The Art of Balance

"What I dream of is an art of balance." -- Henri Matisse

You would be hard placed to find many similarities between the careers of David Coulthard and Henri Matisse. In his famous quote, however, the French artist does perhaps sum up exactly where the life and career of Red Bull Racing's lead driver stands at the moment.

For Coulthard is a man whose life at the start of 2006 is very much an 'art of balance'. On the one hand he is a millionaire sports superstar, known around the world to racing fans and non-racing fans alike - and yet at the same time he remains the down-to-earth decent bloke that first appeared on the British racing scene in the late 1980s.

He is also a consummate professional - presentationally slick, determined, focused; a motivator and hard working. Yet he is a man who also knows when and how to let his hair down - making sure to enjoy himself as much as he can.

And now, far more so that he ever managed during his nine-year tenure at McLaren, Coulthard appears to have got the balance of all those elements of his life spot on - and that has had the knock-on effect of making him more of everything.

He is more popular than ever, his reputation as a driver is probably better now than when he was winning races regularly, he is working harder, he is more motivated and he is enjoying himself more. And all of this without things going to his head.

The perfect balance that Coulthard appears to have achieved over the past 12 months, even though he remains very much the same man, really came home to me at the Autosport International Show earlier this year, when I had to shadow him for a few hours in a bid to grab just 10 minutes for a chat.

The first eye opener came when witnessing at first hand the kind of public adulation a star like Coulthard has to face. Having entertained the crowds on the Central Stage during what was easily the highlight of the show, Coulthard had to move from one end of the conference hall to the other - and that meant walking through the public area.

The moment he stepped out from the sanctuary of the backstage, he was spotted by fans and was swarmed. And then, as more and more people caught on to who was there, they pushed forward for autographs and pictures, making even more people pile in to see what was happening.

Amid the sea of people, Coulthard and his security minders were being jostled around, unable to contain the masses pushing to get near their man. But through the blur of camera flashes, pens being thrust in his hands and bits of paper flying around, he kept his composure brilliantly. Standing a few metres behind him, my nerves were frazzled.

Ten minutes later and we were outside the NEC hall and piling into a people carrier that was due to take Coulthard on to his next appointment. Coulthard duly dived into the back and I followed him in - unaware that a massive pile of luggage was blocking off one of the two rear seats.

It meant Coulthard had to manoeuvre himself between the top of a large bag and the shallow roof of the car so he and I could sit down. His contortionist tricks left him doubled up and, once all the seats had been pushed backwards, in a pretty uncomfortable tight space for the journey ahead.

While some other F1 drivers might have thrown their toys out of the pram and either stormed off entirely or at the very least kicked me out, Coulthard shrugged the situation off. He carried on talking as though nothing was amiss at all, and it was a slightly surreal experience to be chatting to him in such bizarre circumstances.

It was those two moments that typified the way that Coulthard has got the balance in his life right - the surge of fans and the uncomfortable moments in the back of a people carrier are all part of the pain that come with the pleasure of being an F1 star.

Coulthard himself acknowledges that there has been a major change in his perception in the paddock - especially from those doubters who claimed that he had made a mistake in signing for Red Bull Racing rather than just hanging up his helmet when his time at McLaren came to an end.

"There was clearly a band of people whose opinions were given about whether I should be continuing or not, and that was kind of split," he says. "I think that probably swung last year to being more in favour of seeing what I was doing.

"The reality is that I am not doing this for others. If I have got the opportunity and have got something that I can work with then I want to do it.

"Yes we all want to win, but I know from being involved in it for many, many years that just because you really, really want to win doesn't mean you are going to get it. Kimi (Raikkonen) really wants to win the world championship but if the thing keeps breaking, then he isn't ever going to win it.

"You've got to make it work, you have got to get on with your job and that's what I believe I have got to do with the Red Bull guys. And, until they tell me there is no investment, they are not going to attract people and they are not going to do the things they are doing currently, then I will continue to believe.

"All that's happened this past year is that people have seen the vision that I signed into and believed in when I sat with Dietrich Mateschitz and saw the basics of the team."

Red Bull Racing sporting director Christian Horner believes that the change in perception of Coulthard is more down to the fact that his image when he was at McLaren was not really in line with his true personality than any deliberate wholesale change since arriving in Milton Keynes.

"Knowing David's personality and his sense of humour reasonably before he came to Red Bull Racing, the perception that was conveyed through the media throughout his time at McLaren was not the real David," claims Horner. "What everyone has seen in the last 12 months is the real DC."

