What we can see from the camera though is still quite interesting. For a start, is is apparent that Massa has calmed down a lot since driving for Ferrari. When Felipe was driving in his first few races with Sauber, he moved around quite a lot inside the car. Martin Brundle would often remark during his commentary for UK broadcaster ITV that Massa was the only driver he had seen who seems to be driving around corners on a straight piece of track. Massa would hacksaw away at the steering wheel and move his head around while others were centred and motionless.

What is also apparent from the view of Massa is that Ferrari have adopted foam padding inside the monocoque, channeling the driver’s legs down to the pedals. David Coulthard always raced with knee-pads strapped to his legs because the Scot’s knees would bang together when riding over the kerbs. The simple solution, Ferrari appear to have discovered, is to simply pad the cockpit rather than the driver. It isn’t yet known if this is also fitted to Fernando Alonso’s car.

Of course, this isn’t the first time a team have strapped a camera to a driver’s helmet, with Coulthard competing in his final race with one. The Red Bull Racing driver showed us a new view of Interlagos in 2008 when he raced in the Brazilian Grand Prix. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see much of it, the RB4 being a bit of a dog and therefore not drawing much attention of the television director. Adding to this, Coulthard crashed out of the race on the opening lap. Unfortunately, FOM have forced the video to be taken down.

It isn’t even Felipe Massa’s first time at showing the world his view from the cockpit, as Ferrari strapped a camera to his helmet after the F60 was unveiled last year. The Brazilian toured Mugello, completing an installation lap just after the world’s media got their first glimpse of the marque’s 2009 challenger. The on-board video starts at 1m32s.

My most favourite example of Helmet-Cam though comes from Fernando Alonso when he drove for Renault in 2006. The Anglo-French squad sent their star driver out on to the track at Circuit de Catalunya during a test session and recorded the Spanish driver’s every move. It was the first time I had seen this being done so perhaps that is why it sticks in my mind. Either way, the footage was just as impressive at the time as it is now.

Image © Ferrari SpA.

Original article by BlogF1.

Helmet-Cam: Formula One From A Driver’s Perspective

To explain the weight concept in relation to Formula One, each and every car on the grid has a minimum weight to adhere to. Many years ago it was the opposite and the cars had a maximum weight, but in today’s technologically advanced world, if the team’s weren’t given a minimum weight they would be designing the cars so light it could impact their strength. This could in turn decrease the safety of the driver in the event of an accident. Thus, the minimum weight of a Formula One car and driver is 605kg. This limit has not changed for 2009, despite adding approximately 40kg for the KERS device.

Last year, BMW pilot Robert Kubica famously lost a few kilograms in attempts to improve the performance of his F1.08. Being a tall driver, Kubica obviously weighs a little more than some of his rivals. For example, Robert’s team mate Nick Heidfeld is one of Formula One’s shorter drivers, and so when the cars are being set up, Heidfeld will have more ballast than Kubica to bring his car up to the mandatory minimum weight. This ballast will help Heidfeld because he has more to play with, and therefore has more options as to where it is placed in the car, and therefore has more chance of getting a better balance on his car.

Robert Kubica says his weight loss helped him, and many other drivers looked at the Pole with curious eyes. As you can imagine, drivers who will do almost anything to gain an extra few tenths here and there were now questioning their own position on the bathroom scales. With the knowledge of KERS being introduced but the minimum weight remaining, some drivers have taken up the Kubica Diet and have shed a few pounds over the winter.

Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Sebastien Buemi has been considering losing some weight, the Swiss driver being slightly above the average height of the current crop of Formula One drivers. The rookie explained that adding 10kg to a car reduces the performance of the car by approximately 0.4s/lap; a country mile in Formula One language. Buemi stated to sports newspaper Blick that he wanted to lose 5kg, reducing his weight from 63kg to 58kg.

An article being ran around some of the F1 sites at the moment suggest that for Sebastien Buemi to lose 5kg would put him in the underweight category in most Body Mass Indexes. Having entered Buemi’s information into a couple of BMI calculators, the Swiss driver’s current weight/height/age result puts him firmly in the healthy brackets (20.3). Reducing Sebastien’s weight to 58kg but keeping all other data the same trims his BMI down to 18.7. The suggested limit by the UK’s NHS is 18.5. While a BMI of 18.7 isn’t underweight, it is very close to at least one organisation’s limit.

It should be noted that Body Mass Indexes are a relatively crude way of deciding if someone is over or under weight, and the fact that Buemi is a trim sportsperson who undoubtedly eats good, healthy food and works out a lot probably means he’ll be okay. Although quite how all these slim drivers are going to cope with the oppressively hot Malaysian Grand Prix could be interesting.

However, all this talk of losing weight reminded me of an admission David Coulthard made a couple of years back when his autobiography came out. Coulthard admitted that when he was younger and competing in karts and lower formulae, he found himself suffering with the eating disorder bulimia.

I have always taken racing seriously, even when I started out in karting.

By my teens, however, my focus – in particular, my weight – took a slightly more sinister turn. I was nearly the same height as now but I weighed only just over nine stone.

In my mind the only way to keep my weight down was making myself vomit. David Coulthard.

While I’m sure the drivers of today have very strictly controlled diets and are monitored closely by their team of people around them, if a competitor in motorsport can fall into the trap of an eating disorder, what kind of message is all this talk of weight loss putting out to those who follow the sport and idolise their heroes? Is it perhaps time that instead of dieting stories hitting the headlines around the motorsport press, we see Formula One drivers promoting healthy eating and regular exercise.

Original article by BlogF1.

Is Playing The Weighting Game Sending Out The Wrong Message?

Jake Humphrey will assume the role that was previously filled by Jim Rosenthal and more recently Steve Ryder, and will host the BBC show. It is still unknown if the broadcast will match ITV’s impressive record of being at the races themselves, or instead from a London Studio. Of course, there are pros and cons to both methods. ITV famously hosted the Monaco Grand Prix show on a boat, leading to many people onboard and at home to suffer a little sea-sickness. ITV also insisted on standing in front of the garages just as the engines were fired up, thus drowning out the conversation. But being at the races adds to the atmosphere of the presentation and brings the sport closer to the viewers at home.

Also confirmed was Jonathan Legard as co-commentator alongside Martin Brundle. Brundle, who has driven in 158 races, will resume his usual role as technical-translator for audiences, while Legard will inject some enthusiasm into the proceedings. Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard, whose knowledge of the sport is almost insurmountable from both a driving and a management perspective, will be involved in the broadcast, taking up similar roles to that of Mark Blundell in recent years.

