Horner: Coulthard at his Peak

Coulthard, who drove for McLaren for nine seasons prior to joining Red Bull, has been notably enthusiastic about his new surroundings, and Horner feels that the change has given the Scot a new lease on life.

"I believe David is in his prime," Horner told Speed TV. "He's at his peak as a sportsman, and I think that Red Bull Racing will hopefully give him the right environment to flourish. He's very much the team leader, and he brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the team.

"As I've said before, he's the biggest asset that we have, and he's proved that already."

When asked how the environment at Red Bull differs from Coulthard's former teams McLaren and Williams, Horner noted: "With the drivers that I've worked with, I've always tried to give them the right surroundings and the right state of mind.

"David is comfortable in the environment that he's working in, he's confident, and when people enjoy what they're doing and they're confident in the people around them they tend to do that bit better. He's responded tremendously to the challenge. Obviously he's putting an invaluable input into the development of the car."

Despite Coulthard talking down expectations after a successful debut for the team, which saw both cars come home in the points, Horner has notably brightened his outlook for the team's future, forecasting another positive result for his team in Malaysia.

"I don't see why not," Horner stated. "We had good reliability in Australia, we were good on the tyres, we were doing the times in the race, and I don't see any reason why we shouldn't be able to continue that form in Malaysia.

"It's all about addressing the basics, and doing the basics well, and in Melbourne we did that. We got a good start, we had good pitstops, and we had good drivers in the car. The result came through that. It's a solid car, it gives the drivers confidence, and it gives Red Bull Racing a great platform to build on.

"We've already exceeded the target I set, which was credibility. You always want more. A podium has got to be the target now."