Coulthard Sees Shunt as Payback for China Error

David Coulthard felt he had been given a taste of his own medicine after being shunted out of Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix by Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello.

The McLaren driver was involved in a similar collision with Ralf Schumacher's Williams in China last month, forcing the German to retire in his comeback from a serious crash at Indianapolis in June.

"Rubens took a dive down the inside from a long way back and I think it was a little optimistic," shrugged the Scot. "But when you consider what I did to Ralf in China you have to say that's a payback because that was optimistic too."

Coulthard collided with Barrichello on lap 39 at the fastest part of the track to end both men's involvement at Suzuka. While neither driver was spoiling for a fight after the collision, they clearly disagreed on who was to blame for the shunt.

"I got him by surprise," said Barrichello, who had won the previous two races in Monza and Shanghai and has already secured second place in the Championship. "I don't know if he didn't see me or what. The impact was quite severe.

"It wasn't like a crazy move or anything but you can see on TV he is turning so quickly into the corner."

But Coulthard insisted that the Brazilian was to blame for launching the overtaking manoeuvre.

"I think I was at fault in China and Rubens was at fault here," said the Scot, who will leave McLaren at the end of the season and has yet to secure a drive for 2005. "It was like the Senna-Prost incident a few years back. It's all very well you can get your car on the inside but there's a corner."

Brazilian Ayrton Senna and Frenchman Alain Prost were involved in high-profile collisions at Suzuka in 1989 and 1990.

"Listen, he had a go," Coulthard added. "He's already said he wanted to catch me by surprise. He took a gamble and it didn't work out."