David Coulthard's top 10 greatest F1 drives

David Coulthard is one of the most successful Formula 1 drivers never to win the world championship. The Scot finished third in the points four times, was runner-up in 2001 and helped McLaren to the constructors' title in 1998.

Coulthard started 246 F1 races between 1994 and 2008 and drove for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull. He took 12 pole positions, 13 victories and finished on the podium 62 times.

That meant there were an awful lot of candidates for this list. Fortunately, the Channel 4 F1 pundit was happy to help Autosport pick out his 10 greatest drives.

Podcast: Race of My Life - David Coulthard

10. 1995 Portuguese GP, Estoril

Car: Williams FW17
Started: 1st
Result: 1st

"Braveheart Coulthard leaves Damon's title bid in tatters," reckoned Autosport magazine after the 1995 Portuguese Grand Prix, but David doesn't recall any debate about helping his championship-fighting Williams team-mate Damon Hill.

"I was so wonderfully naïve there was no discussion," he says. "It was just, get out and race."

And he did that to devastating effect. Coulthard had already shown his pace and taken two 1995 poles before arriving at Estoril, but there had also been some blunders - most notably going off on the warm-up lap at Monza. But there were no mistakes as Coulthard took another pole, led every lap except during the pitstops, set fastest lap and took his first F1 victory by 7.2 seconds from Michael Schumacher.

"I remember thinking, 'If Michael doesn't slow down, I can't keep this pace' - it was exhausting" David Coulthard

After the second start - the first attempt aborted after a big crash for Ukyo Katayama's Tyrrell - Schumacher chased hard, both Coulthard and the Benetton being on three-stop strategies to Hill's two.

"I had to take the maximum out of the tyres," recalls Coulthard. "In the first stint, Michael was behind me and quite close, and I remember thinking, 'If he doesn't slow down, I can't keep this pace' - it was exhausting. Estoril was a really tiring race track anyway."

But Schumacher couldn't keep up and DC started to "breath normally and find my comfort zone. It showed my relative inexperience because I was having to deal with that, but it was fantastic."

On his alternative strategy Hill suffered a poor pitstop and got delayed in traffic, but found himself in second after Schumacher had made his third stop. Coulthard never got the call to allow his team-mate, struggling on worn rubber, to take the lead, which was just as well as Schumacher found a way by Hill on lap 62 of 71. DC was long gone.

"He was the class of the field," concluded Autosport.

9. 2000 Spanish GP, Barcelona

Car: McLaren MP4-15
Started: 4th
Result: 2nd

This entry is less about the race itself and more about the context in which Coulthard finished second to team-mate Mika Hakkinen. Just days before the race Coulthard survived a plane crash in which both pilots had been killed.

"The tragedy of the pilots losing their lives was the over-riding discussion and thought leading up to the GP, with some people questioning whether I should race," recalls Coulthard. "But I spoke to one of the pilots' fathers and he was absolutely clear that the show goes on - and that is what his son would have wanted."

Despite the trauma and injured ribs, Coulthard overcame the Schumacher brothers to complete a McLaren 1-2.

"The McLaren support system didn't always show its cuddly side on the outside, but Ron Dennis was very supportive of his team when there's adversity," adds Coulthard. "That kicked in to allow me to focus on driving."

8. 1997 Italian GP, Monza

Car: McLaren MP4-12
Started: 6th
Result: 1st

Coulthard was one of the best starters in the business and his getaway at Monza in 1997 was crucial, as he shot from sixth to third.

"I always felt confident on starts," says the 49-year-old. "A lot of people have various theories as how to start a race car. I worked on the simple basis of limiting the number of devices you're trying to control at any given time. I'd get the vehicle going, get the clutch out and then control the wheelspin if there was any."

"Jean is a lovely man and I've always felt a bit guilty about taking a great win away for him, but it was a great display of teamwork" David Coulthard

Jean Alesi's Benetton, the Williams of Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Coulthard formed a high-speed train. Frentzen pitted first and Coulthard almost crashed the McLaren at the Ascari chicane as he and Alesi pushed hard before their pitstops.

"I remember it well because in 1995 I did something similar going to the grid but in that case I didn't catch it!" he says. "You're on the edge of adhesion - that was as big an opposite lock as you're going to get in a grand prix car before binning it."

