Formula One news

Coulthard ponders Red Bull retirement

David Coulthard has admitted that, with hindsight, he brought his Formula One career to a close one season too early. Having last been present in the cockpit in the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix of last year, the Scot's retirement meant he missed out on racing what is Red Bull's most competitive car yet.

'DC' retired from F1 as a driver at the end of last season

Having been with the team since its inauguration in 2005, David Coulthard pulled out of F1 as a driver at the end of 2008, bringing the curtain down on a career that spanned 246 Grand Prix starts and 62 podium finishes, 13 of which were race victories. "In such a high pressure sport you have to be able to recover and come back and deliver each time," Coulthard told The Scottish Daily Record. "I questioned whether I still had the energy to do that.

"As it happens, the way the regulations changed means I almost certainly would have had the energy to handle a season; I felt that Red Bull had good alternatives and that it would be better to recognise ahead of time than recognise after or be the last to know it was time to go. Through my career, I had opportunities to drive the best cars - winning cars - and I joined Red Bull a few years ago to help the team develop."

Had he remained in the cockpit, Coulthard could have been fighting for race wins this year

Now a popular face on the BBC's F1 television coverage in the United Kingdom, Coulthard is focused more than ever on the aspects of life outside Formula One. "I'm happy the car has come good," he added, pleased with the fact that Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber are able to challenge for wins. "My fingerprints have been on the development of this team since its inception, so I feel as much a part of that as any of the other 700 people who work for them.

"I'm only six months into retirement and it's been full-on between becoming a father, gearing up for the BBC work, going to tests and all the other Red Bull commitments. If I want to race in the future, I can look at that as a possible opportunity."

more news

• 22 Nov.
  • Photos: 2009 Toyota Motor Sports Festival
  • Vettel didn´t expect Button´s McLaren deal
• 21 Nov.
  • Mercedes: No Schumacher drive with us
  • López close to USF1 deal
  • Options open for Bourdais
• 20 Nov.
  • FIA was using new teams, says Lola
  • Rossi and Newey to contest endurance race
  • Wolff: Worth of privateers on the up
  • Equity sale for 'private motives' - Williams
  • USF1 considering 12 drivers
  • Photos: SKUSA karting event, Las Vegas
  • Buemi and Schumacher to kart in Las Vegas
  • Clock ticking for Silverstone
  • Williams sells first shares
  • Official: Bianchi handed Ferrari test
  • My door is open, says Trulli
  • Button: I needed a new challenge
• 19 Nov.
  • Brawn 'very disappointed' with Button outcome
  • Sons release birthday song for Jackie Stewart
  • Räikkönen: No talks with Brawn
  • No early Brawn exit for Button
  • 'Unfinished business' for Räikkönen
  • 2010: How the grid is shaping up
• 18 Nov.
  • Button move a mistake, says Stewart
  • Donington goes into administration
  • Villeneuve working on F1 comeback
  • Whitmarsh: Money not the reason for Button move
  • Hamilton: Button arrival fantastic news
  • Button: Difficult decision to leave Brawn
  • Confirmed: Button partners Hamilton at McLaren
  • Kubica to compete in second rally
  • Webber drives GP3 car in France
  • 'Bianchi to test Ferrari at Jerez'
  • Prize-winning Wilson drives McLaren
  • Brawn: Button-McLaren talk not helpful
  • Sabbatical year for Räikkönen in 2010
  • Drivers preparing for Toyota Motor Sport Festival
• 17 Nov.
  • Di Montezemolo to quit as FOTA Chairman?
  • 'Brawn and Button just sparring' - Ecclestone
  • 'Button agrees terms with McLaren'

Homepage