Ted Kravitz and Lee McKenzie will be the shows pitlane reporters, which has pleased many people as Kravitz has become well-respected in Formula One circles with his insightful information from the teams during races. Lee McKenzie will presumably take on the role formerly filled by Louise Goodman, although as mentioned previously on BlogF1, it will take her a while to build up relationships with teams and drivers before they instantly grant an interview – something Louise did very well, using her background in the sport perfectly.

So all in all, a pretty good line-up. I think I will miss Lousie Goodman as she was pretty good at nabbing interviews when so many other reporters appeared to fail. But obviously Brundle will be good, as will Legard. Jordan and Coulthard can speak their minds and Ted can be as insightful as ever. The only real unknown to me is Jake Humphrey, but as the anchor, his job is probably the least critical.

Further Reading

• Martin Brundle Finally Confirmed At The BBC
• Eddie Jordan To Make A Formula One Comeback?
• Brundle & Coulthard For BBC 2009?
• Your 2009 BBC Team Predictions

Original article by BlogF1.

BBC Confirm David Coulthard & Eddie Jordan For 2009

Coulthard has competed in 246 races, making 245 starts in 14 years, has managed 12 pole positions, 13 wins and 535 points, making him the highest points scorers among the British competitors. Coulthard said that had been able to finish the race, he would have performed some donuts, despite the risk of being fined by the FIA. Alas, the Scot’s race came to an early end. We should however see and hear David next season as he is supposedly going to be involved in the BBC broadcasting team.

If I had qualified a bit higher up the grid away from the maybe it would have helped. But no, I took a cautious approach into Turn One, left plenty of room for the car on the inside and then unfortunately Rosberg hit me in Turn Two and spun me around. Then Nakajima and I finished off our crashing love affair, and he took off my front corner.

I felt good in the warm-up laps going to the grid, I had no problem driving in the wet. I wanted to get to the chequered flag and I was going to do some doughnuts for the crowd. But it didn’t work out.

I still can’t complain, I’ve had a good career and thank you to everyone who supported me over the years. David Coulthard.

Farewell Coulthard, hope to see you next year.

Original article by BlogF1.

David Coulthard Retires From Formula One

Coulthard’s Special Livery

To mark the curtain call on David Coulthard’s long and successful career at the top of motorsport, Red Bull Racing in conjunction with the Wings For Life charity have allowed the Scot to race in a special livery this weekend, highlighting the cause of the charity and also designed to make Coulthard’s final grand prix a little more memorable. Wings For Life enjoy a good relationship with Red Bull Racing, the 2007 British Grand Prix cars being adorned with the faces of those who donated to the cause of finding cures for Spinal Cord Injury Paralysis.

The charity and the work Wings For Life do is held very close to many drivers, some having walked away from potentially career-ending accidents, and Coulthard particularly has had his fair share of bumps and bruises on and off the track.

I was lucky more than once in my career when I walked away from crashes. I want to express how grateful I am that I have the ability to walk and run. I know that many aren’t as lucky as me. I dedicate my last race to the vision of making paraplegia curable. David Coulthard.

Barrichello’s Commemorative Lid

Brazilian driver Rubens Barrichello could also be competing in his final race tomorrow afternoon, but what better place to bow out than at home in Brazil. Although Ruben’s may still get the second Honda seat next year, it is perfectly possible for the team to chose another up-and-coming driver instead. But whatever the outcome, the former race winner will be wearing a different helmet this weekend.

Vettel’s Commemorative Lid

Also joining in with the special helmet designs is new race winner Sebastian Vettel. The German pilot became the youngest ever race victor when he took to the top step of the podium in Italy earlier in the year. The win was also the first for Scuderia Toro Rosso and the squad managed to reach the achievement before the parent team Red Bull did. Vettel’s helmet features images from that day as well as a message to his team on his final outing with them (Vettel is joining Red Bull for next season). The message reads “Grazie mille Toro Rosso!”, which translated reads “A thousand thanks, Toro Rosso”.

Piquet’s Commemorative Lid

And lastly, in his first and possibly last Brazilian Grand Prix, Nelson Piquet Jr. has hopped on the band-wagon and allowed a Brazilian flag to be painted onto the top of his helmet. Like with Barrichello at Honda, Renault are keeping tight-lipped about their 2009 driver line-up, and despite a good run of results in the latter half of the season, Piquet may still be ousted from the team in favour of someone else.

Original article by BlogF1.

Brazil 2008: Special Helmets & Liveries

Original article by BlogF1.

David Coulthard: Helmet-Cam At Interlagos

Original article by BlogF1.

The Search For David Coulthard

At the time, Ferrari spokesperson Luca Colajanni stated that the team member was not seriously hurt but was being taken to the circuit’s medical centre as a precaution. It turns out that the mechanic escaped injury aside from a few bruises.

David Coulthard’s refueller wasn’t quite so lucky as Red Bull’s incident has led to their team member with ligament damage to his ankle. Thankfully, Coulthard’s experience probably helped as the Scot jumped on the brakes almost immediately after realising something wasn’t right.

The technician who was knocked over during David’s final pit stop has damaged his ankle ligaments and burned his thumb, but fortunately other than that he’s okay. Christian Horner.

Interestingly, former Benetton and Williams driver Alex Wurz was asked on the eve of the race to step into the role of Medical Car Driver, the regular driver having been taken ill. Wurz was apparently recommended by the Safety Car driver Bernd Maylander as the two know each other quite well.

Currently with Honda as a test driver, Wurz took on the role and even saw some action as he followed Maylander out onto the track to assess Nelson Piquet’s accident. Fortunately, Piquet was fine and was already making his way back to the pitlane by the time the medical team had arrived at the scene.

Image Copyright © HondaF1.

Original article by BlogF1.

Singapore 2008: Pit Lane Tumbles & Wurz’s Temporary Role

It is suggested that the broadcasting team will consist of award-winning ex-Formula One driver Martin Brundle, David Coulthard, Lee McKenzie Jonathan Legard and Jake Humphrey. Lee McKenzie is the daughter of F1 journalist Bob McKenzie and has been working on the A1GP series. Humphrey is a young presenter who has enjoyed time on Match Of The Day and other Football related shows.

Pitpass reckon McKenzie will take over from Ted Kravitz in the pits, while Legard will join Brundle in the commentary box. Perhaps the strangest part of all this is that Coulthard might be based at a London studio with Humphrey. However, as correctly pointed out by Pitpass, Coulthard might be better used in the paddock, getting close to his former rivals and allowing his occasional sense of humour to shine for the camera.

Of course, this news is completely unconfirmed and it is understood that David Coulthard hasn’t signed anything yet, but it does look like a good team. It is about time the presenting team got a shake-up, but the news that Brundle will stay on is definitely good. Bernie Ecclestone recently hinted on a grid-walk that Brundle maybe moving to the BBC (although Bernie was quite cryptic), and the BBC will do well in keeping Coulthard’s manager and former team mate to Michael Schumacher.