Having survived the moment, he followed Alesi in on lap 32 of 53 and McLaren turned Coulthard around quicker than Benetton serviced Alesi.

"Jean is a lovely man and I've always felt a bit guilty about taking a great win away for him, but it was a great display of teamwork," says Coulthard.

Both emerged ahead of Frentzen, and Coulthard duly scored his third GP win by 1.9s. The race had been close and, even though Autosport lamented the lack of overtaking, it stands out in Coulthard's mind: "On low downforce the car was dancing and it takes quite a lot of energy to drive a high-speed circuit like that - it's the closest we get to an oval."

7. 2000 Brazilian GP, Interlagos

Car: McLaren MP4-15
Started: 2nd
Result: Disqualified

Coulthard's experience and savvy played their part in a fine drive in adversity at Interlagos, which ultimately went unrewarded. A strong start by Schumacher got him ahead of Coulthard, and the Ferraris were rapid early on. Schumacher overtook Hakkinen for the lead into the first corner at the start of lap two, with Rubens Barrichello going by Coulthard a few seconds later.

Barrichello soon moved into second and the speed of the Ferraris hinted that they were on two-stop strategies, while the McLarens were only planning to stop once. Schumacher rejoined between Hakkinen and Coulthard after his first stop, with Barrichello dropping to fourth, but the strategies never played out.

Hakkinen retired with an engine problem before half-distance, just after Barrichello had suffered a hydraulics failure, while Coulthard found himself grappling with a gearbox issue.

"I think I'd lost an in-between gear - third, so to get to second I had to go through the gear that was not working - so I made the decision not to run the risk of going through the damaged gear," explains Coulthard. "Those sorts of races are ones where you have the right level of experience to work out what you need to do."

He managed to drive around the problem and nursed the McLaren to second place behind Schumacher, only to be disqualified for a front wing infringement.

6. 1998 Austrian GP, A1-Ring

Car: McLaren MP4-13
Started: 14th
Result: 2nd

Quirky weather conditions mixed up the starting grid for the 1998 Austrian GP and Coulthard found himself starting from row seven. And things got worse before they got better - contact from Pedro Diniz and Mika Salo on the opening lap resulted in the McLaren losing its nose.

A safety car was called as Coulthard headed for the pits, but he was 17th when the racing resumed at the start of lap four. He immediately started carving through the field and was up to ninth by the end of lap 10.

There was no hope of catching team-mate Hakkinen, but Coulthard scored a fine second - and set a fastest lap more than half a second quicker than the winning McLaren

He was up to sixth when Schumacher went off at the final corner on lap 17 and had to complete an entire slow tour before coming in for a new nose. That put Coulthard into fifth and he then overtook Alesi's Sauber on lap 19 of 71.

He stayed out longer than the other frontrunners before making his scheduled pitstop, actually leading for two laps, and emerged in second, helped by a clash that eliminated Alesi and polesitter Giancarlo Fisichella.

There was no hope of catching team-mate Hakkinen, but Coulthard scored a fine second - and set a fastest lap more than half a second quicker than the winning McLaren. "Hakkinen drove beautifully, but the performance of the race came from Coulthard," reckoned Autosport's Nigel Roebuck.

5. 1999 Belgian GP, Spa

Car: McLaren MP4-14
Started: 2nd
Result: 1st

After an unfortunate series of events, reigning world champion Hakkinen arrived at Spa for the 1999 Belgian GP trailing Ferrari's Eddie Irvine by two points in the drivers' table, with Coulthard another 18 points back. There were still five races to go, but these were the days when a victory only yielded 10 points.

The weekend started well for McLaren, Hakkinen leading Coulthard to a 1-2 in qualifying, a second clear of the rest. But Coulthard made the better start and charged around the outside into the first corner.

It was tight and the two McLarens briefly touched, but both survived, with Coulthard in the lead. And then he simply drove into the distance, a fuming and distracted Hakkinen never getting close. DC led every lap at the famous Belgian venue and came home 10.5s clear.

