DC: 'I'm ready to perform at a very high level'

As he approaches his 30th birthday on March 27, Coulthard remains convinced that he has yet to reach his peak as a driver.

"I still feel that I'm ready to go and perform at a very high level, and certainly achieve greater success than I have in the past," he declared.

"I don't feel as if I'm reaching the end of my ability. In fact, I feel stronger, mentally and physically, and very much looking forward to the year.

"It's a big year for me. I'll be 30 this month and I'm looking forward to that. The experience that goes with that hopefully means I can achieve greater success."

Coulthard believes he is close to achieving the consistent speed he needs to regularly beat Hakkinen, whom he regards as a performance benchmark.

"That's a great motivator for me and the fact that I managed to beat all my competitors in straight fights in the past is confirmation I have the ability," he said.

"All I need is a bit of consistency in my performance and the rest will happen. Just because it hasn't happened in the past doesn't mean it can't happen in the future.

"I think that what I was able to achieve last year, considering everything that happened to me during the course of the season, shows I have the determination and focus to achieve my goals."

The hot Scot is optimistic that McLaren will bounce back from last year's title-losing failures.

"I believe we can win. Let's hope we can get back to where we were in 1998 when McLaren was very competitive.

"Sometimes the failures do motivate you, but if you have too many, it can have an adverse effect on the team.

"The past two years have been difficult, so let's hope this year is different."