David Coulthard will retire from Formula One at the end of the season, ending a career that saw him win more than a dozen races, but repeatedly fall short of the world championship.
The 37-year-old Scottish driver, who has driven for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull since 1994, has won 13 Formula One races from 237 starts, but none since the 2003 Australian Grand Prix. His best result this season was third at the Canadian Grand Prix on June 9.
Coulthard made his announcement at Silverstone on Thursday, three days ahead of the British Grand Prix. It was followed hours later by Red Bull teammate Mark Webber saying he signed with the team for another year.
PHOTO: AP
Coulthard was the last driver to win the British Grand Prix back-to-back for McLaren in 1999 and 2000, but much of his career coincided with the dominance of Michael Schumacher, who won seven world championships for Benetton and Ferrari.
“After 15 years, I’m not going to battle for a world championship,” said Coulthard, whose best finish in the drivers championship was second to Schumacher in 2001, to go with five third-place finishes. “I’m unlikely to win another GP unless something remarkable happens this year. I did have a world championship-winning car. I just didn’t win it.”
Coulthard moved from testing to be a front-line driver for Williams after Ayrton Senna’s death at the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola in 1994 and he won his first F1 race in Portugal in 1995. He went on to finish third that season, but he won his other 12 F1 races for McLaren during a nine-year spell with the team.
He moved to Red Bull in 2005, but is yet to win a race or achieve a pole position with the team. His best so far were third places in Monaco in 2006 and in Montreal a month ago.
“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,” Coulthard said. “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 13 F1 victories at Silverstone and I am a member of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, which hosts this event.”
Coulthard said he would continue working as a consultant with Red Bull, focusing on testing and development of the cars.
“I have an open mind as to whether or not I will compete again in the future in some other form of motor sport,” he said. “So I am definitely not hanging up my helmet.”
Webber has collected points in six of his eight races this season for Red Bull, with a best of fourth in Monaco.
“I am very happy to have signed up for another year with Red Bull Racing so early in the season,” said the Australian driver, who joined the team last year after spells with Minardi, Jaguar and Williams. “As far back as the middle of last year, it was very clear to me that I enjoyed working with the team, playing my part in its development and helping it move forward.”
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