"I just felt in a zone," says Coulthard. "I don't recall any mistakes. "I'd been unwell before the race and slept very poorly because of a cough, to the point where I was coughing up a little bit of blood during the night, so it was a great experience for me in terms of realising you don't always need to be in the best physical shape to give one of the best performances. The mind controls the body, not the other way."

Hakkinen's side of the garage felt an opportunity for team orders had been missed, but the victory moved Coulthard to within 14 points of the top of the table.

"Mika clearly wasn't very happy and his engineer Mark Slade said to me that if they lost the world championship it would be my fault," adds Coulthard. "I remember thinking my sole purpose wasn't to support Mika's championship - part of winning a championship is beating your team-mate. "I was particularly proud of that victory."

4. 2000 British GP, Silverstone

Car: McLaren MP4-15
Started: 4th
Result: 1st

"I never really felt strong at Silverstone," admits Coulthard, despite twice winning the British GP at the Northamptonshire venue. The 1999 success had owed something to good fortune, but the victory the following year was well taken.

Coulthard jumped Hakkinen at the start to chase Barrichello and Frentzen's Jordan and form part of a six-car breakaway. Frentzen was the first to pit, allowing Coulthard to pressure the leading Ferrari, with Hakkinen close behind. At half-distance Barrichello got slightly off line through Becketts and Chapel, giving Coulthard a run on the Ferrari down Hangar Straight. He moved to the left and swept brilliantly around the outside into the high-speed Stowe right-hander.

"When you stand on the podium with your team-mate beside you - and I always had good team-mates - and Michael you know you've had a good day in the office" David Coulthard

"Having raced against Rubens in Opel Lotus, Formula 3 and F3000, I would say his strength was his speed rather than his racing," says Coulthard. "I always felt pretty comfortable that, if I put him under a bit of pressure, he'd back out of it."

Coulthard immediately set a new fastest lap and his pace was such that, when the pitstops cycled through, he was still at the front of the one-stoppers - and regained the lead when Frentzen made his second scheduled pit visit.

Despite a late charge from Hakkinen, which brought the second McLaren within 1.5s, Coulthard held on to take his second consecutive home win, with Schumacher third.

"When you stand on the podium with your team-mate beside you - and I always had good team-mates - and Michael you know you've had a good day in the office," he says.

3. 2002 Monaco GP, Monte Carlo

Car: McLaren MP4-17
Started: 2nd
Result: 1st

On the face of it, Coulthard's 2002 Monaco GP was straightforward - if any success around the punishing streets can be considered as such. He qualified second, grabbed the lead at the start and led every lap on his way to victory. But the win owed much to his work ethic and experience.

"That race was won in testing at Paul Ricard," explains Coulthard. "I figured out with my engineers that if I could get a tyre that lasted as far as the horseshoe at Paul Ricard - a lot of drivers were looking at lap time to decide on the tyre - it doesn't matter what lap time we're doing. If we were quicker by the horseshoe then that was the tyre I wanted to take to Monaco for qualifying."

Coulthard was disappointed to miss out on pole to fellow Michelin runner Juan Pablo Montoya's Williams, but was ready to grab the initiative at the start: "I was pretty confident I could out-launch him.

"A lot of the start was automated but you still had to finesse and work with it to get as good a launch as the system would allow you. On the steering wheel button I wanted to reduce the amount of movement from engagement to disengagement so we moved the position of the button so it was just engaging when my thumb covered it. The millisecond I released the pressure the system launched and I was off. It was looking for every single little detail of how to get a perfect start."

Once into the lead, Coulthard managed the race and "brutal" tyre graining, despite the attentions of Montoya, Michael Schumacher's Ferrari and the Williams of Ralf Schumacher. His car even started to smoke at one stage - an issue fixed by McLaren from the pits via telemetry - but Coulthard built enough of an advantage to retain the lead once the pitstops were completed.

Michael Schumacher kept the pressure on for the final 26 laps - the gap never rising above 1.3s - but Coulthard held on to take his second Monaco GP victory. He had won despite setting a fastest lap more than a second slower than the best, and had dealt Ferrari its second and final defeat of the 17-race 2002 season.

