David Coulthard in 2003
David Coulthard in 2003Qualifying - 7th
"A fairly straightforward lap, but the circuit was getting a little bit wet so I had to take that into consideration. As I only had limited running this morning the weather meant that I was probably at less of a disadvantage than normally would be the case. In the last sector a piece of deflector flew off the car, but it didn't affect my time and I look forward to tomorrow."
Race - 3rd
"I was able to run at a reasonable pace today and was pushing as hard as I could to make the best from my three-stop strategy. I experienced a few handling problems with my second set of tyres, but at the end of the day third was what we could do today. I had a relatively unexciting race and was not really involved in any battles, but I was pleased that we were on the pace. Congratulations to Kimi on finishing second in the Championship and I'm sure that next year we will be back with an even stronger challenge."
Qualifying - 8th
"I made a slight mistake when I ran a bit wide at turn four which was caused by a small amount of understeer. At turn eight I experienced some oversteer, but that didn't cost me too much time. Even from the fourth row of the grid everything is possible, and I look forward to tomorrow's race. Congratulations to Kimi on his great lap. Let's hope that it stays like this in the race."
Race - Retired
"I made a good start where I gained a couple of positions and was running strongly during the opening stages of the race even leading at one point. When it began to rain we took a risk and decided to stay out on slicks, but obviously it didn't work and I was really struggling to keep the car on the track. My gearbox developed a problem and eventually I had to retire."
Qualifying - 8th
"A reasonable lap where I set almost the same time as in the warm up. I was a bit cautious and there was no drama. I expected the track to get faster and faster as the session went on and it did. However I hope for a good start and with our strategy we should be able to maximise the situation in the race tomorrow."
Race - Retired
"I had a pretty quiet and uneventful race in fifth place until the engine began to sound a bit rough and my pace dropped which allowed Marc Gene to close up. All of a sudden the engine stopped and that was it. I was struggling with the balance throughout the race with lots of oversteer which made it hard to attack the corners. We tried to rectify the problem by dropping some wing in the pitstops, but no luck."
Qualifying - 9th
“I had a small problem with the clutch when we were ready to leave the garage as it wouldn’t clear. However the guys found a quick solution and ultimately we got out on time. We know from previous experience that our race pace should be good and I believe we have chosen the right strategy. In addition I’m on the clean side of the track which could be crucial at the start.”
Race - 5th
"An excellent result for the team, a reasonable outcome for me and the Championship has once again been thrown wide open. The two stop strategy was the right one taking into consideration my ninth place on the starting grid, and it allowed me to gain positions during the race when our car usually performs better than in qualifying. I made a good start and was able to gain three places. Apart from that, the 70 laps were rather uneventful and were all about keeping the guys with less fuel behind me."
Brit-F1 Star Rating 
(5 star max)
Qualifying - 10th
"Until this morning’s second free practice session everything was going according to plan and I felt we were making steady progress. Unfortunately I went off during the second session following a set up change, the effects of which we underestimated and had to qualify in the spare car. I was not as comfortable and seemed to be losing out at the low speed sections of the track. However I have started from the fifth row before and made my way up the field during the race so let’s see what happens tomorrow."
Race - 2nd
"I’m very pleased with my result after a difficult weekend. I made a good start and got past a few cars. Unfortunately Kimi got caught in the first corner accident which certainly cost the team valuable points, but I’m happy he is OK. My car was well balanced for most of the race and I could conserve my tyres, so when Michael and Jarno got problems with their tyres I was able to attack. I attempted to make the same manoeuvre on Jarno as Michael had but ran a little too wide at the Hairpin. However I managed to get past at the Mercedes grandstand when he made a mistake. I want to build on today’s result and look forward to the next race in three weeks time."
Brit-F1 Star Rating
(5 star max)
Qualifying - 12th
"I was really struggling with the balance of the car. As a result I ran wide at Stowe, locked up the front under braking at Club and lost a lot of time. I was generally not hitting the apex of the corners, and we tried to make a few more changes after warm up but they didn’t work out. It will be a challenging race for me in front of my home crowd. However I have started in similar positions before and still managed to finish in the points or even on the podium."
