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It’s time to go for the Scot, whose 13 grand prix victories - out of 246 races - put him seventh on the list of British drivers. In terms of career points, 535 and counting, he is top. “I left home on Thursday and as I was about to get in the car, it hit me that I was setting off as a grand prix driver and would be coming back as Joe Bloggs,” he says. “That was the first time I really thought about what it would mean.”
The good news for Coulthard is that he is leaving his sport after 14 years at a moment of his own choosing. The last time retirement beckoned, he was forced out of McLaren and had no obvious place to go. Now, at the age of 37, with his first child due, the Scot’s timing has been perfect.
He was unfortunate to be forever banging his head against a brick wall named Michael Schumacher and to be pitched against teammates, Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen, in his most competitive seasons at McLaren. He never once had a decent car and a team all to himself. But Coulthard still enjoyed his share of highs, victory at Interlagos in 2001, two wins apiece at Silverstone and Monaco, and leaves Formula One with his integrity intact and wallet full.
Now set for a new life as a Formula One TV pundit, Coulthard made his debut as the replacement for Senna in the Williams team at the 1994 Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.
“To the young drivers I’m just an old fart,” he said. “But I take real pleasure from the general warmth towards me as a driver.”
“I’m pretty gutted, it’s not how I wanted to end my career. I took a cautious approach into Turn One and left plenty of space for the car on the inside, but unfortunately I think Rosberg hit me though Turn Two, which spun me round. I thought it would be okay, but then Nakajima ran into the front of my car and took off the front corner. I felt good on the warm up laps going to the grid, I had no problem with it being wet and I wanted to get to the chequered flag. I was going to do some donuts for the crowd, which is something you normally get fined for, but it didn’t work out. I can’t complain though, I’ve had a good career, so thank you to everyone who has supported me. Thank you also to the efforts of every member of the Red Bull Racing team for the last four years, which have been a lot of fun, I look forward to continuing to work with them in the future. I’ve been overwhelmed by the level of support I’ve had from the paddock this weekend, it means a great deal to me that so many people have taken the time to say ‘nice career and good luck with the future’. And, in the absence of a world championship, I think if I can leave with that, then that’s a good ending.”
