Coulthard Aims to Beat Teammate Raikkonen

David Coulthard wants to prove to McLaren teammate Kimi Raikkonen in the first Grand Prix of the season that he still has what it takes.

McLaren have recruited Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya for next year and Briton Coulthard, 32, looks certain to leave after what will be his ninth season with the team.

"I have to beat Kimi ... if I'm going to win the World Championship and obviously that's my goal," Coulthard told reporters at Phillip Island, 130km south-east of Melbourne, ahead of Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

"Clearly the measure of any driver is how he compares to his teammate," said Coulthard, who won the Australian race last year.

Finland's Raikkonen was runner-up to Ferrari's six-times World Champion Michael Schumacher last year.

"In our first year together I had a better season, in our second year together he had a much stronger season," Coulthard said. "What my focus is on at the moment is race one and getting a good, solid start to the season and finding out how competitive our car is."

McLaren team principal Ron Dennis said Coulthard would be striving to gain the best possible drive next year "inside or outside McLaren."

Coulthard, who was runner-up to Schumacher in 2001, also said off-season testing results were often misleading. "Even after all these years involved in the sport it amazes me how much importance is put on a single lap time on a single day in a test," the Scot said.

"It's almost like you should go out, no fuel in the car, bang a lap time in and then that satisfies the media and the fans at home and then you can actually concentrate on your testing.

"When we go out to qualify on Saturday and someone runs five kilograms less fuel, they will be quicker. You can't out-drive weight."