Race - 5th
"Considering my start position we can be pleased with fifth. Obviously an unusual race with this lunatic on the track, but the safety car was deployed quickly. I was able to gain a couple of positions at the start, but things were looking difficult when my head restraint fixings broke. I had to come into the pits at which point the team also changed the strategy. The balance of the car became better during the race so I was able to do some really quick laps at the end, which ultimately helped me to overtake Jarno and claim fifth."
Brit-F1 Star Rating (5
star max)
Qualifying - 5th
"A better qualifying for me than previous races so in that
respect I’m pleased. I was driving defensively to try and keep the lap
tidy. Now I already look back and know that I could be a couple of tenths quicker
if I had pushed more. The car responded well, and I was able to get through
turn 13 quickly where we have struggled somewhat so far. I’m confident
that we can have a strong race."
Race - 5th
"I made a good start and was fighting with Michael throughout turn one and two but couldn’t really get past. When the race settled Kimi and I were able to run at the same pace but were not fast enough to challenge for the lead. Unfortunately there were a couple of problems during my third pitstop. Initially the fuel nozzle didn’t attach correctly and we had to use the second one and then struggled when we had to remove it. Fortunately nobody was injured in the incident but I lost a possible third place."
Brit-F1 Star Rating
(5
star max)
Qualifying - 9th
"The balance of the car was not as good as in the warm-up.
The car touched the ground a bit in some places, and I locked up at turn one,
which cost me time. We will do the best we can in the race tomorrow, and I believe
it will be a case of strategy and reliability."
Race - 15th
"A frustrating weekend for the whole team. During the race I was benefiting from what was happening at the front and as a result was making good progress. In the latter part, I was fighting with Alonso for fourth and there were a couple of incidents, one in particular at turn eight when I ended up on the grass. However a few laps later I was forced to take evasive action to avoid running into the back of him as he braked incredibly early and that was the end of my race. I have my own views on the incident which I will discuss privately with Alonso, but at the end of the day it’s for the Stewards to decide."
Brit-F1 Star Rating
(5 star max)
Qualifying - 11th
"I’m not happy with my qualifying position. I suffered from oversteer coming into the last chicane and lost about half a second. I think that without that I would definitely be further up the grid. However there is nothing I can do about it now and I will focus on tomorrow’s race."
Race - Retired
"Obviously a non-finish is never good, but that is the way it went today. Initially I lost fourth and fifth gear but it was possible to keep going to try and score some points. However, eventually I also lost seventh gear, which made things impossible. Until then the race was encouraging as we were on the pace and once I was in clean air we were running as fast as the guys at the front. So we have the pace we just need to qualify better and ensure reliability. Let’s hope that happens at the next race!."
Brit-F1 Star Rating
(5 star max)
Qualifying - 6th
"I had a very good set up during this morning’s free
practice which was reflected by my lap time. We then made some adjustments after
the warm up which was intended to further improve the car for the race. Unfortunately
this caused some understeer and I also got it wrong at the Swimming Pool chicane
which ultimately ruined my lap."
Race - 7th
"Obviously I could not run the pace I would have liked as I got stuck behind Jarno Trulli for the main part of the race and unfortunately he was on the same fuel stop strategy as I was. Otherwise considering the speed of my car and our strategy I would have had the chance to gain a much better position"
Brit-F1 Star Rating
(5 star max)
Qualifying - 14th
"I have been struggling with the balance throughout the weekend and didn’t have the confidence to attack. I ran wide at the last corner which cost me some time, but to be honest I don’t think the lap would have been that good anyway. I’m disappointed but we will see what happens tomorrow."
Race - 5th
"It was good to score some points after struggling throughout the weekend with the balance of the car. I had a tough race with a lot of battles, overtakings and heavy traffic. Fortunately the team’s strategy helped me to claim fifth place. I’m now looking forward to Monaco which is a great drivers’ circuit and we will work very hard to ensure that we have a competitive package there."
Brit-F1 Star Rating
(5 star max)
Qualifying - 8th
“Just before the start of the qualifying session, the engine developed a problem and had to be changed. The team did a great job in getting the car ready just before it was my turn, but we were already committed to the T-car. Obviously we had to make a few adjustments to the spare car, as it was set up for Kimi. However, after this morning’s session I was going to use Kimi’s settings anyway so all in all I’m not too unhappy with fourth row considering that it was the first time I drove the car. Now we will see what happens in the race and hope for the best.”
