David Coulthard in 2002
David Coulthard in 2002Retired
Post race quote
"I would have liked to finish the season with a podium which I think would have been possible today, so obviously I’m disappointed. I had the pace and was able to open up a gap to the cars behind. However I lost throttle at turn nine which I was told was due to a failure on one bank of the control system. I was able to get the car back to the garage but there was nothing the team could do. I will now enjoy a bit of a break and then we will resume testing on 26th November in Valencia."
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Finished 3rd
Post race quote
"I was quite surprised by my start as I had a lot of fuel in the car and was actually next to the two Ferraris coming into the first corner. There was a lot of traffic during the race, which combined with our one stop strategy allowed me to close the gap to the leaders. For the last 40 laps, I was not pushing as hard as I could have done because I chose to look after my engine. Our strategy worked well and overall our performance throughout the weekend indicates that we have taken a step forward."
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Finished 7th
Post race quote
"Not the ideal way to end the European season, but onwards and upwards. After the start at the first chicane I ran into the back of Kimi as he slowed to avoid a car in front of him, and I wasn’t quick enough to react. As a result I had to go into the pits and get a new nose and then spent the rest of the race catching up. I was very careful to let the leaders through when I was lapped which lost me time and in hindsight that probably cost us a point."
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Finished 4th
Post race quote
"It’s a pity that we couldn’t achieve a better result today. I managed to get past Ralf Schumacher on the long straight towards Les Combes to claim fifth on the first lap. My car was not so good in the middle sector and that’s why I couldn’t get close enough to actually get past Montoya. The grip improved after my second pitstop when there was more rubber on the track and I had a low fuel load, which was why I set my fastest lap times towards the end. A very fast second pitstop by the team enabled me to close right up to Montoya, but unfortunately it was not enough."
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Finished 5th
Post race quote
"I made a good start but was squeezed to the outside of turn one and lost a couple of the places I had gained. I overtook Heidfeld at the beginning of lap two to take 10th and eventually managed to get fifth position as we were on a good strategy. The balance of the car was inconsistent and the rear end was rather nervous which was why I had a short off track excursion on lap 45. However our car was much better in race trim so it’s a shame that we couldn’t start higher up the grid."
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Finished 5th
Post race quote
"A bad weekend compared to Magny Cours, but I think fifth was the best we could do in the circumstances. I gained a few places at the start and then lost a bit of time behind Trulli. Once I got past him it was a matter of keeping the car on the track and hope for reliability. My first set of tyres was blistering a bit so we made a few adjustments in the pitstop. I was then quick in my middle stint compared to the other Michelin runners but really two points was all there was in it today. Now like everybody else in the paddock I look forward to the break."
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Finished 3rd
Post race quote
"I enjoyed this race so much that I didn’t want it to stop. In hindsight I could have been in with a chance for the victory but my ‘drive through’ penalty put a stop to that. I made a mistake and paid the price. On my last few laps I was told to start short-shifting the gears to save the engine from a potential problem. It’s encouraging to see that we have closed the gap to the competition and we were on the pace. I was expecting to be suffering from oversteer but instead battled with understeer throughout. It just shows that we are learning new things about the tyres at every track. Congratulations to Michael on his World Championship."
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Finished 10th
Post race quote
"It has been a terrible afternoon for the entire team. At the first stop I went on the radio to say that I was coming in and whilst the mechanics could hear me, the pitwall was had some interference on their radios from the digital TV commentators and was unable to hear me. When the team then told me to come in, I was already past the pitlane entry. Then the information we had available told us that it might stop raining so I stayed out for another lap, but then it started to rain heavily. We just seemed to be on the wrong tyres at the wrong time. In addition I had experienced some problems with the brakes before the race which we tried to fix on the grid but when it started to rain I found it really hard to brake at Club Corner and I think I went off four times. To be honest this is a British Grand Prix I would prefer to forget."