Horner claims that he did not have to work at all in getting Coulthard in tune with the realistic ambitions of the team - a transition that was not going to automatically be easy for the Scotsman after years with a team like McLaren that is used to regularly win races.

"From day one I think we set out some guidelines and said, 'look, you have got freedom of speech so long as it doesn't involve derogatory comments about the team or the car,'" Horner continues. "And he has responded well to that.

"I think the biggest difference we have seen with David is that he has got a team around him and he has got the full support of them. I think he has responded tremendously well to that and his confidence is high. It was fair to say he delivered some stunning drives for us last year and was performing at the highest level for us."

The delivering for Red Bull was not just on the track, though. Coulthard became very much a focus for the engineers and technical staff determined to move the team onwards and upwards from their days as Jaguar. And whereas Eddie Irvine brought similar levels of experience when he signed up with the Big Cat, it is fair to say Coulthard's input was probably more constructive as a whole.

Horner adds: "The thing that David brought was experience and he put direction into our development. He guided our engineers on a certain path, focused on what would make the car go quicker rather than what felt better and the depth of experience and knowledge he had from working in only top teams was invaluable. It has helped move the development and direction of development along very quickly."

Coulthard also provided a solid anchor point for the youngsters that Red Bull wanted to bring through the team. The step forward in performance that Christian Klien made as a driver last year, compared to his debut season with Jaguar, was pretty substantial - and owed a lot to the lessons he learned from working with Coulthard.

"I think David can take a great deal of credit for that, because Christian worked obviously with Mark Webber the year before and they worked in a slightly different manner, whereas David has been there and done it, and has little to prove," continues Horner.

"He was extremely open with Christian. Christian also looked at David's professionalism and the way he goes about his racing and it opened his eyes. One key moment for me was in qualifying in Japan, where David came straight back to the garage and spoke immediately to Christian about what to expect, where the puddles were and where the grip was. It showed he is an all-round team player."

Klien himself readily admits that Coulthard was a big help to him last season - not just in terms of advice on offer but in the way the Austrian could observe and learn from his elder teammate.

"I think his role was quite big," admits Klien. "He has a lot of experience from a top team that he brought to us, to bring the whole team forward and to show the team what is important in F1. On my side I could learn a lot from him, he is a really, really good racer and how he is working with team and engineers was quite interesting. It was helpful and useful.

"He was also very open. He is really a team player and I could ask him any question and he would give me an answer. It is very nice to have such a teammate. I was lucky in my F1 career because my first year was with Mark Webber, he was a nice open guy, and it could have been worse with other teammates.

"I actually didn't ask David a lot last year but just by watching him with open eyes you can see a lot of things that would be useful for me. And that is not just racing a car but other things, outside the track, like working with team and engineers, all this, and how he does the races."

But being a good bloke, a team player and an experienced hand are of no use if the results on the track are not good. Red Bull Racing have their sights set on making progress in 2006 from where they were last season - and Horner is adamant that Coulthard can do an even better job on track this year than last.

"He is still younger than Damon (Hill) was when Damon won the world championship. Is he too old? No.

"I think different drivers peak at different times in their careers, and he is driving as well as ever. He is as fit as ever, and he is more motivated than he has ever been, and he knows that what is around the corner at Red Bull Racing is very exciting - the technical group we have in place now and the tools and resources we have at our disposal. And, having contributed to the development, he is keen to realise the success. He is extremely motivated to justify a position in the team going forward."

But not everything will likely be as straightforward for Coulthard this year as it was in 2005. Klien put in some very strong performances last season, especially in out-qualifying Coulthard a few times, and now that the Austrian has the assurance of a guaranteed seat for the season, he wants to make life a bit harder for his teammate.

"It is only the second year but I think we can do a good job this year," says Klien. "Our target is to race consistently in the top eight and get our first podium. I would like to see me on the podium this year, that would be good, and just be more consistent.

"This year, for sure, I want to give David a hard time. It is my third year in F1, everything has settled down now, I have prepared myself over the winter mentally for the whole season, and I want to try to give him a hard time. But we also must work together and make the car better."

Perhaps the biggest danger for Coulthard, Klien and the whole Red Bull Racing team is that expectations surrounding them are probably much higher than what they can realistically deliver.

With a Ferrari engine deal, Adrian Newey and Mark Smith on board, more staff arriving from various teams and a fired-up Coulthard, it is hard not to get carried away and start dreaming of regular podiums and victories.

