18 replies to this topic

[Formula Once]

As David Coulthard is about to 'qualify' for TNF this weekend, how should we look back on his career?

I worked with him briefly in the early nineties and I always thought that moving from Williams to McLaren turned out to be decisive for the potential that was there. Soon after that whenever yet another Autosport-cover was reserved for his claiming that this would be his year I couldn't help but think: 'yeah right'. A nice, but, so it seemed sometimes, a sort of insecure type of guy. Fast, but inconsistently and never intimidatingly. Perhaps hung around a little too long as well. Long enough anyway to be left without no other option but to stop.

What do you think?

[Ross Stonefeld]

Well we should give him at least the credit of recalling things correctly and stop promoting the myth that he annually said "this is my year"

[Formula Once]

Well, I didn't say annually, I said whenever.

[Hieronymus]

David has always been a difficult customer for me to judge. I still can’t decide if he was underrated or overrated.

[Rob]

Originally posted by Hieronymus
David has always been a difficult customer for me to judge. I still can’t decide if he was underrated or overrated.

I remember watching an interview with Frank Williams, who said that some days he would be blindingly quick and look like a future world champion. However on other days he would turn up and be self-critical all day long. He was definitely talented. A champion? Well, that's open to debate, but I get the impression that at times he was his own worst enemy.

[RStock]

Originally posted by Formula Once
As David Coulthard is about to 'qualify' for TNF this weekend, how should we look back on his career?



What do you think?

To sum it up quickly .

A very good driver who proved he belonged in the top flite of auto racing by producing wins and under the right circumstance could have been champion . Was unlucky enough to be the de-facto no. 2 at McLaren , and has a wicked sense of humor .

It will not be proper racing in F-1 without a Scotsman on the grid .

[Geoff E]

Originally posted by REDARMYSOJA

It will not be proper racing in F-1 without a Scotsman on the grid .

"Hamilton" sounds like a Scots name ;)

[Chris Bloom]

When he was good he was very good, when he was bad...........

Monza and Adelaide in '95, Nurburgring in '99 plus a few more I'm sure I can't remember. Silly mistakes that possibly threw away race wins. Just think if he'd won those three he would be level with Sir Stirling in WDC race wins and we would be discussing who really was the best never to win a championship. He was also unlucky due to his teams bad decisions and mistakes on some occasions. Monte Carlo (and I think IIRC Montreal) in 2001 and Montreal in 1997.

I think after Jerez and Melbourne in 97/98 when he had to yield to Mika Hakkinen he seemed to lose momentum and seemingly gave in to being #2 in the Mclaren team. The pendulum certainly swung in the favour of Hakkinen after that pair of races.

With the recolection of missed chances there are also good memories of some fantastic drives which will be remembered far longer than the 'what could have beens'. The moments that stand out for me are Magny Cours 2000, Interlagos 2001 and the pairs of wins at Melbourne and Monte Carlo. I hope he goes out with a good result on Sunday evening.

[MCS]

Originally posted by Hieronymus
David has always been a difficult customer for me to judge. I still can’t decide if he was underrated or overrated.

His performances in F3 and, in particular, F3000 didn't warrant a top-line F1 seat.

He had the equipment and backing in F3 and F3000 but didn't deliver.

McNish was much, much better...

(All my personal opinion).

[LotusElise]

I second that. Allan McNish is a better driver, but DC seemed to be in the right place at the right time.
To me, he didn't seem to have the "killer instict" of the true greats - the ability to fight back, to keep going in a championship and get the job done, although he was hamstrung by team position a lot of the time. I think he got a little distracted by off-track goings-on as well, sometimes.

As a person, I have to say that he has grown on me as he has got older and more cynical. I'm looking forward to his presence on the BBC.

[COUGAR508]

Originally posted by Hieronymus
David has always been a difficult customer for me to judge. I still can’t decide if he was underrated or overrated.

I have exactly the same feeling. The seeds were sown when it became known that Frank and Patrick had expressed reservations about DC's ultimate potential towards the end of his time at Williams. I think David's lacklustre performance at Hockenheim that year was the reason.

[Graham Gauld]

At the Scottish Motr Racing Club dinner the year he first raced for Williams, David was guest speaker. During his speech he paused, pointed to Allan McNish and said " He should have been the one in FOrmula 1" which was not only a generous statement but a reflection of the kind of guy David actually is.

[RStock]

While I wouldn't disagree that McNish has proven he should have had a better shot in F-1 , I think that unless your refering to a Fangio or Senna or Schumacher and a few more , you could say " _ _ _ _ _ _ deserved to be in F-1 moreso than _ _ _ _ _ _ ." about 100s of drivers . Fill in the blanks .

[MCS]

I think the point is that Coulthard himself made the comment regarding McNish......

[brakedisc]

I always thought that he never really wanted it enough and it appeared in the early days that he was living out his fathers dream. Wrong sort for the cut and thrust of F1. He would have been WDC if he had raced in the sixties.

[Twin Window]

Originally posted by Graham Gauld

During his speech he paused, pointed to Allan McNish and said " He should have been the one in FOrmula 1" which was not only a generous statement but a reflection of the kind of guy David actually is.

I'd not heard that before, but it doesn't surprise me in the least.

In my personal experience (limited, but spanning twenty years or so) he's always been totally down-to-earth and a pleasure to be with, but I'm also aware that he's upset others along the way. But who hasn't...?

[RStock]

Originally posted by MCS
I think the point is that Coulthard himself made the comment regarding McNish......

Yes , and point well taken .

But I was just trying to say that it's no way to judge DC's career , which is the point of this thread , whether McNish was more deserving or not , lest someone did . Both were deserving of an F-1 seat , in my opinion .

[Gary Davies]

Originally posted by Chris Bloom
When he was good he was very good, when he was bad...........

Monza and Adelaide in '95, ..... Silly mistakes that possibly threw away race wins...

Ah... I must say I've always assumed that Adelaide '95 was a mistake on David's part. However, only yesterday - at the start of 'John Blanden's Drive to the Eagle' - as we passed the very spot where DC clonked the pitwall in 1995, my passenger happened to casually remark that Frank Williams, no less, had recently observed that the culprit for David's embarrassing collision with the wall was in fact a gearbox malfunction. I hadn't heard that previously. Any takers?

[COUGAR508]

Originally posted by brakedisc
I always thought that he never really wanted it enough and it appeared in the early days that he was living out his fathers dream. Wrong sort for the cut and thrust of F1. He would have been WDC if he had raced in the sixties.

It always felt like he had to work harder to justify himself than his peers. Perhaps this was because he had a less outwardly assertive personality than some of his rivals. Did some of them (and also the media) perceive this as a sign of weakness?