Warwick Plays Down Coulthard's WC Chances

Former Formula One driver Dereck Warwick has gone on record to say that fellow countryman David Coulthard lacks what it takes to clinch the F1 World Championship.

"It was a stunning drive by David at Interlagos, especially in those wet conditions," Warwick told The Sunday Mirror. "It was the drive of a potential world champion. But unfortunately he hasn't been able to produce enough of those drives in a season to give himself a chance of winning the championship. I want him to do it, and my heart says he can - but my head tells me he can't. I just don't see it. I think he's a good number two. At another team he'd be good enough to be number one, but not at McLaren."

Warwick went on to explain why Coulthard does not fare up to rivals Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen: "Schumacher is the best driver in the world, Hakkinen is second, and he still has chinks in his armour. Then you're looking at the rest - and David is one of the rest. I think it will be Hakkinen taking on Schumacher again at the end. David seems to have a switch inside him and when it's on he can be as good as Hakkinen. But he's not yet been able to keep it on for 17 races a year. Normally it's for four or five races.

"In order to be a great racing driver - like Schumacher, like Hakkinen, like Mansell, like Senna, like Prost and all the great champions you can name - you have to do it lap after lap, race after race. They've got the drive and the motivation to keep doing it. That's what makes them different from the rest. I'd love to see David put together those races over a season and win the title. It would be great to have another British champion. But I honestly don't think he will do it."