Interview: Coulthard Encouraged by No-Ferrari Podium

Ferrari's Australian Grand Prix failure is good news for Formula One and for Michael Schumacher's rivals, says race winner David Coulthard.

The McLaren driver refrained from talking up his Championship chances after his 13th career victory but felt that Ferrari, winners of 15 of last season's 17 races, had at least been unsettled after years of domination.

"If it was a combination of strategy mistakes and Michael making a mistake, then that is encouraging for Formula One," said the Scot after five times World Champion Schumacher finished fourth.

Sunday was the first time since the 2001 Italian Grand Prix that the German had finished outside the top three, a record run of 19 successive rostrums. Ferrari had been on the past 53 podiums in a row.

"They have looked pretty bullet-proof in the past with regard to strategy and Michael, not being pushed, hasn't made any mistakes," Coulthard said.

"I have always maintained that Michael under pressure will make mistakes and maybe today he showed that.

"The strategy thing is encouraging," added the Scot, overall runner-up to Schumacher in 2001. "I think they will be rattled. They have such a solid performance of podium results - that is the first podium they haven't been on for four years."

Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn said after Sunday's race that the team had made a wrong call in choosing wet tyres for the start.

Pressure On

Schumacher also came off worst in a thrilling battle with Coulthard's teammate Kimi Raikkonen, the Finn slamming the door shut on the Champion.

"We saw from Kimi last year that he is more than capable of racing wheel-to-wheel," Coulthard said. "He had some great battles with (Juan Pablo) Montoya last year.

"I wouldn't expect him to give an inch on the track unless he absolutely had to.

"And that is great because when you are racing against someone like Michael you know they are not going to give you an inch.

"It puts the pressure on. He (Schumacher) has got a sizeable car advantage... and he shouldn't really be getting caught up in the struggle."

Ferrari have yet to race their new F2003-GA, bringing a revised version of last year's car to Melbourne, but McLaren are also awaiting their 2003 challenger.

Coulthard said he had felt before Melbourne that his title chances were remote given that McLaren were starting with an interim car and did not know what the new one would be like.

But he had no doubt about his ability to be Champion.

"All I have ever said is that if I can win Grands Prix, and if I can then keep it together for the season, [then] I can win the Championship. It's only logical. There are lesser drivers than me that have won the Championship and that's a fact.

"Races like this are unusual races," he added. "It's not the classic straight fight from start to finish and none of us believe Ferrari wouldn't have been the most likely to win that sort of battle.

"You are going to get one or two races like this each year and you are going to get some funny results. The circumstances meant that what looked like a difficult strategy actually turned out to be a good one.

"When other guys were making mistakes, I didn't."