Coulthard is keen to issue a reality check, though. He is clear that Red Bull Racing are still a team in their infancy and there is an underlying hint that he was not too impressed by comments made late last year claiming Red Bull Racing's target was to 'beat Ferrari' in 2006.

"I have been around long enough, and other members of the team have been here long enough too, to know that you cannot forecast anything," he says. "You should not be making any statements other than we are trying to do the best we can, armed with the information and tools that we have to make sure the team progresses forward.

"I saw somewhere that our goal was to beat Ferrari and yes it is, but Ferrari are a well structured, well organised race team with a recent history of world title victories and a large period of continuity. So if it was as simple as just really, really wanting to beat someone then everyone would be doing it.

"I think we have to be careful and set realistic targets, and the realistic target we should be aiming for is consistent points finishes and a possible podium. We were close to genuine podiums last year, especially in Melbourne. It is quite remarkable that [Fernando] Alonso came out of the pits in Melbourne as I was crossing the start-finish line and that was the difference between a podium and not. Likewise in the Nurburgring, had I not been speeding in the pitlane.

"So they are achievable goals and your Ferraris, Renaults, McLarens and guy like this you have to expect will be taking the lion's share of the points. That is six positions gone already and then you have Honda, and Toyota, so it is tough. And we have got to go out and do it rather than talk about it."

That realistic approach is mirrored by Horner - who is equally keen to play down talk of victories in 2006.

"It is always a fine balance and I think that David's public perception is very high, and this year is going to be another building year for Red Bull Racing. We will make progress from where we were last year, but ultimately we won't be winning races this year on pure pace.

"Our targets are quite clear; we want to be challenging some of the big boys ahead of us, we think we can compete with Williams, we got quite close to BAR last year, BMW are going to be a big force to be reckoned with as well. So we are confident we can move forward and build on that progress.

"David had two fourth places last year, he was unlucky to not be on the podium in the Nurburgring, and he would have been on the podium in Monaco ahead of the Williams on the fuel load he was running, so obviously our immediate target is to get him on the podium at some point this year."

Maybe the recent cooling issues that the team have suffered have led to a more cautious approach to predicting the year ahead, but longer term, however, there is no doubt there is a great deal of excitement surrounding Red Bull Racing - based chiefly around their coup in snapping up the services of Newey from McLaren.

Coulthard has worked with Newey at every team he has driven for and knows what a bonus it will be for Red Bull Racing to have him on board. He is also not surprised at all that Newey decided to sign into the vision that Coulthard had for the team.

"I am not surprised in the same way that I am not surprised that Alonso went to McLaren. Nothing surprises me in this business. If you can think about it, then it can happen, including crazy regulations like qualifying and engine changes.

"Adrian is someone I have worked with since way back in 1992 when I was a test driver at Williams, and he is a racer, working back to the point that he is an incredibly talented designer, so he is an all-rounder.

"He is not just someone that can conceptualise and design and lead a group of people - he wants to be at the race tracks, sniffing the petrol. A lot of the guys aren't like that, they aren't at the track, sniffing the ground and looking at the track surface or what have you. So he is someone that is motivated by the challenge."

And although Newey will be providing as much input as he can into the RB2, especially on the cooling front, Coulthard knows the real potential will only be shown in 2007.

"He is influencing right now and there are a lot of things he can do. He is coming from the winningest team last year and he has had over 10 years of the winningest cars, so his influence will be there straight away. But the reality is that his main influence will be over the 2007 car, and then he has to have to find out how our wind tunnel works relative to McLaren, so I really think we will have to wait until we see the best."

Can one man still make a difference, though, in this era when teams can have up to 1,000 people involved?

"Yeah, absolutely. Without a question," responds Coulthard. "It is a group of people, clearly, but there always has to be a leader, a head, and if that head for whatever reason - not through not caring, just through a bad hunch - takes the design team down the wrong route, then you will pay the price for that.

"But once he has designed the car, then he hands over to the structural guys and then he relies on them...those who are experienced and know how to get the best out of carbon fibre and things like that. There are so many elements coming together to give the end result, it is incredible really. It is something you cannot really portray to the public...the whole process that brings it together."

But of course the one man who can really make it or break it for the team is the driver.

Coulthard knows all eyes are going to be on him this year - but he's ready. Perhaps more ready that he has ever been before in his career.

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- The Autosport.com Team

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