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Retired
Post race quote
"I’m seriously disappointed about what happened because the car felt really good. It was obvious that we were quicker than both the Williams-BMW cars so things were looking positive. Montoya was a lot slower than me in the corners, but he was fast in a straight line so the one opportunity I had to overtake him would be to get in his slipstream as we approached the first corner. He pushed me to the outside, but I gave him room on the inside so we could do the corner together. My plan was that I would then be on the inside for the next corner and take fourth. Unfortunately Montoya lost the back end of his car and went into the side of me and that was it. I know that it wouldn’t have happened if I had not been on the outside but if I hadn’t been there I wouldn’t have been able to overtake and there was plenty of room. Montoya came to apologise and I know these sort of incidents are part of racing but it’s a shame as none of us gained anything."
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Finished 2nd
Post race quote
"We were confident that we could get a points finish but didn’t anticipate how competitive we would be so therefore I’m pleased for the whole team. As in Monaco our launch control system worked well and I gained two places at the start. In the early stages I was struggling with oversteer and had to be careful allowing me to save the brakes which benefited me later. Following my pitstop I was able to get out in front of Kimi and then had a good battle with Barrichello. We had a bit of a moment when we came to lap Sato. I thought Sato would move over at the Hairpin but instead he held me up and I lost momentum, which allowed Rubens to get alongside me going into the chicane. I braked as late as possible and missed the chicane and was prepared to move over if Rubens had made it, but Rubens made the same mistake and therefore I didn’t gain any advantage."
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Qualifying
DC came to Monaco looking mean and ready to make the most of the twisty nature of Monaco. The McLaren was looking much better on it's Michelin tyres and good practice times seemed to indicate a front row grid position may have been possible. Indeed it was, and in one of the most exciting qualifying sessions for a long time, the pole changed hands a number of times. Unfortunately, DC was pipped to the pole by a flying Montoya, but 2nd on the grid was a big improvement for David.
Race
David made a brilliant start, the McLaren launch control working better than Montoya's Williams and DC was leading into the first corner. From here he pushed and was able to pull away from Montoya a bit. Montoya retired with a problem letting Michael Schumacher catch DC. However, the McLaren team pulled out a great pit stop and DC was able to rejoin in front. Here he stayed despite constant pressure from Michael Schumacher, and he took a very well deserved first win of the season. Well done DC.
Finished 1st
Post race quote
"It’s absolutely unbelievable. I’m so pleased that I was able to win this race for the team as we have had a difficult start to the season and everybody has been working extremely hard. It was a tough race where I was giving 100 percent all the time. I made a good start and was able to take the lead into the first corner but was then under pressure for the vast majority of the 78 laps. This track is so unforgiving and a slight mistake will see you end up in the barriers. After about 30 laps it felt like I had lost a bit of power and then I saw smoke coming out from the back. I radioed back to the team and they told me it was nothing to worry about and fortunately they were right. Victories have been and will continue to be hard to get this season, so I intend to enjoy this one as much as possible"
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Qualifying
DC never managed to get the best out of his car in qualifying, and the McLaren is clearly behind the Ferrari and Williams in terms of performance. David was outqualified once again by his team mate and would start the race from 8th place on the grid.
Race
David made a good start and was able to pass a couple of cars to take up 6th position. He was on a one-stop strategy and this seemed to be working well. Unfortunately mid way through the race DC left the track momentarily on oil which dropped him to 7th. However, he was made a position up at the end of the race finish 6th.
Finished 6th
Post race quote
"I had an interesting race with lots of action right from the start where I managed to pass both Massa and Kimi. It was then fairly quiet until the safety car came out following Panis’ incident. I saw the accident involving Nick Heidfeld and Sato as Nick and me were side by side going into the braking zone quite hard. It’s absolutely critical to get your braking right after you have been behind the safety car for so long. I’m really relieved that both Nick and Sato are OK. I then had a good battle with Fisichella but he slipped by me when I ran wide because of oil left on the track. I was able to keep up with Fisichella but couldn’t get by"
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Qualifying
Once again the McLaren seemed to be struggling in Spain, traditionally a circuit that should suit them. David pushed hard to try and get as high up on the grid as possible but once again DC lost out in the battle of Brits to Jenson in his Renault. David was also outqualified by his team mate again and DC would start from a lowly 7th position.
