DC holds fire on Red Bull form

Although the change in technical regulations this year has handed the advantage to old cars in pre-season testing, the pace of Coulthard on Thursday in the updated 2004 car still provided an early boost to the team, which has undergone a few turbulent months.

But despite the optimism that can be taken from the performance, Coulthard claims it is impossible to make a judgement on the pace of the car - and such a verdict will not be possible until the team's new car runs at Jerez on February 7.

"I don't know what to say about the car," Coulthard told autosport.com. "If I was driving a McLaren with low downforce I could tell you more, but I was driving an ex-Jaguar car with low downforce on a newly resurfaced Barcelona. It almost makes it academic to make a comment.

"Of course the car is different and maybe we will get more of an indication when we get our new car in Jerez. I don't know how it is going to feel, or how it is going to perform, so let's just get through the programme first.

"I prefer to get on the track and then judge where we are, rather than trying to guess where we may be."

Coulthard is not pretending to himself that the team will be in the hunt for regular race victories this season - but he is hoping that he will occasionally be able to spring a surprise.

"This season I would like to feel that I have given my best in the car and feel that the team is going forward," he said. "There is no specific target other than that. If we can occasionally try and be among the top teams then that will be a bonus."