One final thought is that David Coulthard is also expected to take up a consultancy role for Red Bull Racing, which in my mind suggested he may be at some of the grands prix. If the Scot is to be based in London then this clearly won’t happen. However, rumour is just rumour, so let’s wait to see what the British institution have to say themselves, hopefully very soon.

Image Copyright © xpb/LAT

Original article by BlogF1.

Martin Brundle & David Coulthard For 2009 BBC F1 Team?

Image Copyright © GEPA/Mathias Kniepeiss.

Original article by BlogF1.

Caption Contest: #55

Vettel has shown strong motivation in recent races, and his qualifying performance in Valencia was an impressive showing from the 21 year old. Conversely, the media has been whipped up into an almost frenzy with talk over Coulthard’s immediate future with Red Bull Racing. The Scot announced his retirement at the British Grand Prix earlier in the year, but vowed to give the remainder of the season his very best of efforts. However, 2008 will not be seen as one of Coulthard’s finest seasons, with silly accidents brought about by audacious overtaking moves that didn’t stick.

It would of course be beneficial to both teams if their 2009 drivers started early, allowing them more time to get to know and work with their future engineers and cars. However, the likelihood of Coulthard going against his word and retiring early seems remote, especially given that the Scot has produced Red Bull’s highest finishes so far, one of which came earlier this season.

It will be the first touch with Red Bull, working with the guys and we will see. Obviously my focus is all on this year, which is why I wanted to have a last day in Jerez to shakedown in our [STR] car again with our boys before launching for the last couple of races. Sebastian Vettel.

The Jerez test will also see Super Aguri refugee Takuma Sato and Red Bull test driver Sebastien Buemi test for the junior squad with an eye on impressing enough to get the second seat at Scuderia Toro Rosso next year. And given the lack of confirmation so far on Sebastien Bourdais, there could even be two seats up for grabs should the French Champ Car champion be ousted at the end of the year.

Original article by BlogF1.

Sebastian Vettel To Test For Red Bull

It was relatively clear that Timo’s rear right suspension gave way, and this explains why the back of the car dropped and pivoted around in the way that it did. However, suspension failures don’t happen all that often these days; the rules regarding strength of these parts are pretty stringent given that they only tend to fail at high speeds.

The cause of the failure in this case has been put down to a trackrod that was carried over from the previous British Grand Prix. During the Silverstone event the part had been damaged, but overlooked during the team’s usual inspections following each race.

This [investigation] initially established that a rear toelink (trackrod) gave way causing Timo to lose control of the car.

Further investigation has established that damage sustained in the British Grand Prix two weeks earlier was the cause. During that race Timo suffered several incidents.

As a result of this investigation, Toyota Motorsport has revised its inspection processes to include such cases and is extremely confident there will be no repeat. Toyota Press Statement.

While it is good that Toyota have discovered the fault and are adjusting their processes to ensure this doesn’t happen again, you can’t help but wonder why it has taken a potentially dangerous accident for this to have happened? Surely the processes each team go through should be inspected themselves every now and then to ensure that every member of staff and every checklist is maintained accordingly.

This incident has also caused some other drivers to question the governing body’s approach, most notably (read: exclusively) Red Bull Racing and David Coulthard. Earlier in the season Coulthard was involved a number of clashes with other cars and kerbs. During these relatively minor incidents the Scot’s RB4 appeared to disintegrate somewhat unnaturally. The FIA forced an inspection of the Adrian Newey-designed car to test it’s strength in a few key areas.

I didn’t hear of any investigation into the structural integrity of the Toyota – but presumably that will happen because when we had a suspension breakage in Malaysia we came under the spotlight of the FIA in a way that was publicly uncomfortable for the team. David Coulthard.

As Sidepodcast point out, the structural integrity of the Toyota appeared to withstand the incident better than the Red Bull’s, especially considering that Coulthard ran over a kerb in Malaysia and destroyed his car, and Glock pounded a wall very hard, but managed to get out and still recognise his TF108.

Either way, Glock was released from hospital on Monday shortly after being admitted and got back into the car on Thursday for a day’s testing at Jerez.

Original article by BlogF1.

Damaged Trackrod Caused Glock’s Accident

The last time a Briton won at Silverstone was in 2000, that year the race went to David Coulthard. Hamilton has now become the eleventh (twelfth if you rightly include Tony Brooks) British winner of the British Grand Prix and it was the McLaren driver’s seventh victory in Formula One; the team’s 159th.

It is definitely and by far the best victory I’ve ever had. It was one of the toughest races I have ever done. I was thinking out there if I win it it will be the best race I have ever done, not just because of the home crowd.

On the last laps I could see the crowd starting standing up, and I was praying, praying ‘just finish’. You can imagine the emotions going on inside and I wanted to get it around. Lewis Hamilton.

Nick Heidfeld has been suffering in qualifying lately and the German driver has been complaining of temperature problems with his Bridgestone tyres. However, yesterday Heidfeld put his BMW in fifth and today he brought it home in second, consoling the team after team mate Robert Kubica retired.

It was a good race. I am happy with second place because today it was the best I could achieve. Qualifying went well and in the race we did everything right. Obviously it was crucial to make the right tyre decisions.

At the first stop we were wondering if we should stay with the used set of inters, but luckily we then decided on new tyres. We were expecting a small shower, but when I drove down Hanger Straight and saw a black wall in front of me I thought I should expect more than that.

The most difficult moments in the race were when cars were overtaking me who had been lapped, but were just on better tyres for the conditions at that time. There was so much water and I couldn’t see where it was lying. Once before Abbey I almost spun, but just managed to keep the car on the track. Nick Heidfeld.

Rubens Barrichello gave Honda something to shout about as the most experienced driver in Formula One finished in third after starting the race in sixteenth. Barrichello drove a mature and outstanding race and for me, is the driver of the day. While Lewis won, he had the car underneath him to do just that, Rubens has a dog under him – his qualifying position proving that. But the Brazilian drove superbly in the difficult conditions and fully-deserves his podium.

I never lost the belief I have in me with the speed and everything. It was obviously a lucky day and it seemed to happen to me. I love the wet weather conditions but it was a perfect race.

We had a minor problem on the pitstop. I thought I had the fuel already but they didn’t let me go. But that was a minor problem because it was the right decision for us to take extreme wet tyres.

I was passing people from inside to outside, it was just magic. So I thought that was a good decision because I went off at Club and nearly hit the wall. It was Club and Abbey that were the most difficult ones. I said I am coming in and coming in for the extremes.

