Coulthard wants to race on after 2006

The 34-year old Scot, who joined Red Bull from McLaren this season, signed a one-year extension to his contract with the Austrian-owned squad.

And although Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz has recently said that Coulthard will stay in the team in some kind of advisory role, the Scottish driver says he plans to race on for some time.

"I want to make it clear that I do not expect 2006 to be my last year in F1 as some of the papers said in China," he said. "That all came because Red Bull said, even when I stopped, there would be a management place for me.

"I'm not even thinking about that now. I am a racer and I believe I still have the talent to win. If you ask if I still have the courage, the motivation to be at the top, the answer is yes."

Coulthard has enjoyed a promising season, scoring 24 points and finishing 12th in the drivers' standings.

Red Bull are hoping for a step forward when they use Ferrari engines next season, but the veteran driver has played down expectations, saying it's too early to start talking about winning race.

"I'd like to say I'll win a race in 2006 but the jump might be a little too much from where we are," Coulthard wrote in his column on The Daily Record. "The team have been fantastic but we still have a little way to go to be winners."