Fully Committed: Interview with David Coulthard

As the speculation about Fernando Alonso's future rumbles on, other drivers continue to be dragged into the debate. A popular suggestion a few weeks ago was that to make way for the Spaniard, Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz would ask David Coulthard to retire, or maybe move him into Scuderia Toro Rosso. That may make sense to some people, but it's not a plan that DC himself has much time for.

"You're the first journalist to ask me!" he said when I mentioned the issue last week. "What everyone forgets is that we have sensible contracts. I can't comment on Mark's contract, but rest assured after 12 seasons in F1 or whatever I didn't join Red Bull with a contract that can have them stick me in a DTM car or something.

"I know my contract, and I know Dietrich, and a lot of my negotiations have been directly with him, and then the details have been finalised with Martin [Brundle] and Christian [Horner]. That's the level at which things happen. And I was with him on Monday. If there was something that had to be undone from the contract, or something that was different, I'm sure I would have known about it."

The fact that DC was widely perceived as the man who was most likely to make room says a lot about how he's widely perceived at the moment, having last year gained the unfortunate honour of being the oldest man on the entry list. A more logical approach might be to consider that Mark Webber is the more likely candidate for a move, but only one that suits the Australian. With Flavio Briatore involved in the mix, he might just find himself bounced into Renault or even McLaren.

However, this week Mateschitz has moved to play down speculation, so we can now assume that Alonso really is out of the picture and the rest is just conjecture. After all, thus far the Austrian has been very loyal to Coulthard, who was willing to join Red Bull Racing at the very start of the adventure in 2005, and has played a key role in the team's development over the past three seasons.

This year he again scored some priceless points for the team, taking fifth place in Spain and the Nurburgring, and fourth at Fuji. Crucially, he made the most of several of those rare occasions when big helpings of points were available to teams outside the regular three pacesetters. And those results of course reflect, to a large degree, his experience and ability to bring the car home when it counts, which is of course what RBR are paying for.

The results might have been even better had the team not had some wind tunnel and reliability issues, both of which should have been addressed on the upcoming RB4. That's thanks in large part to the arrival of Geoff Willis, who forms a formidable pairing with Adrian Newey. Prospects are looking up, and DC is looking forward to having the most competitive package he's had since he left McLaren.

Q: What's your overall feeling on the season?

Coulthard: "We've achieved our target of finishing fifth in the constructors' championship. It's been a season of ups and downs for us more so than others, because of the reliability issues we've had. I've stopped several times during qualifying with gearbox related issues. That's very frustrating, because you've then got to try and make it all up in the races.

"The intra team review is that on average I've been a tenth quicker than Mark, and typically he's been on average a tenth quicker than me in qualifying. So it's been fairly even in that respect. I'm just telling you the facts - depending on your point of view determines how you build that into something. What do I care about?

"I care about the team moving forward, and slowly but surely we are. This year has very much been crossing the t's and dotting the i's in making sure everything is in place for next year. There are inevitably high expectations for what all of us can do next year."

Q: This was the first car for which Adrian Newey was fully responsible. How much progress did you make?

Coulthard: "The car was definitely an improvement this year, that is for sure. Obviously we've moved to a single tyre manufacturer, and we've had to adapt to Bridgestone. Those who've run on Bridgestones before clearly had an advantage I believe, so I'm quite happy with the way I've picked up and improved in understanding the Bridgestone's performance. And I think there has obviously been a learning process of Adrian [Newey] understanding the tools at his disposal.

"There have been a few changes in the aero department, and I think some strengthening of the design side of things, so everything would appear to be in place running into next year.

"Our relationship with Renault has been one that has worked extremely well. They are very professional, and everything I remember about working with Renault in the past. They are just a very good engine partner, and there have been a few times this year when we have been in front of the works team. We were in front of Honda and Toyota, and you can't say that's a failing because they are works teams that have been around for a few years."

Q: You mentioned the reliability. How frustrating has that been?

Coulthard: "Of course the reliability is frustrating, and what I've always maintained is that it's as frustrating for me as it is for various people within the factory whose department that falls within. I don't believe for one minute that it's due to a lack of effort, but clearly there's been a lack of response and understanding.

"As team members we have to support those people and either give them better tools to fix it or if they are not capable, replace them and put someone in. That's what you do, that's what Christian Horner is charged with."

Q: Were there races where it really cost you a good result?

Coulthard: "As I say there were a lot of things in qualifying. I'm not going to diminish at all Mark's very successful qualifying record. In Monaco the team had difficulty communicating traffic to me, then there was Bahrain, Magny-Cours, and somewhere else where the car broke in qualifying.

"And then in Nurburgring they sent me out too late to actually complete a lap. Fifty per cent of the qualifying sessions this year there has been some issue which has stopped me being able to do my bit, and the other 50% I've got to take responsibility for."

Q: But in terms of races, were there points that got away?

Coulthard: "There were, of course. Everyone can talk about what could have been. I think Red Bull should be in front of Williams in the constructors' championship, not necessarily because we had a quicker car than them, but because we gave away too many points early in the year when they weren't quite as sorted."

Q: There was clearly a wind tunnel problem this year. How damaging was that?

Coulthard: "There has been an understanding issue between the information we get from the tunnel and information we get from the track. It's been an issue for as long as people have had wind tunnels, so it's nothing new. It's not the first time that Adrian's gone though that sort of thing, and they'll get on top of it. It just needs to be next year."

Q: What effect did it have on the car?

Coulthard: "We struggled to have the balancing power from the front wing to have the car set up the way we needed to get the lap time out of it. A series of upgrades improved that front end and ride height sensitivity. The journey goes on, it's the same stuff up and down the pitlane that everyone is tackling. The McLaren is a quick car, but it'll have balance issues. They're just happening at a different speed."

