David Coulthard

13 Grand Prix wins, 62 podiums, and a career spanning 15 seasons in Formula One.

David Marshall Coulthard (born 27 March 1971) is a British former racing driver and broadcaster from Scotland who competed in Formula One from 1994 to 2008. Nicknamed "DC", Coulthard was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 2001 with McLaren, and won 13 Grands Prix across 15 seasons.

Quick Facts

Birth name: David Marshall Coulthard
Born: 27 March 1971
Birthplace: Twynholm, Scotland
Children: 1

Lore & Background

Coulthard was born and raised in Kirkcudbrightshire, began karting at age 11, and progressed through British Formula Ford and Formula 3000. He first drove in Formula One with Williams in 1994, succeeding the late Ayrton Senna. He won his first Grand Prix in Portugal in 1995, then moved to McLaren for 1996. After winning two races in 1997, he finished 3rd in the World Drivers' Championship in 1998. He won five races during 1999 and 2000 before finishing second in the Drivers' Championship to Michael Schumacher in 2001. Two more victories followed between 2002 and 2003 before he left McLaren at the end of 2004. He moved to Red Bull in 2005 and secured their first podium a year later. Coulthard retired from Formula One at the end of 2008, having achieved 13 wins, 12 pole positions, 18 fastest laps, and 62 podiums.

Reader's Guide

After retiring from Formula One, Coulthard continued working for Red Bull as a consultant and joined the BBC as a commentator and pundit. He returned to active motorsports in 2010 joining Mücke Motorsport in DTM and retired at the end of 2012. He has also participated in the Race of Champions, finishing runner-up in the Drivers' Cup in 2008, and winning the competition in 2014 and 2018. Since 2016, he has worked as a commentator and analyst for Channel 4. In 2022, he joined Viaplay. He appears during Formula One race weekends as a reporter and expert commentator alongside Mika Häkkinen and Tom Kristensen. In 2019, Coulthard was elected president of the British Racing Drivers' Club.

Did You Know?

Coulthard was the first recipient of the McLaren/Autosport Young Driver of the Year award.
He won the Macau Grand Prix and the Masters of Formula Three in 1991.
Coulthard won the P&O Ferries Formula Ford 1600 Junior championship in 1989, not the British Formula Ford Championship.
He was disqualified from the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1993 after winning the GT Class due to a technical infringement.