Coulthard Ends the Schumacher Stranglehold

David Coulthard's thrilling win for McLaren in Monaco on Sunday was a breath of fresh air for Formula One fans yearning for the Schumacher family stranglehold to end.

Since September, there has been only one surname on the list of winners - Ferrari's World Champion Michael six times and his younger brother and Williams driver Ralf once. Coulthard had no doubt that he had done a service to the sport.

"Prior to this race it was only a Schumacher who had won the Grands Prix this year so I guess that makes it a little more interesting," the Scot said of his first win in more than a year and McLaren's first of 2002.

"It's another twist in the show. I'm delighted because I can pick up the trophy but, irrespective of whether it's me or someone else other than a Ferrari driver who wins, it has got to be good for Formula One," he added.

"In a World Cup football year we have got to do something interesting to keep the viewers."

He might have added, but did not, that the need was particularly pressing in the aftermath to the Austrian Grand Prix two weeks ago, when Ferrari ordered Brazilian Rubens Barrichello to give way to Schumacher.

That 'team orders' win sparked a worldwide outcry among fans, with some vowing to switch off the sport as Ferrari contrived their fifth win in six races this year.

Turnaround

Sunday's race was a complete contrast to last year, when Coulthard qualified on pole and was then sent to the back of the grid after stalling on the formation lap.

He then spent 41 of the 78 laps behind the Arrows of Brazilian rookie Enrique Bernoldi before finishing fifth. This year, the Scot nailed the victory with his blinding start from the front row.

While Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya made a sluggish getaway from pole, Coulthard roared past him and swept through the tricky Sainte Devote first corner with the rest of the field in his wake.

It all went according to plan and, despite intense pressure first from Montoya and then Schumacher, he doubled his points tally for the season in the space of one race.

"The software guys have worked extremely hard and we've made some improvements since the beginning of the season," said Coulthard. "In the first few races we were getting beaten off the start and that really made us concentrate.

"They've made some big steps forward and they were all confident based on what happened in Austria that I would lead into the first corner, just by looking at the analysis of the starts from the Williams there.

"All I had to do was take my finger off the button and hope they were right. It didn't work last year so I guess it was payback for having to start at the back then."

So confident was he that he would not have to swallow anyone else's exhaust fumes that he started the race with his helmet visor slightly open to stay cool.