Coulthard, Trulli Blame Each Other for Crash

Scot David Coulthard questioned Jarno Trulli's temperament under pressure after the Italian Renault driver crashed into his McLaren-Mercedes on turn two of the Spanish Grand Prix.

The incident saw Italian Trulli's race brought to a premature end, while Coulthard was forced into making an unscheduled early pitstop so his team could check over his car. Coulthard rejected Trulli's claim that it had simply been "a racing incident" and insisted he had been the victim of the Renault driver's over-exuberance.

"I was just trying to pick my way through," said Coulthard. "You just have to try to make sure that you're not the one who runs into someone. I'm going to have a little dig and say that it's no surprise that Jarno runs into someone because it all gets a bit Italian for him when he gets into close quarters racing."

Trulli, who had finished every race so far this season and claimed points in three of them, had a different view of the incident and claimed the Scot had been eager to make up easy places in the opening lap.

"I saw him coming across me and he just cut the whole corner," said Trulli. "I don't think he saw me and he just hit my car at the front. It is something that can be avoided if you are not too optimistic. You do not always need to be concentrating too much on making up positions at the start. If an outside line was taken into the corner then it could have been avoided."

Coulthard later retired on lap 18 after a collision with fellow Briton and BAR-Honda driver Jenson Button but the Scot was ready to concede that Button had not been totally to blame.

"I didn't see him in my mirrors as I came down the straight," said Coulthard. "He must have come out of the pits. It's just one of those things. He was on the inside trying to keep his form and it's a bit bizarre that I didn't see him. I have to give him the benefit of the doubt."