I have this great feeling, it is like I am young. I am smiling to the problems and I am working more. I love the sport, I love the speed and I cannot live without it. Rubens Barrichello.

Ross Brawn, Honda’s team principal, paid tribute to Barrichello’s drive as well, praising his driver and remembering the times they spent at Ferrari together.

Rubens had a great race. He really pushed when he had to, and the middle of the race was fantastic. It was a bit like old days. The team did a great job as well. Some great calls during the race and we had the right tyres at the right time.

We had a problem with the fuel rig which really probably cost us second place, so that’s frustrating, but we shouldn’t be too greedy. Ross Brawn.

David Coulthard, competing in his final British Grand Prix, lasted all of about two minutes. The Red Bull made contact with the Scuderia Toro Rosso and both slid off onto the the grass. It wasn’t Coulthard’s finest moment from his 15 year career, but the Scot put his hand up, accepted blame and apologised.

I’m extremely disappointed and sorry for the team. I’ve taken out two Red Bull cars so that’s obviously the worst case scenario. You have to take your opportunities when they come in a race like this and I thought I saw a gap. Unfortunately it turned out it was a bad decision.

The visibility was incredibly bad as you can imagine. I was very close to Sebastian after Abbey, as he had a wobble coming out of there. There was a clear gap down the inside, but unfortunately it was closing as I made the move.

I’m sorry for him that we made contact and went into the gravel, I’m sorry for Red Bull too, as it was two cars out in one hit. I’m extremely disappointed for this to happen at my last British Grand Prix. David Coulthard.

Coulthard’s team mate, Mark Webber, had a better weekend, the Australian qualifying on the front row. However, his race was almost over sooner than David’s after Webber spun on the opening lap, undoing all his hard work from Saturday. Even though Webber would go on to drive a very well-managed race and reclaim many of the lost positions, it so easily could have been much, much better.

Unfortunately I dropped it on the entrance to Becketts on the first la. I was quite close to Kimi [Raikkonen] and just got on the white line. I lost the car on the exit and had to let the field go past, so it was clear to spin back round.

After that it was about making the right call for the right conditions. It was a difficult day to go car racing and it just didn’t go our way today. The guys did a good job all week and it’s a shame we couldn’t convert our good qualifying performance. Mark Webber.

Fernando Alonso was upbeat after the race, despite losing out for being on the worn tyres rather than getting a new set at the pit stop. The decision cost the Spaniard a lot of time and he may have even lost a podium because of it. However, the conditions at Silverstone were difficult and Alonso was just happy to have added a few points towards his campaign.

Like every time it rains, anything can happen and that was the case. There were times when you had the right tyre and others when you had the wrong one and you had to keep the others at bay and try to stay on track because you knew it would be a good result.

It’s not bad. It’s a good feeling. Sixth position is three points that are good for the drivers’ and the constructors’ championships. We missed a chance because Barrichello finished on the podium and maybe we could have been there, but it’s okay. Fernando Alonso.

On the final lap Kazuki Nakajima lost seventh place to Jarno Trulli, but despite this and all his spins, the Japanese driver still managed to collect one point for Williams after a weekend the team will want to very quickly move on from.

It was good to score a point again, but it was a shame to lose seventh place to Jarno on the last lap. His tyres were in a better condition than mine, though, and he was just a bit quicker than me in the final laps when the track was drying out.

It was enjoyable out there today, although a little hard to control the car in the opening and closing stages. The team made a really good decision to put me on the extreme wets at just the right time and so I was able to manage the car well in such wet conditions. Kazuki Nakajima.

Original article by BlogF1.

Silverstone 2008: Post-Race Quotes

Coulthard entered Formula One in difficult circumstances back in 1994; he was Ayrton Senna’s co-replacement, sharing the drive with Nigel Mansell. Senna had tragically died at the Imola circuit in one of the sport’s most traumatic weekends, but the Scot took on the role as team mate to Damon Hill and competed in eight of the remaining twelve races.

Coulthard only won one race with the Oxfordshire-based team before moving to McLaren in 1996. At the time the team was still in a slump and hadn’t achieved much success since the early nineties. However, the team were improving and in his nine years at Woking (longer than any other McLaren driver), David took a further twelve victories, bringing his tally up to thirteen.

In 2005, Coulthard left McLaren and many feared his career was over. However, the Scot managed to get a drive with the newly-formed Red Bull team, the energy drinks company having just bought the failed Jaguar project which originally came from Stewart Grand Prix, founded by fellow Scottish racer Jackie Stewart. In his time at Red Bull, Coulthard’s career was re-born and he has driven some of his best races for the Milton Keynes team. Coulthard appeared more relaxed and happier with the squad than he did in his latter years at McLaren and his to-date two podiums for the team have been well-deserved.

I would like to announce today my decision to retire from racing in Formula One at the end of this season. I will remain actively involved in the sport as a consultant to Red Bull Racing focusing on testing and development of the cars.

My decision to retire was taken earlier in the year and is based on a desire to stop while I am still competitive and enjoying the immense challenge that Grand Prix driving represents. I also have the desire to look for new challenges within the sport.

The decision to make this announcement at the British GP should be an obvious one for all to understand, as I have achieved two of my thirteen F1 victories at Silverstone and I am a member of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, which hosts this event.

I am proud of my work at Red Bull Racing and will continue to race with the same focus until the last lap in Brazil. Thereafter I will continue to help the team develop and move towards their ultimate goal of winning races. David Coulthard

Coulthard went on to thank many of the people who have helped him in his career, adding a special thanks to the person who has designed (nearly*) all the cars he has driven – Adrian Newey, and also stated that he does not intend to hang up his helmet entirely, and hinted that he may compete in other forms of motor sport.

Working with David has been an absolute pleasure and his contribution to the team over the past four seasons has been significant.

He is a consummate professional and I think that one of the key elements to the length of his career is the dedication he has applied and the commitment he has shown to the team.

He has demonstrated that he is a real team player, a fact reinforced by the statistic that he has only driven for two other F1 teams in his career. To date, he has won thirteen grands prix and there could have been many more if you count the near misses and the ones he gifted to other drivers. Christian Horner.

Christian Horner, team boss at Red Bull, alluring in his final sentence to the final race of 1997 at Jerez and first of 1998 in Australia where Coulthard allowed team mate Mika Hakkinen to win. The first was, I believe, an order from McLaren, the second is said to have been a gentleman’s agreement made prior to the race-start between the pair.

