Coulthard: Focused on speed rather than testing

Coulthard took a much more hands-on approach to the pre-season build up last season, but has changed that tactic for 2001. After injuring his ribs in a plane crash at Lyon last summer he was unable to test in between races while they healed, which has made him appreciate that merely doing more laps doesn't necessarily make him quicker.

"After last year I realised I didn't need to do every test," said DC. "Previous to that I thought, 'I've got to be in the car every time they drive.' But after the [plane] accident I realised that I didn't test for six weeks, and every race I just got stronger, because I think I was fresher, mentally."

The 29-year-old Scot says he is also going to be more single-minded to aid his chances of challenging Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen every race weekend. Distractions, he says, are a thing of the past.

"All the things I'm doing in my life are to allow me to focus on driving the car," he added. "I've trained more. I've worked more closely with the build of the new car. I don't know how to quantify what difference that will make, but I've just generally been more involved in the whole process, and been more confident in saying when I wanted to be in the car and when I didn't want to be in the car. Will it make a difference? I hope so.

"It's still the same quick guys you have to beat and you have to be on top of your form to beat them. It's not as if I'm trying to climb the mountain to prove to myself if I can do that or not. What I'm trying to do is stay balanced on top of the mountain. If I can get to a consistent level then the rest will follow."

Coulthard's aim is to emulate the form he showed in last year's French Grand Prix on a regular basis. He rates his win at Magny-Cours as one of the best of 2001.

"Not just because it was me, but I tell you I think that Magny-Cours victory was one of the hardest fought victories of the year," he claimed. "You've got someone running round in third place, he overtakes the second placed guy [Rubens Barrichello], which normally only happens in pit stops, he then overtakes someone who's accepted as being a very aggressive racing driver and very hungry to win [Michael Schumacher], and pisses off into the distance and wins the Grand Prix.

"I thought that was a stunning victory! I know it doesn't sit with people's perceptions of me in F1, because I haven't done it consistently, but forget it was me. Look at that one race - if that was Michael who'd won, it would have been classic Schumacher. I thought it was the business!"

For a full David Coulthard Q&A, click HERE.