Coulthard believes he can win title

But the British Grand Prix winner says he needs to add a second successive victory in Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix to really get his title hopes moving.

The Scot trails championship leader Mika Hakkinen by 18 points and second-placed Eddie Irvine by just 10.

At a rain-drenched Spielberg circuit he used a surfing analogy to make his point.

'I don't believe I have been able to give my best so far because I've haven't got on the crest of the wave and carried it,' he said as the rain poured off the McLaren-Mercedes motorhome.

'Now I've caught the wave and just need to see if I can carry it through this weekend - then maybe I will be away.'

The Scot beat a 14-month jinx with victory at his home race a fortnight ago and achieved one of his four biggest motor racing ambitions.

Until then he had retired from four races, finished three in the points and a fourth out of the points in seventh.

Magny Cours typified his misfortune - he qualified highest of the top four in the rain and drove brilliantly to take the lead, only to cruise to a halt with electronic problems.

'If you get some momentum going it just becomes easier.

'Everything comes easier, when you can get the car talking to you, all those things start coming together.

'If I had won Magny Cours and then Silverstone ..I knows its if, if, if....but if it had happened it would all of a sudden been bang, bang, bang, one result after another.

'Everything is easier and more fun and when its fun its not so much effort.

'Silverstone was a big leg up in terms of points. I just need to keep doing what I'm doing. If I finish every race I finish first or second I will be challenging for the title come the end of the year.

'I am still a couple of wins behind Mika so I need him not finishing. And I am relying on Eddie Irvine not scoring points too so its going to be difficult but nonetheless my focus and determination is still the same.

'I can win the championship. I don't come here thinking after Silverstone thinking I am now in the hunt because I didn't go there thinking I was out of it.

'I am now not so far behind Mika and it should be a more open situation with Michael not competing.

'We are having more reliable tests, more laps in testing and that is where good race results come from,' he added.