Q: What sort of contribution has Geoff Willis made since he arrived?

Coulthard: "I'm very impressed with Geoff. I think there are a lot of good people within Red Bull, unfortunately for them in the same way that people only talk about the drivers when we get a result, you talk about Geoff or Adrian rather than all of the individuals who make the team the way it is today and hopefully we allow the team to go forward.

"What Geoff has got is a lot of experience - he experienced building a team with Honda. He's entirely calm, rational and intelligent in the way he makes his decisions and his observations. And I think that is a very important asset for the team to have."

Q: Has his role been that of a firefighter, coming in and pointing out what could be done better?

Coulthard: "Yes, he's identified areas very clearly on the car that the target is to improve on for next year. And I believe we'll achieve those targets."

Q: How much did it help having another experienced driver in the team?

Coulthard: "As I said at the beginning of the year it's helped a great deal. Instead of it being one experienced driver's point of view, it's two experienced drivers' points of view. It's just moved everything forward.

"I'm very happy with the way that relationship has developed. I think it's a good one for the team, and we've worked as a team through the year. There have been situations where he has made it relatively straightforward for me to gain position because I was on a different strategy, and vice versa. That is the correct way to co-operate within the team."

Q: A lot of people thought that the line-up didn't look like a good balance, but it seemed to work out. Do you feel more comfortable with a guy like Webber rather than someone younger who's out to make a point?

Coulthard: "I think it all depends on how you are. My personality has never been to screw a teammate and do all the things that a lot of people would imagine that you'd have to do to be successful. Honestly I've got no interest in debating what someone who doesn't drive a racing car thinks about how to be successful.

"I have my way of going about my business, and it's always been to be open and honest with the people that you're working with. That remains the case until someone shows me that they can't be trusted. And that hasn't been the case with any of my Red Bull teammates, and that's healthy for the team because it's so competitive."

Q: You seem to do well in races where experience pays off, like Nurburgring

Coulthard: "Actually in Spain the gearbox was broken - I think I did the last laps with a broken box. I thought I'd have to retire the car, but then I learned to drive without all the gears. We were being chased down by [Nico] Rosberg, but we still managed to get home. I'd argue that all of them are good results that come from experience that maybe I wouldn't have been able to do earlier in my career.

"At Nurburgring I started heavy which slowed me down initially, and when the safety car came out it was a penalty rather than a benefit. But that said in Japan I was lucky because I called the stop early because my rear tyres were shot, and then Alonso shunted. Had he shunted and then I was coming in then I couldn't have refuelled, and I would have ended up at the back of the pack. That's the difficult thing with the safety car, it works for you or against you. Anyway, I made the call to come in early and I got lucky with it."

Q: How important was it that you were signed for next year so early?

Coulthard: "I think it's important because it's an unnecessary distraction from the job. I was committed and motivated to continue with Red Bull, and they should commit or not commit. It's straightforward. You either are pregnant or you're not pregnant.

"I respect Christian and Dietreich's approach to making decisions. I think it's in the interests of the team the way they've made their decisions. It goes both ways. I treat them with the respect they deserve, and so far they've done the same."

Q: It's been going one year at a time, which has worked out well for you

Coulthard: "I went in committed to the job, to see the team move forward. There was no way of knowing whether everything that was being suggested would be delivered. We were all starting our relationships together, and I had to get to know Christian as a team principal, Dietrich as a team owner. And they've not let me down on anything that they said they would deliver.

"I think Christian should be given a lot of credit for guiding the team through very difficult two or three seasons, a lot of changes, a lot of difficult decisions to be made, and the way he is able to interact with the other team principals and Max [Mosley] and Bernie [Ecclestone] is very impressive. He's a good operator."

Q: How frustrating has all the talk about your age been this year?

Coulthard: "I'm not sensitive to the observation that I'm 36 years old! That's a fact. I'm sensitive to anyone repeating the same shit over and over, whether it's about my age or whether it's about anything. I hear, I get it the first time, I don't need to keep hearing the same thing or being asked the same thing.

"I'm not a Miss America whose signed up for the UN peace campaign, who can turn it on every time - 'I care about the children.' I'll answer any question asked that's sensible. But to be answering it week-in week-out just becomes annoying. McLaren didn't employ me for nine years because I couldn't drive, they employed me for nine years because I understood how the team operated, and I worked very well within that team. Likewise Red Bull."

Q: But there's always a lot of pressure for a team to take young drivers, especially Red Bull, where they have a programme

Coulthard: "Everybody's trying to create the diamond. You've got to be patient. The diamond will form. I've had three of the young drivers as my teammates over the last couple of years, in Christian [Klien], Tonio [Liuzzi] and Robert [Doornbos]. They've always got to take the best drivers that are available to them."

Q: You have an engine that won the world championship in 2006, and the same tyres as everyone else. Is there any reason why you can't move to the front?

Coulthard: "The difference between the first car and the last car on the grid is less over a lap as a percentage than the difference between the guy who wins the 100m at the Olympics, and the guy who finishes eighth. That's the small percentage that Spyker to McLaren are operating in. If you have the right designer, the right tyres, the right engine, the right facilities for the designers to develop, I see no reason why we cannot have success."

Q: Are you more excited about next year than you have been for a while?

Coulthard: "I always get excited about the following year. I saw a test programme where they had me down to test in December but not November, and I said I want to test in November, because I want to be part of that process. I'm not thinking, 'Brilliant, a month off'. You're either committed or not committed. And I'm committed."

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