Disappointed Coulthard Criticises Montoya

McLaren driver David Coulthard launched an attack on rival Juan Pablo Montoya after they were both forced out of the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring following a collision.

Montoya clipped the kerb on the inside of turn one as Coulthard attempted to pass him round the outside. The Colombian had problems with his rear tyres and slid into Coulthard's McLaren as they vied for position and wiped both out of the race on lap 27.

The move prompted Coulthard to give Montoya a round of applause before the Williams driver attempted to diffuse the situation in the paddock immediately afterwards. But Coulthard claimed Montoya's error had cost both drivers points finishes and said that he should have been allowed to pass.

"I hoped he'd look at the bigger picture because he was losing two seconds a lap," Coulthard said. "The big picture is the chequered flag and we both threw it away. There is no glory in both cars not finishing the race and I think the guy is all over the place.

"He hasn't won more Grands Prix because he hasn't really been consistent in the races. It was a sensational performance in qualifying but I think he has to say 'I'm not quick enough, go and look for a result'."

Coulthard believed that he had given Montoya sufficient room for both drivers to get through the corner without a problem.

"I'm disappointed, he's disappointed but that's racing," he added. "Incidents of the Grand Prix are good for the spectators. I did what I thought was right in the circumstances and gave him the space and didn't chop him, but he knew that I was trying to overtake him.

"I was in his slipstream, he went to the inside and I went to the outside and we had five seconds to think about what we were about to do and I gave him room. He knew the state of his car and should not have tried to fight. Sometimes he's got to look at the bigger picture."

Coulthard recalled the Nurburgring race last year and insisted that he was correct in his decision to allow Montoya's teammate Ralf Schumacher to pass him in order to challenge Michael Schumacher.

He claimed Montoya should have acted in a similar manner and said: "In this race last year I let Ralf Schumacher through because he was the only one who could challenge Michael.

"I was only going to hold him up and doing that was going to cost me in the title race. You can't get points without the chequered flag."