Coulthard admits being too cautious

The McLaren star said because he had not earned any championship points until Imola he did not go all-out to pass Olivier Panis. Coulthard finished second to Michael Schumacher at the event.

Coulthard was the only McLaren driver in the race after his team mate Mika Hakkinen crashed trying to build a lead.

Coulthard said' 'Having seen Mika go off, I was a little cautious coming up to traffic in not wanting to make a mistake and go off. It wasn't my best performance, but it wasn't because of that that I lost the race.'

Coulthard insists Panis cost him victory because his delay behind the Prost driver helped Schumacher make up the time needed to win despite an extra pit stop.

McLaren boss Ron Dennis has defended Coulthard about his performance.

The McLaren boss said, 'If David had gone off trying to get past two backmarkers he would have been an idiot, so it would not be right to say be more aggressive.'