Coulthard has enjoyed a long career in Formula One and one that has seen many successes. While David may not have been the most naturally-talented driver in the field, he has shown, as Horner states, professionalism and a deep drive for success. I will remember David most for his battles with Michael Schumacher; the Scot rarely took any stick from the multiple world champion and refused to duck-and-hide when the Ferrari came roaring up behind him (or vice versa). The pair would often share paint and rubber, and it is these on-track skirmishes that stick in my mind. His two British Grand Prix victories will no doubt be Coulthard’s personal proudest moments, and I’m sure with a large fanbase, many others remember many different things from his fifteen years and (to be) 246 race starts.

Whether you’re a fan or not, what wil you remember David Coulthard for the most? A particular race or season, a battle with another driver or overtaking move? Perhaps it was an interview he gave or something he said to the press? Leave a comment below and hopefully we can share some of Coulthard’s finer moments from his long career in Formula One.

*Coulthard’s first McLaren, the MP4-11 was designed by Neil Oatley, and Coulthard’s first Red Bull couldn’t have been designed by Newey as the aerodynamicist didn’t join the squad until February 2006.

Original article by BlogF1.

David Coulthard Announces His Retirement

This is the final post in the British Winners series, and over the coming weekend BlogF1 will of course cover the grand prix from Silverstone, the race possibly being the last time David Coulthard competes in a Formula One car in front of his home-fans. But while the Scot may have never won the championship, he does have thirteen victories to his name and a career that to date, has lasted for 15 seasons and 236 starts. However, of his wins the two on home soil will perhaps be the most remembered.

In 1999, the McLaren Mercedes MP4-14 was a competitive machine and Coulthard’s team mate was using it to good effect, Mika Hakkinen being the reigning world champion. However, Coulthard wasn’t far behind his team mate and the nation expected as the British Grand Prix weekend began. Qualifying had gone to Hakkinen and Coulthard was directly behind on the grid in third, although he was some eight tenths down on the lead McLaren.

The start of the race was aborted due to Jacques Villeneuve and Alex Zanardi stalling. The second start would prove to be just as luckless as the race was stopped almost immediately. From the line both Coulthard and Eddie Irvine got ahead of Michael Schumacher in second as they went through the Copse corner. However, on the run down to Stowe Schumacher suffered rear brake failure and was pitched across the gravel and into the tyre barriers. It was immediately clear that all was not well as Schumacher couldn’t get out of the car; he had broken his leg.

For the third start, Irvine managed to get ahead of Coulthard but Hakkinen maintained the lead and the three drivers continued in this position until the pitstops. Mika’s stop didn’t go well and the Finn returned after his out lap saying that he felt a wheel was loose. When Irvine stopped he missed his marks and caused the team to reposition the equipment, loosing out on valuable time. Irvine rejoined the race behind Coulthard and Hakkinen eventually retired when his wheel came off. The net result of these blunders meant that David was in the lead.

The Ferrari and the McLaren fought it out for victory, but by the sixtieth lap Coulthard was still leading and took the win for himself and his team. It was David’s fifth career win but he would only manage another by the end of the season. Hakkinen took his second title and Irvine finished in the runner-up spot, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen edging out Coulthard into third.

The following season Coulthard was once again partnered at McLaren by Hakkinen, and once again the pair would duke it out for the championship. Unfortunately for them both though, Schumacher had recovered from his broken leg and was on a crusade to win the title. The Ferrari was competitive and Schumacher was on a winning charge. The German took the first three races, and the trio came to Silverstone each with a mission to win.

Qualifying was all about getting the set up right as the track was in a drying condition following rain showers earlier in the morning. Rubens Barrichello was the driver who got it right and the Brazilian would start the race from pole position. Coulthard was back in fourth alonside his team mate Hakkinen and between them and Barrichello’s Ferrari was Frentzen’s Jordan.

On race day the morning warm-up session had to be delayed; thick fog had prevented the safety helicopter from flying. However, by the time the race was due to start the weather had improved and everything looked good for an exciting race. Barrichello left the grid well as did Frentzen in the Jordan. Coulthard squeezed past Hakkinen going into the first corner. The order remained until the first round of pitstops. The Jordan was demoted to seventh after the first and only stop and that left Barrichello leading Coulthard and Hakkinen.

At about mid-distance Barrichello would make a couple of mistakes that allowed the lead to change. On lap 29 the Ferrari pilot lost three seconds to the chasing McLaren, and with Coulthard right on Rubens’s gearbox, it only needed another minor error from the Brazilian and Coulthard would be able to pass. The following lap, Coulthard was presented with his opportunity. Barrichello had been slow on the exit of Chapel and this allowed Coulthard to stay right with the Ferrari down the Hangar Straight. Going into the Stowe corner, Barrichello held the defending inside line but Coulthard decided to attempt a pass around the outside.

Remembring Nigel Mansell’s move on Nelson Piquet [in 1987], I thought I would give that a try. It held together. David Coulthard.

The crowd stood in celebration and the cheers reverberated around the Silverstone circuit. Rubens’s Ferrari was malfunctioning, which was the cause for his decrease in performance, and by lap 35 he was out of the event. For the remainder of the race Mika Hakkinen stayed on Coulthard’s tail and only 1.4 seconds separated the pair as Coulthard crossed the line to win at home for the second time in succession.

Coulthard would go on to take two further victories that year and finish in third in the drivers title. Hakkinen finished in second while Schumacher romped to his third championship and his first with the Ferrari team. David stayed with McLaren for another four years but couldn’t win the title nor the British Grand Prix again. In 2005 he switched to the newly-formed Red Bull team who took on the failed Jaguar project. David was given a new lease of life and has driven well for the Milton Keynes team.

With rumours of his retirement failing to disappear, this year could very well be David’s last in the sport, and the Scot would undoubtedly like to leave Formula One on a high. His RB4 has been relatively quick in places, but consistency has fallen to Coulthard’s team mate Mark Webber. The Australian has scored points in six of the first eight races this year, while Coulthard has only scored once, albeit a fine podium in Canada.

To read more in this series of articles, click the tag ‘British Winners’.

Original article by BlogF1.

The British Winners Of The British Grand Prix: David Coulthard

Coming out of the tunnel and travelling at approximately 185mph, Coulthard applied his brake pedal to find his RBR4 twitch violently from the back forcing the front side into the armco barrier. This initial impact was quite a clout and it tore the front-right side of his car into pieces. From here on, in the experienced Scot was no more than a passenger as his car shot straight on at the chicane David was attempting to brake for and impacted the wall at the end.

Coulthard’s car was out of sight of the cameras when it made its second impact, but moments later footage was shown of the Red Bull being craned onto the back of a lorry, Coulthard having evacuated the car to run back to the pitlane. With no obvious injury David spoke to the waiting press saying that he felt the accident was his fault, suggesting that he simply lost it under braking. However, Red Bull are investigating the incident, now backed up by David himself, as replays suggest that it was perhaps more than a simple driver error.