2. 2001 Brazilian GP, Interlagos

Car: McLaren MP4-16
Started: 5th
Result: 1st

This race is largely remembered for Montoya's aggressive move to snatch the lead from Michael Schumacher - and the Williams later being rear-ended by Jos Verstappen's Arrows. But it was also a rare day on which someone overtook Schumacher in the wet. And that someone was Coulthard.

Hakkinen's McLaren failed at the start, helping Coulthard to vault from fifth to third before the safety car was called. It was at the restart that Montoya made his bold move to take the lead. The heavily fuelled one-stopping Williams, the two-stopping Schumacher and one-stopping Coulthard then pulled away from the rest in the dry.

When Schumacher pitted on lap 25 of 71, Coulthard was left chasing Montoya. The Williams had the advantage in the dry, but McLaren had opted for a semi-wet set-up in anticipation of rain. Coulthard's Bridgestones were also expected to work better than Montoya's Michelins in the wet, should the time come.

"This was David's victory because I am not sure we had the best car today. He was the best driver and he handled the circumstances the best" Norbert Haug

But the precipitation came after Montoya's retirement and Coulthard's scheduled pitstop. He had rejoined just ahead of Schumacher but hesitated when the rain arrived on lap 46. Schumacher immediately pitted for intermediates and took the lead when DC came in a lap later.

But Schumacher wasn't happy with the balance of his F2001. A moment at the first corner allowed Coulthard to close and going on to lap 50 the McLaren was well-placed. Coming up to lap the Minardi of Tarso Marques, Coulthard went for the inside into the Senna S, Schumacher the outside, and the McLaren took the lead. Coulthard then pulled clear, taking the flag 16.2s clear of the Ferrari - and a lap ahead of everyone else.

"This was David's victory because I am not sure we had the best car today," said Mercedes motorsport chief Norbert Haug. "He was the best driver and he handled the circumstances the best."

"It was tricky conditions and normally you would earmark those for Michael, but I think I drove well and the situation came to me," remembers Coulthard. "I wasn't the best racing driver and not as complete a driver as Michael and Mika, but when I was on form and had the opportunity I could compete with those guys. Those are the moments of life achievement for me."

1. 2000 French GP, Magny-Cours

Car: McLaren MP4-15
Started: 2nd
Result: 1st

The hand gestures Coulthard gave Michael Schumacher are perhaps what first spring to mind about the 2000 French GP, and the drive was arguably Coulthard at his most feisty. He and Hakkinen suffered problems in qualifying and had to jump in and out of different chassis, but Coulthard still qualified second to Schumacher and felt good on race morning.

"I felt ownership of Magny-Cours and was convinced I was going to win," recalls Coulthard, perhaps explaining why he was so irritated by the Schumacher chop at the start that allowed Barrichello into second. As Schumacher edged away, Coulthard and Hakkinen harassed the second Ferrari.

On lap 22 of 72 Coulthard forced Barrichello onto a defensive line into the Adelaide hairpin, moved wide and outdragged the Ferrari on the exit. The top four soon pitted, with Coulthard resuming 5.3s behind Schumacher and Hakkinen jumping ahead of Barrichello.

The McLaren quickly carved into Schumacher's lead and was with him by the end of lap 32. Coulthard attacked around the outside at the Adelaide hairpin, Schumacher predictably running him out wide, provoking the gestures. But he was soon back on the Ferrari's gearbox.

"It was pure emotion coming through," he says. "Michael was a tough competitor and I felt he was unreasonably robust on the way to the first corner."

On lap 40, with Hakkinen now right behind, Coulthard launched a surprise attack. He was still quite a way behind the Ferrari when he dived down the inside into the hairpin. They banged wheels but Coulthard was through.

"When I eventually did pass him if he'd turned in we probably would have both crashed," admits Coulthard. "It was one of those scenarios where you needed a compliant person and Michael wouldn't always be compliant, but obviously I'd harangued him enough!"

Coulthard then edged away and made his final pitstop after his rivals, rejoining comfortably ahead of Schumacher before pulling away. Hakkinen couldn't find a way into second until Schumacher hit engine problems and finished 14.7s behind Coulthard.

"It was a great victory because I had to show fighting spirit against one of the hardest fighters in the sport," says Coulthard, who believes it was the race of his life.

For more from Coulthard, take a look at this week's special British GP preview issue of Autosport magazine.