||||
| 1995 | Rothmans Williams Renault | Williams FW17 | Renault RS7 3.0 V10 | BRA 2 | ARG Ret | SMR 4 | ESP Ret | MON Ret | CAN Ret | FRA 3 | GBR 3 | GER 2 | HUN 2 | BEL Ret | ITA Ret | POR 1 | 3rd | 49 | ||||||
| Williams FW17B | Renault RS7 3.0 V10 | EUR 3 | PAC 2 | JPN Ret | AUS Ret | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | Marlboro McLaren Mercedes | McLaren MP4/11 | Mercedes FO 110/3 3.0 V10 | AUS Ret | BRA Ret | ARG 7 | EUR 3 | SMR Ret | MON 2 | ESP Ret | CAN 4 | FRA 6 | 7th | 18 | ||||||||||
| McLaren MP4/11B | Mercedes FO 110/3 3.0 V10 | GBR 5 | GER 5 | HUN Ret | BEL Ret | ITA Ret | POR 13 | JPN 8 | 7th | 18 | ||||||||||||||
| 1997 | West McLaren Mercedes | McLaren MP4/12 | Mercedes FO 110E 3.0 V10 | AUS 1 | BRA 10 | ARG Ret | SMR Ret | MON Ret | ESP 6 | CAN 7 | 3rd | 36 | ||||||||||||
| McLaren MP4/12 | Mercedes FO 110F 3.0 V10 | FRA 7 † | GBR 4 | GER Ret | HUN Ret | BEL Ret | ITA 1 | AUT 2 | LUX Ret | JPN 10 † | EUR 2 | |||||||||||||
| 1998 | West McLaren Mercedes | McLaren MP4/13 | Mercedes FO 110G 3.0 V10 | AUS 2 | BRA 2 | ARG 6 | SMR 1 | ESP 2 | MON Ret | CAN Ret | FRA 6 | GBR Ret | AUT 2 | GER 2 | HUN 2 | BEL 7 | ITA Ret | LUX 3 | JPN 3 | 3rd | 56 | |||
| 1999 | West McLaren Mercedes | McLaren MP4/14 | Mercedes FO 110H 3.0 V10 | AUS Ret | BRA Ret | SMR 2 | MON Ret | ESP 2 | CAN 7 | FRA Ret | GBR 1 | AUT 2 | GER 5 | HUN 2 | BEL 1 | ITA 5 | EUR Ret | MAL Ret | JPN Ret | 4th | 48 | |||
| 2000 | West McLaren Mercedes | McLaren MP4/15 | Mercedes FO 110J 3.0 V10 | AUS Ret | BRA DSQ | SMR 3 | GBR 1 | ESP 2 | EUR 3 | MON 1 | CAN 7 | FRA 1 | AUT 2 | GER 3 | HUN 3 | BEL 4 | ITA Ret | USA 5 | JPN 3 | MAL 2 | 3rd | 73 | ||
| 2001 | West McLaren Mercedes | McLaren MP4-16 | Mercedes FO 110K 3.0 V10 | AUS 2 | MAL 3 | BRA 1 | SMR 2 | ESP 5 | AUT 1 | MON 5 | CAN Ret | EUR 3 | FRA 4 | GBR Ret | GER Ret | HUN 3 | BEL 2 | ITA Ret | USA 3 | JPN 3 | 2nd | 65 | ||
| 2002 | West McLaren Mercedes | McLaren MP4-17 | Mercedes FO 110M 3.0 V10 | AUS Ret | MAL Ret | BRA 3 | SMR 6 | ESP 3 | AUT 6 | MON 1 | CAN 2 | EUR Ret | GBR 10 | FRA 3 | GER 5 | HUN 5 | BEL 4 | ITA 7 | USA 3 | JPN Ret | 5th | 41 | ||
| 2003 | West McLaren Mercedes | McLaren MP4-17D | Mercedes FO 110M/P 3.0 V10 | AUS 1 | MAL Ret | BRA 4 | SMR 5 | ESP Ret | AUT 5 | MON 7 | CAN Ret | EUR 15 † | FRA 5 | GBR 5 | GER 2 | HUN 5 | ITA Ret | USA Ret | JPN 3 | 7th | 51 | |||
| 2004 | West McLaren Mercedes | McLaren MP4-19 | Mercedes FO 110Q 3.0 V10 | AUS 8 | MAL 6 | BHR Ret | SMR 12 | ESP 10 | MON Ret | EUR Ret | CAN 6 | USA 7 | 10th | 24 | ||||||||||
| McLaren MP4-19B | Mercedes FO 110Q 3.0 V10 | FRA 6 | GBR 7 | GER 4 | HUN 9 | BEL 7 | ITA 6 | CHN 9 | JPN Ret | BRA 11 | ||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Red Bull Racing | Red Bull RB1 | Cosworth TJ2005 3.0 V10 | AUS 4 | MAL 6 | BHR 8 | SMR 11 | ESP 8 | MON Ret | EUR 4 | CAN 7 | USA DNS | FRA 10 | GBR 13 | GER 7 | HUN Ret | TUR 7 | ITA 15 | BEL Ret | BRA Ret | JPN 6 | CHN 9 | 12th | 24 |
| 2006 | Red Bull Racing | Red Bull RB2 | Ferrari 056 2.4 V8 | BHR 10 | MAL Ret | AUS 8 | SMR Ret | EUR Ret | ESP 14 | MON 3 | GBR 12 | CAN 8 | USA 7 | FRA 9 | GER 11 | HUN 5 | TUR 15 † | ITA 12 | CHN 9 | JPN Ret | BRA Ret | 13th | 14 | |
| 2007 | Red Bull Racing | Red Bull RB3 | Renault RS27 2.4 V8 | AUS Ret | MAL Ret | BHR Ret | ESP 5 | MON 14 | CAN Ret | USA Ret | FRA 13 | GBR 11 | EUR 5 | HUN 11 | TUR 10 | ITA Ret | BEL Ret | JPN 4 | CHN 8 | BRA 9 | 10th | 14 | ||
| 2008 | Red Bull Racing | Red Bull RB4 | Renault RS27 2.4 V8 | AUS Ret | MAL 9 | BHR 18 | ESP 12 | TUR 9 | MON Ret | CAN 3 | FRA 9 | GBR Ret | GER 13 | HUN 11 | EUR 17 | BEL 11 | ITA 16 | SIN 7 | JPN Ret | CHN 10 | BRA Ret | 16th | 8 |
Sources: Davidcoulthard.co.uk and Wikipedia.com
