Formula 1

Coulthard disappointed with McLaren

David Coulthard has admitted his disappointment after the first race of the season in Melbourne yesterday, where McLaren were out-performed by Ferrari every time. McLaren were using the new MP4-17 but the two last year's Ferrari F2001s took the ...

Edited: Apr 15, 2002, 11:45 PM

Copy link

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on WhatsApp

Share on Linkedin

Share on Pinterest

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

David Coulthard has admitted his disappointment after the first race of the season in Melbourne yesterday, where McLaren were out-performed by Ferrari every time. McLaren were using the new MP4-17 but the two last year's Ferrari F2001s took the front row of the grid and despite the first corner crash giving Coulthard the lead, he ended up retiring with a failed gearbox.

David Coulthard.

Photo by DaimlerChrysler.

"It's difficult to find a positive, we weren't quick in qualifying, we weren't quick in the wet and we didn't finish the race." He said. "I can't deny it, it's not good that they (Ferrari) have been so strong here in qualifying, in wet conditions and obviously in the race. I think Michael (Schumacher) was probably just running at a canter. I am very frustrated because I recognise the importance of getting points early on in the season. You see only (eight) cars finished I think and that's the time when you should be out there finishing as well."

The Scot's young team mate Kimi Raikkonen took a podium finish in third, although his race was not without incident: he had to pit for a new nose cone and have debris removed from his car after the first corner incident and also had a trip across the grass after his pit stop. Coulthard would have preferred it to have been himself on the podium but he knew it was an important result for Raikkonen. "At the end of the day Kimi's a competitor and I can't say I'm happy for any competitor to score points when I'm not. But I recognise the importance of a first podium to him." He said.

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Read also :

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on WhatsApp

Share on Linkedin

Share on Pinterest

Share on Viber

Previous article Australian GP: Sauber race notes

Next article Interview with FIA President Mosley, Part VI

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

More from

Kimi Raikkonen



David Coulthard explains why Robin Raikkonen's rise resembles Max Verstappen's

Formula 1

Formula 1

Spanish GP

David Coulthard explains why Robin Raikkonen's rise resembles Max Verstappen's



On this day: Michael Schumacher wins… and stuns tifosi with F1 retirement

Formula 1

Formula 1

Italian GP

On this day: Michael Schumacher wins… and stuns tifosi with F1 retirement



Red Bull signs Kimi Raikkonen’s son as junior driver

Formula 1

Formula 1

Italian GP

Red Bull signs Kimi Raikkonen’s son as junior driver

More from

Ferrari



The six drivers doing double duty in Portimao GTWCE and Barcelona WEC this weekend

WEC

WEC

Barcelona

19 h

The six drivers doing double duty in Portimao GTWCE and Barcelona WEC this weekend



Fred Vasseur "not sure" if Red Bull is currently F1's best team

Formula 1

Formula 1

Singapore GP

Fred Vasseur "not sure" if Red Bull is currently F1's best team



'Senior moment' or breakdown of trust? The implications of Hamilton's Singapore GP meltdown

Formula 1

Singapore GP

'Senior moment' or breakdown of trust? The implications of Hamilton's Singapore GP meltdown

Latest news



"Not allowed, not made possible": Was BMW denied its title chance?

DTM

DTM DTM

Hockenheim

30 min

"Not allowed, not made possible": Was BMW denied its title chance?



Max Verstappen: FAQ on his GTWC Europe debut

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1 39 min

Max Verstappen: FAQ on his GTWC Europe debut



Pedro Acosta: "I'm going to Ducati to learn from Marc Marquez, not to beat him on same bike"

MotoGP

MGP MotoGP

Indonesian GP

1 h

Pedro Acosta: "I'm going to Ducati to learn from Marc Marquez, not to beat him on same bike"



Rwanda turns to F1 as it moves forward from a chequered past

Formula 1

Rwanda turns to F1 as it moves forward from a chequered past

Feature

Discover prime content



Rwanda turns to F1 as it moves forward from a chequered past

Formula 1

By Filip Cleeren

Rwanda turns to F1 as it moves forward from a chequered past



Christian Horner's inside story of how Red Bull built its own F1 engine

Formula 1

By Jake Boxall-Legge

Christian Horner's inside story of how Red Bull built its own F1 engine



Exclusive video: Christian Horner interview on his Red Bull exit, Mercedes rivalry and more

Formula 1

By Autosport

Exclusive video: Christian Horner interview on his Red Bull exit, Mercedes rivalry and more



Why Mercedes' latest 2026 F1 update is no downgrade

Formula 1

Singapore GP

By Jake Boxall-Legge

Why Mercedes' latest 2026 F1 update is no downgrade

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts

Subscribe