Michael Schumacher brought out the best – and the Devil – from our clean-cut, square-jawed hero.
It’s telling that six times in Formula 1 he finished second to David Coulthard. For the Scot always appeared much more determined to overtake his era’s benchmark than he did, say, Enrique Bernoldi’s Arrows at the 2001 Monaco Grand Prix. DC even flicked the finger at the Red Baron before completing a pass at the 2000 French GP.
Yet it is the rarer instance of Mika Häkkinen’s hackles-raised pass of Schumacher at Spa in 2000 that everybody remembers, not Coulthard’s almost identical, more measured manoeuvre in the wet at Interlagos in 2001; such is the fate of a team-mate shaded for speed.
No amount of openhanded co-operation by Coulthard, or detailed driver feedback – keenly sought and gratefully received at three F1 teams by the best designer of his generation – or outstanding podium consistency, or forthright passes of Schumacher could dislodge team-mate Häkkinen from his anointed role of McLaren’s ‘chosen one’. (In the Woking outfit’s defence, Mika was Michael’s pick as his number one rival.)
Ironically, it was Coulthard who opened the floodgates by steering aside at Jerez in 1997 and Melbourne in 1998 and thus unwittingly – yet at the same time wittingly – providing the consecutive victories that uncorked Mika’s bottled talent. His action on the latter occasion – reverting to a pre-race agreement when he would have been forgiven by most observers for considering it null and void after an unplanned and unnecessary pit visit for Häkkinen – was so Goody Two-Shoes that he would be forever deemed too nice. Ouch.
A couple of bollockings from Ron Dennis might have stood him in better stead: balls of steel rather than of iron pyrite. His ‘impediment’ of niceness couldn’t prevent him winning 13 times from 246 GP starts, but the seed of doubt about his lacking a potential world champion’s necessary ruthlessness had been sown. And Häkkinen quietly reaped the rewards, while DC finished second to him on 10 occasions.
Coulthard’s racing career, which officially ended on Sunday at Hockenheim’s DTM finale, contains much to admire even so: his back-to-back British GP wins at Silverstone are supported by braces at Monte Carlo and Melbourne, plus wins at Estoril, Monza, Imola, Spa and Interlagos. He also prevailed at Magny-Cours and the A1-Ring.
Despite a self-confessed (and relative) weakness in qualifying – particularly once the incessant and bewildering tinkering with its processes and demands began in 2003 – he registered 12 pole positions. His 18 fastest laps and 535 points indicate that he was happier when racing.
Truly he was a formidable accumulator.
Yes, it helped that only four of his 14-and-a-half seasons at the top level were undertaken in something other than an Adrian Newey car. Such opportunities, however, contain intrinsic pressures: his spin on the warm-up lap when on pole at Monza and that pit lane crash when leading at Adelaide, both in 1995.
He felt his goose was cooked at stone-faced Williams before these rare embarrassments – and his maiden win, in Portugal – and by mid-season had signed with a different team for 1996.
And McLaren were delighted to have him. You see, there was always a positive aura surrounding Coulthard – much of it his own making, some of it not – even though his progress through the junior formulae was hardly free from blemish.
He was sensational in junior Formula Ford in 1989, but his long cherished and consequently too tight lucky underpants – his poor mum was so embarrassed! – couldn’t prevent his breaking a leg at Spa in 1990 aboard a Formula Vauxhall.
He was by then on the first rung of Jackie Stewart’s ‘staircase of talent’. The next rung of Formula 3 in 1991 served to highlight those strengths and weaknesses. Undoubtedly that season’s best racer, with five wins (yet no poles) at home, plus successes at the prestigious Zandvoort Masters and Macau Grand Prix, he failed where his Paul Stewart Racing successors Gil de Ferran, Kelvin Burt, Jan Magnussen, Ralph Firman, Jonny Kane and Mario Haberfeld – not a GP win between them! – succeeded: West Surrey Racing’s Rubens Barrichello beat him to the British title.
His F3000 experience was notchy too: just one win in two seasons, with PSR and Pacific Racing.
He was facing a third season of it when news of Ayrton Senna’s death and a pending promotion from official Williams test-driving duties filtered through. He kept his emotions in check to finish runner-up at Silverstone the following day. This impressive trait always stood him in good stead – witness his second place at the 2000 Spanish GP mere days after picking a disbelieving path out of the wreckage of a horrific plane crash.
Of Stewart’s ‘graduates’, he was most like Jackie: all business, savvy and smart, in and out of the cockpit. As Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton would, this unchallenged recipient of the inaugural McLaren/Autosport Award for young drivers (in 1989) seemed preordained for F1. Its ultimate prize eluded him – by some margin, it must be said – but he graced it and did his talent justice when measured against the best.
Martin Brundle has half-joked that his own 20 or so years behind the competitive wheel were, as it turned out, preparation for a job in the media. Now Coulthard, impressively at ease in front of the camera and increasingly illuminating and insightful down the mic, is following path similar to that of his manager/advisor’s, but only after completing a driving career blessed with a sturdier, more logical structure. This includes his four wise-owl seasons spent in the creation and founding of Red Bull Racing and two of expunging denouement in a DTM Mercedes-Benz.