Race
David made a good start and was promoted a place with Rubens failed to start on the warm up lap, but he was unable to get by anyone heading down to the first corner. Kimi Raikkonen appeared to be pulling away from Jenson and DC couldn't find any speed to get by Jenson. DC was promoted another place when Kimi retired with rear wing failure. But midway through the race Jenson had developed some handling problems and DC was able to pass him. David was promoted a further place when Ralf Schumacher made a mistake. But despite a poor 2nd stop by Montoya, David's McLaren wasn't able to catch the Williams. However, a podium spot was much better than DC could have hoped for after starting 7th
Finished 3rd
Post race quote
‘When you start a race from seventh position you realise that it’s difficult to get on the podium so I’m really pleased with third place. I had a good battle with Jenson Button and was able to overtake him after the first pitstop to take third. On the lap before I had noticed that Jenson suffered from understeer in the last corner so I positioned the car as close as possible, got in his slipstream and was able to outbrake him. After that I was on my own pushing as hard as I could and slowly getting closer to Montoya, but despite his problematic pitstop I was unable to catch him.’
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Qualifying
Well what's happened to McLaren? Once again the team seemed to lack speed at Imola. DC managed to get 6th on the grid but was once again outqualified by his team mate.
Race
David made an OK start but was nearly taken by the two Renault's once again. Fortunately the Renault's got caught in each others way and David was able to reclaim his 6th place. However, the McLaren didn't have the speed and he wasn't able to pull out enough from a flying Jenson Button before his put stop. Jenson passed him for 6th when he stopped midway through the race. David was given a place when his team mate retired. McLaren are clearly coming under threat from Renault which is good news for Jenson fans but bad news for DC's supporters.
Finished 6th
Qualifying
McLaren have a lot of work to do and with no finishes so far. David needs to get his championship off the ground and a good qualifying position would be needed to get a good result. Once again McLaren seem to struggle to match the pace of the Williams and Ferrari. Fortunately David was able to get a good balance on his car and he outqualified his team mate to 4th spot.
Race
David made a resonable start but the two Renault's were able to get passed them. The McLarens were stuck behind them for a good part of the race while the Williams of Ralf Schumacher and the Ferraris pulled out a lead. David was able to get past Jenson Button before his first and only pit stop and he took Trulli after the pit stop. By now it was too late to make much of a challenge on the leaders. David managed to get to the end of the race though and he secured his first podium of the season with 3rd.
Finished 3rd
Qualifying
David was hoping to make amends for retiring from the Australian and score some points in Malaysia to get his championship bid off to a good start. However, qualifying proved difficult for McLaren and they couldn't seem to match the pace of the Ferrari and Williams. David was also outqualified by his team mate and David would start in 6th spot. A point scoring position if he could get the end of the race.
Race
David made a reasonable start and was promoted to 4th when Montoya and Michael Schumacher were involved in a collision. He was running strongly but appeared not to have any significant pace to make much of an impression on Kimi Raikkonen, Barrichello, and Ralf Schumacher ahead of him. He kept plugging away but his McLaren again developed engine problems after 15 laps and he was forced to retire for the 2nd race in a row.
Retired
Qualifying
The 2002 Melbourne GP marks the start David Coulthard's best chance of winning the championship. He needed to quickly get one up on Michael Schumacher, but the McLaren was not able to match the pace of last season's Ferrari, suggesting that the car isn't yet up to scratch. The rain also affected the qualifying session and David's best lap put him in 4th place on the grid
Race
David made a good start and was lucky to avoid the mayhem caused by Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher. Coulthard found himself in the lead after the first lap and things were looking good for that win. Unfortunately electrical gremlins started to develop in the car, and on the restart after the 2nd safety car for Trulli's spin and unexpected downshift put David off the track. He initially regained to 4th but it was clear the was a major problem. David eventually had to retire the car after it had got stuck in 6th gear.
Retired