The way the Red Bull twitched out from under Coulthard really was quite severe, and while the angle of attack on the wall is the normal way for a car to go under that kind of incident, it seems strange to have happened in the first place. I am not technical enough to offer a possible explanation for why the car behaved that way, but I cannot help but agree to an investigation.

After the first impact, I wished I was anywhere other than being strapped in a racing car. What I know, which you guys haven’t experienced, is that when you lose a corner you lose the brakes.

The corner has gone, so the fluid is open – you are pushing the brake pedal but there is nothing. At that point it is the luck of the gods whether you hit one wall or another wall – and today obviously I was lucky.

The second hit, when I got to the end of the run off area, I put my head against the headrest and I was ready for the impact. Then you don’t get the whiplash – but the first hit you don’t get a chance. I hit my elbow on something, but it is not too bad.

I have a sore head and a sore elbow, but I don’t want to go to the medical centre and get hooked up to stuff. I will see how I feel tomorrow, but I think I will be okay. David Coulthard.

Earlier in the year Red Bull had come under criticism for the construction of their car, Coulthard having experienced immediate disintegration of his car under minor impacts. Although Coulthard’s car had a fairly major impact today, one cannot help but wonder why the RBR4 is suffering so much this year, particularly at the hands of David. Of course, as Coulthard insists, it is possible that he simply lost his car under braking.

Obviously I lost control of the car when I hit the brakes – but I don’t know exactly why I lost the rear. I have braked many times into that chicane without problems.

The team will look at all the data, and try and understand that everything was in good shape. But until they say otherwise, I just have to presume that I lost the rear. David Coulthard.

The same corner has claimed the pride of many a racing driver in the past, Karl Wendlinger and Jenson Button immediately springing to mind. Button’s accident was as recent as 2003, the Briton having lost his BAR Honda and impacting the wall heavily during a practice session. Button was forced to sit out the race while he recuperated on the sidelines.

Coulthard, although a little sore, says he should be okay to race tomorrow. The Scot did well to get into Q3 along with his team mate, and despite not being able to take part (due to not having a car) he will start in tenth place. Coulthard tends to run well at Monaco, and he currently ties with Alonso with two previous victories at the track. In 2006 the Scot even managed a podium in his Red Bull, prompting a semi-nude but totally euphoric Christian Horner to jump into the Red Bull swimming pool wearing little more than a pair of Speedos and a Superman cape. Don’t ask…

Original article by BlogF1.

Coulthard Considers Himself Lucky After Monaco Accident

You might think that Kimi Raikkonen would be a Monaco master, the Finnish driver known for his ice-cold approach to racing. Raikkonen is certainly a driver I would expect to do well on the streets of Monte Carlo, but the McLaren and Ferrari winner has only visited the Monaco rostrum twice in his seven attempts to date. Kimi’s first podium was for his second place in 2003, improved upon in 2005 with a victory from pole position. In 2006 and suffering from poor reliability from his McLaren, a small fire on his car forced retirement, Raikkonen famously being videoed storming off to a nearby yacht to calm down. A modern-day Monaco master, he isn’t.

What about David Coulthard? The Scot has certainly raced at Monaco a fair few times and has won the race on two occasions. Both wins came from his years at McLaren, the first being in 2000 and repeated in 2002. Coulthard has also managed a second-place in 1996, a pole position and fastest lap in 2001 and a third place in 2006 for current team Red Bull Racing. But when you look at Coulthard racing in Monaco, it is hard to be inspired by his efforts around the track. Is Coulthard a modern-day Monaco master? I don’t think so.

Giancarlo Fisichella is another driver who has been around for a while as well, occasionally in competitive cars, but the Italian has never won the race. Fisi’s best result was a second place in 1998, way back in his Benetton days. The Roman has also managed a third place 2000 but hasn’t bettered either of these results. Continuing the longevity theme, Rubens Barrichello might be considered a master of the track, but alas he isn’t. Barrichello’s best results came in 1997, 2000 and 2001 when the Brazilian finished second on each occasion. A fastest lap in 2002 and a third-place in 2004 is the best Rubens has been able to muster, and aside from his surprise ‘97 podium for Stewart, each of his rostrum visits have been with the Ferrari team. Therefore, it would appear practice doesn’t always make perfect.

That just leaves Fernando Alonso left from all the serious contenders of Monaco-masterdom. The Spaniard has twice won at Monaco, once in the Renault in his second championship-winning season of 2006, and last year at the helm of the McLaren MP4-22. Alonso also took pole position on both occasions and set the fastest lap in 2007. So does that make Fernando the modern-day master of Monaco? Statistically, maybe. But I’m not sure he falls into the same category as Senna or Hill when it comes to judging his abilities at the track. Not yet, anyway.

Either way, irrespective of your opinion on Alonso and the Cote d’Azur circuit, Alonso is probably worth an outside bet if you’re so inclined. But in reality, I’m expecting Raikkonen to take his second victory to equal current drivers Coulthard and Alonso in the record books.

Who do you consider to be the modern-day masters of Monaco?

Original article by BlogF1.

Who Are The Modern-Day Masters Of Monaco?

Image courtesy of HondaF1.

Original article by BlogF1.

Caption Contest: #40

Image courtesy of GEPA and Red Bull.

Original article by BlogF1.

Caption Contest: #38

Heikki Update

Heikki Kovalainen had a sizable accident on lap 22 of yesterday’s race at Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. The Finn appeared to suffer some kind of wheel/tyre failure and left the track at approximately 140mph. Slamming in the tyre barrier almost head on, it is now clear why the marshals who attended the scene looked so concerned on initial arrival. Kovalainen was briefly knocked unconscious following the accident, although a CT scan has ruled out any head injury other than a concussion.

The team is optimistic that he will make a full recovery over the next few days. Ron Dennis.

It was initially suggested a stone may have become lodged between the wheel rim and the tyre, causing the failure on the MP4-23’s front-left boot. Dennis has since stated that it looks likely to have been a rare wheel failure, but as of yet there is no absolute answer to what caused the incident.

As the above photographs show, Heikki was lucky to escape with only a concussion. His car went very deep into the tyre barrier and the front-end was pretty much destroyed by the brunt of the impact; much credit is deserved to the strength of modern-day Formula One cars.

Eastern Creek Is Evaluated

The Australian Grand Prix has a contract in place to run the race at Albert Park up until the end of the 2010 season. However, Bernie Ecclestone is insisting on a night-race for the event, allowing Europeans to awake at a regular hour to watch the event live. Albert Park organisers are not keen on a night-race though, citing the massive costs as unreasonable.