As such, I would be extremely surprised if he were to hold any deep-seated regrets. He is a rounded individual who just happened to be quick.
Stirling Moss has stated that his dream GP team would have Tony Brooks as its number two driver. His ex-Vanwall team-mate was fast, neat and stylish, intelligent, self-motivating and uncomplaining, a facilitator and a contributor rather than a user and an abuser.
My dream team – the sensible, manageable one at least – would happily employ Coulthard in that same vital role.
I remember DC doing 4 consecutive pole positions in 1995, and instantly making a very good impression on several team owners as the next big thing.
Silly mistakes made it clear he wasnt on the same level as Schumacher and Hakkinen, though. Dc wasnt quick at all tracks, in his own words he had ‘bogey tracks’ where he couldnt put his finger behind or get a good setup. Schumachers move on him at 1996 Argentina GP was also making him looking very clumsy.
I wish hed retired in peace, and leave the commentating alone. Him and Brundle howling and wailing about the rule book at Monza 2011, when Schumacher showed their darling Hamilton a thing or two about defending – and exposed Hamilton as a not that great overtaker – was cringeworthy.
Mclaren did make him a mule to Mika. The way they used DC as guinea pig for testing wet weather tyres at several races early 2000 was repulsive (“YOUR TOO F******* SLOW”he yelled over the radio at one wet Silverstone race).
Then again, DC ltd. made very good money, and said in his Autosport end of the 1998 season review that ‘I did things this season Id didnt like to do, but I did them to safeguard my seat in a very competitive car’ implying that the Melbourne move over, was more than just a pre-race agreement. Ron Dennis finally admitted as such at Hockenheim 2008, when he was asked if he gave Heikki a move over order, and said: ‘the last time I gave a team order, was at the first race in 1998′.
So, understated perhaps, but he chose money, private jets over personal glory, and left people who placed a bet on him for a Melbourne win in th cold
“when Schumacher showed their darling Hamilton a thing or two about defending – and exposed Hamilton as a not that great overtaker”
Conveniently ignoring the fact that Hamilton was bouncing off the rev limiter on the straights and was in a very defensive frame of mind after a season of DNF’s and 2 years of DNF’s at Monza. Button in the same car breezed past him in a heratbeat.
You can rightly accuse Hamilton of many things but a poor overtaker? you’ll have to try harder than that.
Sure, DC blew hot and cold, but on the occasions where he got his finger out – France 2000, Brazil 2001, Monaco 2002, he was capable of beating Schumacher to victories, which suited me down to the ground.
Ironically he was always seen as being a bit too clean-cut, a bit too ‘McLaren’y.’ But his ‘I’ll knock seven shades of sh*t out of the little b*stard’ comment about Felipe Massa showed that there was quite a charismatic personality under the facade. Plus he grew a beard as soon he escaped Ron’s clutches
Lol, yeah, that was a funny comment, especially when he himself had a few huge howlers too in 2006, and crashed into other people so much some wondered he should retire. ;)
But his biased and clumsy commentary aside (I choose the screaming of ITV over him on the beeb), I do agree he was more charismatic than, say, Rubens Barrichello – another guy who just filled his pockets being number 2 driver.
At least DC didnt scream how unfair everything was to him, and then renew that nice annual $14 million dollar contract, only to continue moaning a few months later.
Should have been world champion only Ron Dennis favourd micka Was it something about being a ! Scot !
whilst i think its good to review DC’s career i find it difficult to put him in the same category as Tony B, and i have never seen anyone compare with Jimmy [who would have been no 1]
DC was blindingly quick at times but for the teams he drove for he needed a JYS to put his arm around him – had Jackie been in charge at McLaren or Williams DC would have been Scotland’s third different world champion, and deservedly to, the overtake on MS that stuck in my mind was Magny Cour with the indication to MS to go forth and multiply afterwards, – i have no desire to take anything away from Mika – who i think was the quickest from 1994 to the arrival of drivers such as Montoya and Kimi – but i still believe DC would have been a capable WC but for personal preferences of Ron
I just wish the BBC stopped doing the grid walks until they find someone who can match the ease with which Martin Brundle handles it…
I think the turning point for DC was the 1999 season. As Mika won the WDC, McLaren should have taken the constructors championship, but David did it worse than Irvine and so Ferrari had a little laugh at the end….
Dear Ivan,
I reckon you’re right about 1999. The Austrian GP was pivotal: no Schumacher, McLarens dominant in Qualifying…
But then DC nerfed pole-sitter Mika to the back of the pack on the first lap. And then he and the team – an off-the-pace few laps and a tardy pitstop – allowed ‘the Swerve’ to take the lead and the win.
Ron looking daggers on the pit wall. Not one of DC’s better days.
In my opinion, Coulthard could have become a world champion but it was not to be. He did though win 13 times, some of those wins were amazing showing he was more than a match for his rival’s. It is brilliant seeing him on the BBC with his great sense of humor and i hope he stay’s there for a few more years yet.
Sorry Paul, I mean DC did it worse than Irvine’s team mates (not than Irvine) in 1999 and so McLaren lost the constructors cahmpionship that year. There would be no Ron’s OK for David chasing the WDC in 2000….
It still amazes me that title being fought by Irvine with Schumacher….just one of “The Swerve” team mates!