Coulthard surprised by lack of pace

It was the car's least competitive performance of the season, and it came at a track where Coulthard has a strong record. In a Q&A with www.autosport.com, he admits that the MP4-17 is not yet getting the best out of its Michelin tyres.

"I had a lot of understeer at the start," he said. "It took a long time for that to clear up, and then the rear started to slide, and there was a total lack of grip. It's not as if the balance was particularly bad. I was thinking that if this was a car that was leading the race you'd think that this was a pretty well-balanced car. But the problem is we're not doing the lap times, and not generating the grip, whether than be mechanical or downforce, and I was just sliding all over the place."

Coulthard finished behind Jenson Button at Imola, and the Scot is under pressure for his status as top Brit. However, he believes the team will be more competitive in Spain in two weeks' time.

"We now go testing at Mugello, and we try and work on the car for Barcelona," he said. "We didn't expect to be as far away here, and we don't expect to be as far away there."

For full Coulthard Q&A, click here.