Coulthard Expects to Benefit from New Qualifying

David Coulthard says that he is hungrier than ever for Formula One glory in 2003 and believes the new qualifying rules will help him start races further up the grid.

Scot Coulthard said he is confident that, provided his McLaren-Mercedes team give him a car to match World Champion Michael Schumacher's Ferrari, he can challenge for his first F1 title.

"I am stronger than at any time in the past," said 31-year-old Coulthard, who is preparing to start his eighth season with McLaren. "I want to win Grands Prix - this is my life. If the car is up to the job I know that I am capable of delivering.

"My energy and enthusiasm and passion are at an all time high and there's nothing like the experience of life to make you desire more and more success. That is the focus of this year."

Coulthard is also relishing new qualifying rules that give drivers just one chance to set their grid position time. Last year, drivers had up to four chances to set their time and Coulthard was outqualified 10-7 by his young Finnish teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

"The new rule will work in my favour - out of all the drivers' first lap times last year mine were always among the very best. My grid position will be better with one lap qualifying than in the past.

"Looking back, the only race last year in which I would have been worse off is in Monaco where I improved with my other runs, started second and won. All the others I was at least the same or even better. Being quick straight away is one of my strengths."

Despite the new regulations, Coulthard believes it will be the same faces fighting for victory in 2003, with McLaren and Williams trying to stop Ferrari drivers Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.

He insisted the astonishing pace of Ferrari's new challenger, the F2003-GA, does not concern him, even though Schumacher broke the lap record at the Italian team's Fiorano track for the third time in a week today.

Coulthard says the revised McLaren he will start this season with is "much improved", but insists his radical new car must be capable of challenging Ferrari when it makes its debut in the season's fourth race at Imola.

"The new car has to be a Ferrari beater immediately. If not, the season's gone already," said Coulthard. "We have got to give 100 per cent but I would not be surprised if Ferrari set the pace."