Race - Retired
“I made a good start, passed a lot of cars and gained more positions after the first corner. Obviously I knew it was going to get messy through turn two as it was getting a bit close and as a result I tried to give as much space to the car in front as possible, but unfortunately Jarno ran into the back of me. As a result I had to pit but there was some damage to the floor, which made the car difficult to drive, but I still thought it would be possible to get some points until Jenson and I came together. I need to look at the footage to establish exactly what happened. All in all today’s result is not good but that is motor racing and we will take it on the chin and bounce back at the next race.”
Brit-F1 Star Rating
(5 star max)
Qualifying - 12th
“Obviously I'm disappointed. I was going well until Rivazza where I made a mistake, which a quick look at the telemetry showed cost me more than seven tenths of a second. As the first three races have shown this year anything can happen and I have done well from low grid positions before, but it's not going to be easy.”
Race - 5th
"An encouraging result taking into consideration that our main competition was on three stops which put our qualifying performance into perspective. I made a good start and got past four cars on the run to the first corner, and then it was all about not making any mistakes. I enjoyed the battles throughout the race particularly the ones with Rubens and Ralf, but at the end of the day I paid the price for my low grid position."
Brit-F1 Star Rating
(5 star max)
Qualifying - 2nd
“A reasonably tidy qualifying lap - the best I have done so far this year. I wasn't comfortable with the balance of the car during the 15-minute warm-up, so we changed it back to how we ran it during this morning's practice and everything felt fine. Now we will see what happens tomorrow. The new rules make it difficult to know the competitiveness of the other teams.”
Race - Finished 4th
"A day of mixed emotions, but I'm pleased for the team as we did get some important points. I'm obviously a little disappointed as I felt I was having a good race and was in control. It was the right decision to start behind the Safety Car as you could see from the many accidents once the race was on. I'm happy with my performance today as I was leading most of the race under the most difficult conditions you can imagine."
Brit-F1 Star Rating
(5 star max)
Qualifying - 4th
“It's hard with these one lap runs to be completely satisfied with your performance particularly in these hot conditions. I made no big mistakes but I understeered a little at turn nine and the corner onto the back straight, so I was a little bit slower with the acceleration than I expected. As a result we could have been quicker but probably not as fast as the Renaults. However we hope that their strategy will see them pit earlier than us, and I think we can have a good race tomorrow.”
Race - Retired
"I made a good start off the line. I saw that there was going to be a coming together at the second corner and managed to take a wide line to avoid it. However on lap three at turn four the engine started to cut and finally stopped completely at turn nine whilst I was in second place. The team later told me that it was an electrical problem and obviously I'm disappointed as we could have finished on the podium today. Congratulations to Kimi on winning his first Grand Prix which is a very special feeling for every Formula One driver."
Brit-F1 Star Rating
(5 star max)
Qualifying - 11th
“Not the best start to the season. During the second practice session I suffered a puncture to the right rear tyre at turn one. I tried to make my way back to the pits but on the way the fuel pump failed just by the entry to the pitlane and we decided to commence our race preparation. The team did a great job in making the necessary repairs in time for warm-up and qualifying. On my flying lap I ran a bit wide in the first corner and with only one run there is no room for the slightest error.”
Race - Finished 1st
"A great end to what has been a difficult weekend and a superb start to the season. During the installation lap, the circuit was still wet, so we decided to start the race on wet tyres. However, during the first lap the track had dried enough for dry tyres and I came in for a quick change and fuel top up at the end of lap two. I'm really happy with the result especially as it is such a stark contrast to yesterday's qualifying. The team did a great job and we had the right strategy, which allowed us to optimise the unusual circumstances with the weather and the safety car. I think our performance showed that we have taken a step forward with the MP4-17D and further improved our competitiveness and hopefully we are all in for an exciting season."
Brit-F1 Star Rating
(5 star max)
2002 Season Quotes - click here
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Design & Coding Mark Durham
© 2003