But wanting to ensure Australia remains on the global motor sport calendar, Sydney’s Eastern Creek circuit may be able to help out. The circuit was built in 1990 and hosts an A1GP event as well as V8 Supercars and Superbike races. The circuit will require some modifications though to bring it up to Formula One standards, which is why a feasibility study has been announced.

Strong competition from emerging nations to secure major motorsport events threaten to marginalise Australia, with a resulting loss in status and tourism potential.

The impending closure of Oran Park Raceway in Sydney’s south-west will leave the Sydney basin with only Eastern Creek Raceway, and its use is already at near full capacity. John Cotter, President Australian Racing Drivers’ Club.

Coulthard Moans About Moaning

David Coulthard and Timo Glock have escaped penalty following their on-track skirmish yesterday. The incident at T5 forced Glock to pit for a new nose, and Coulthard had to come in for a new wheel to replace his punctured tyre. However, speaking afterwards to the media, David expressed his displeasure at the incident but took time to offer explanation and defend his actions.

I think I’ve said enough, haven’t I? In my last column I did the whole thing on how I wish people would know that my eyes face out front, they don’t face back. What you see on the video footage is not what I see in the car.

You make a commitment and what I do is make it clear whether I am moving out of the way or taking an early line. It seems to have worked through most of my career, so I don’t know what has gone wrong this year.

There will be all this stuff about my age and the oldest driver getting involved in all the incidents, which you can fuel the flames or not, but I don’t know what I can do. Should I just drive off the circuit and let all these people by? David Coulthard.

Coulthard went on to explain that for most of the race he wasn’t with Glock, but as team mate Mark Webber was in a more commanding position, he was allowed to take priority in the pit stops, which slightly delayed Coulthard and allowed Glock to catch up towards the end of the race.

It seems Coulthard is getting frustrated by the amount of incidents he has been involved in this season, this being his third. David retired from the Australian Grand Prix after contact with Felipe Massa, and at Bahrain he had a coming-together with Jenson Button. The Button incident was, in my opinion, not entirely Coulthard’s fault, but it is interesting to note that each of these crashes have occurred when a driver has attempted to overtake the Red Bull on the inside line into a corner.

It is unbelievably difficult to overtake. You lose so much downforce following the other cars, and I think there is an element of that… David Coulthard.

However, Coulthard’s finest quote from this incident:

It is terrible, but who is interested in hearing about me complaining about people running into me? David Coulthard.

I could harp on about SpecSavers, but that would be unfair. Coulthard is too experienced to make errors like these and while he can be a little tempestuous at times, the Scot is also aware that in order to finish first, first you must finish. It was briefly discussed in yesterday’s LiveBlog of the race that the mirrors are not helping drivers this year. It seems that in order to make the cars more aerodynamically efficient, the devices that are so essential in seeing what’s behind you are being neglected.

The mirrors on Formula One car’s were never all that great, but moving them away from the drivers vision, combined with added vibration from the engines which is made worse by their positioning leads me to think that this, combined with Coulthard’s suggestion of a lack of downforce, is causing some of these on-track altercations.

Original article by BlogF1.

News Round-up: Heikki, Sydney & A Great Line From Coulthard

Image courtesy of xpb.cc and motorsport.com.

Original article by BlogF1.

Caption Contest: #34

The stewards demanded a technical report be submitted to the FIA for review in order to decide if Red Bull can continue safely.

Having received a written report from Red Bull Racing and the verbal report from the Technical Delegate who has conducted a visual check of the front suspension of the Red Bull car, the Stewards at this stage intend to take no action under Art 2.3 of the 2008 Formula One Technical Regulations. This matter will however, be kept under review during the event. FIA Statement.

Original article by BlogF1.

Green Light For Red Bull At Sepang

The damage sustained on the Red Bull when Felipe Massa dived up the inside in Australia did look quite bad on the television cameras (pictured above), but from the angle we saw it Massa did appear to clout the Red Bull quite hard. However, the RB4 hasn’t had an easy birth as it only just passed the mandatory crash test prior to the Australian event. And now, with damage sustained from what appears to be a minor off at Sepang, the car could be in trouble.

The Stewards, having met with the team principal and technical representative of Red Bull Racing in relation to the incident involving Car 9 in Practice 1, have requested that the competitor provide to the FIA Technical Delegate a report verifying that the integrity of the suspension is such that the car should not be deemed ‘of dangerous constructions’ under Art 2.3 of the 2008 Formula One Technical Regulations. Stewards Statement.

Adrian Newey, the designer of the RB4, is notorious for not compromising on aerodynamic efficiency, even disregarding the height of a driver in some cases. However, the strength of the car should never be compromised, particularly as suspension failure can lead to a serious accident.

We have absolutely no concerns about the car’s safety for tomorrow. Christian Horner.

Interestingly, STR boss Gerhard Berger has just received the RB4 chassis from Red Bull and will start re-branding them into STR’s for its debut in a few races time.

Image courtesy of Red Bull Racing.

Original article by BlogF1.

Stewards Demand Technical Report From Red Bull

Coulthard should be back in the cockpit tomorrow, the team keen to get as many miles on the clock as possible in the run-up to the 2008 season start in a couple of weeks. The final decision though will not be made until tomorrow morning once David has given his neck a chance to rest.

Original article by BlogF1.

Coulthard Suffers Minor Injury, Vettel Drafted In To Red Bull

Original article by BlogF1.

Caption Contest: #26

I am delighted and thank Red Bull, which has supported me in the lower formulas since 2005. I will do my best to concentrate on combining my GP2 racing commitment with my duties for Red Bull Racing and I am looking forward to the year ahead. Sebastien Buemi.

Adrian Newey insisted that the squad have made no compromise with the pace of the car in a bid to overcome the reliability issues they suffered in 2007, saying that the development pace has continued over the winter and the battle to find speed is just as aggressive as it was previously.

I don’t think the reliability problems came as a result of chasing performance. They came through detailed design, manufacturing and operations faults. And the reliability systems couldn’t cope. We haven’t had to make any compromises in that respect. It is just a matter of understanding why things were failing, and what was breaking down in the system to cause them.

The RB3 was a completely different car to anything that had come out of Milton Keynes before. And that, in a small part, contributed also to our reliability and operations difficulties. This car is very much an evolution of RB3. There are very common parts, but the concept and principle of the car is the same. It is an evolution, so it will make it easier for the team this year as they have learned how to work with it. Adrian Newey.

Team boss Christian Horner was also buoyant that his squad have made progress, citing the improvements they made in the latter half of last year, and aiming to pick up at the start of 2008.

We were competitive in the final three races of last year and we’ll be looking to start from that point with the new car. Ferrari and McLaren are obviously going to be extremely competitive again and are the benchmark, and then I predict a pretty tight group thereafter, which will hopefully consist of ourselves, BMW, Renault, probably Williams, and who knows with Toyota and Honda.

