DC says exit was ‘payback'
David Coulthard took a philosophical approach to his exit from the Japanese Grand Prix after a collision with Rubens Barrichello at the hairpin on lap 39 left him limping into the pits with broken suspension
The pair had been battling for fifth spot, as a two-stopping Coulthard tried to keep himself in contention for the battle with Jenson Button over third spot, when Barrichello dived down the inside at the chicane.
Coulthard was not expecting the move and turned in - with his right front wheel being hit by Barrichello's left front. Both drivers were able to continue to the pits but neither could rejoin the race.
Although gutted at missing out on a certain points scoring opportunity, with perhaps only one race left in his F1 career, Coulthard accepted that Barrichello's move was probably as optimistic as his had been on Ralf Schumacher two weeks ago in China that forced his Williams rival out.
"Rubens took a dive down the inside from a long way back and I think it was a little optimistic," said Coulthard. "But when you consider what I did to Ralf in China you have to say that's a payback because that was optimistic too."
Barrichello defended his own behaviour by claiming that he had wanted to take Coulthard by surprise - as he aimed to bounce back from his poor qualifying performance.
"I was coming quite fast past David and I wanted to get him by surprise because my car was looking so good through 130R," said the Ferrari driver. "I got him by surprise but I don't know if he didn't see me because the impact was quite severe."
Coulthard added: "I think I was at fault in China and Rubens was at fault here. It was like the Senna-Prost incident a few years back. It's all very well you can get your car on the inside but there's a corner."
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