We’re confident we’ve made good progress with this car. How good? We’ll see in Melbourne. But we’re happy with the progress that we’ve seen over the RB3. Christian Horner.

Cautious not to hype up their chances though, the team management were reluctant to make any predictions for 2008, instead insisting that they have improved, had a smooth and trouble-free winter and are looking forward to the first race in March.

We expect a step forward but I am not willing to put a number on it. Adrian Newey.

Mark Webber remained optimistic despite having his fair share of the unreliability problems in 2007. The Australian, who is entering his second season with Red Bull, spoke of not missing out on points due to a fault with the car and chasing BMW for the best of the rest title.

We want to start with a faster car if we can, because if you start with a quicker car that’s a good position to start the championship in. And we want to get a lot more points than we got last year. We missed a lot of points through retirements, with mechanical problems so we’ll see if we can get some of those points back.

I think we are chasing BMW, but it could be for third or seventh. They could produce a lemon. You could be seventh. You never know in this game. It’s very difficult to say. We won’t know until the first race where everyone’s cars are. I think we can hold fifth position [in the constructors championship], but to be fourth? It’s a big step for us. Mark Webber.

The team seem to be a little cautious, but this could simply be down to clever management of hype and predictions. Honda famously used to generate some wild aspirations at their launches, only to find two months later that they had “produced a lemon”. It will be interesting to see how the Red Bull fairs up next to the other cars, and of course we are still waiting on the Renault and Williams to be launched.

Photographs Of The RBR4

Original article by BlogF1.

Red Bull RBR4: More Information & Photos

The RBR4 features the now common-place bridge nose spanning the front wing, but aside from this obvious detail it appears as though little else has changed. The RBR3 was competitive when it managed to keep all its gears together, so hopefully this performance has been transferred over the the new machine. And 2008 being the second year with Newey, this is his first car which he will have had complete control over. Providing the reliability issues can be resolved, Red Bull Racing could be taking another small step forwards this upcoming season.

The livery remains much the same with the now typical navy blue with pin-stripe highlights running down the monocoque, complete with Red Bull logo over the engine cover and nose cone.

The biggest thing for us this year is the continuity. We have the same engine, we have the same drivers, and we have the same technical staff. All the engineers that David [Coulthard] and I worked with are the same, so that’s going to help us come Sunday afternoon. Mark Webber.

Photographs Of The RBR4

Original article by BlogF1.

Red Bull RBR4: Launch & Photos

Fernando Alonso aquaplaned off the road in Fuji – even with TC (pictured above). The electronics still couldn’t support him – and that will happen a lot more without traction control because Formula One engines are very peaky. We don’t want to see a monstrous shunt where somebody rides over another car, goes into the crowd or has an accident like [Alex] Zanardi [at the Lausitzring in 2001].

But I’m confident Charlie will do the right thing based on us helping and advising him – and that’s why we’ve started a dialogue now rather than trying to react afterwards. David Coulthard.

I’ve spoken with Michael Schumacher and several other drivers and they’ve told me it will be more dangerous driving a car without TC now than it was in the past. Another race like Fuji would be very dangerous. Felip Massa.

And if he wasn’t actually serious, Max Mosley’s response could have been quite comical.

Driving in the wet is quite dangerous – with or without traction control. It’s dangerous in the sense that you’re likely to go off but you’re less likely to hurt yourself because the speeds will be lower. That was always the theory of the grooved tyre because you reduced the grip and the severity of the accident.

Imagine, in the most extreme circumstances, holding the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on packed snow – nobody would get hurt because nobody would ever get up to enough speed to do any damage!

It will make it more difficult in the wet – but it’s difficult in the wet anyway. And people forget, even the least competent F1 driver is still amazingly good at what he does. And it won’t cause any of them much trouble. Max Mosley.

It’s Mosley’s line about the grooved tyres that does it for me. He claims that reducing the grip lowers speeds and thus the severity of impacts. But what Max fails to realise that the sacrificed grip comes in handy when you want to slow a car down very quickly. Like, for instance, when it’s hurtling towards a barrier. This is why many gravel traps have been concreted over. And the reduction in speeds? Well it is clear for everybody to see that grooved tyres have reduced speeds, but the designers soon claim it back via tweaking the aerodynamic efficiency of the cars.

Max also fails to discuss another point that David makes regarding the coming together of cars. Coulthard famously received a heavy knock from Michael Schumacher during the rain-soaked 1998 Belgian Grand Prix (and almost again after the race), and although neither driver was hurt, the incident could have been an awful lot worse. In the 2007 Australian race, Coulthard’s Red Bull mounted Alex Wurz’s Williams after a minor touch, the Austrian was lucky to escape unhurt as Coulthard’s tyre narrowly missed Alex’s head. Both of these incidents happened at reasonably low speeds, and both incidents could have turned out to be a lot worse than they actually were.

At least Charlie Whiting is open for talks about the drivers concerns.

Original article by BlogF1.

Wet Weather Racing Causes Concern

Original article by BlogF1.

Red Bull ‘Faces For Charity’ Livery

Each year during the off-season, Webber organises the Mark Webber Challenge. It’s a sort of triathlon, and involves cycling, kayaking (instead of swimming) and hiking (instead of running). This all takes place in the rugged countryside in Tasmania, and Mark pits teams of fellow sporting ‘celebrities’ against each other. Of course, this all raises a fair bit of money of charity. You can read more about it on the website by clicking here. They do a much better job of explaining that I do.

This is what Coulthard had to say about his team mate.

I don’t feel the desire to want to promote me. It’s not like I do a David Coulthard Charity Challenge, which would be as much an ego massage for myself as it would be raising money for the charity. David Coulthard.

Now, I don’t know Mark Webber, so I’m probably not the best person to assess his character. But from watching and listening to him speak to the media, he seems pretty much down to earth. I also get the impression he is quite a blunt to the point kind of person. And while Webber is a Formula One racing driver, I don’t see him as an attention-grabbing, hype-generating, look-at-me type of driver. I could be wrong, very wrong, but that is my current impression of him.

So quite why Coulthard is saying these words I don’t know. Surely Mark is doing a good thing. For sure the Challenge generates media interest in Mark, and it also helps the driver to maintain his fitness levels during the months off from racing. But it also generates money for charity and raises awareness for the charities he is raising money for.

Do drivers do enough for charity? Was Coulthard right to say what he said? Or should DC start a ‘David Coulthard Charity Challenge’?

Photo courtesy of Mark Webber Challenge.

Original article by BlogF1.

Coulthard Gently Jabs Webber