Formula 1
McLaren not fast enough for Coulthard
It would probably be fair to say that everyone in the team is disappointed with McLaren's performance so far this season, and David Coulthard is certainly one of them. Coulthard has scored only four points in the first three races, while teammate ...
Published: Apr 6, 2004, 6:56 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
It would probably be fair to say that everyone in the team is disappointed with McLaren's performance so far this season, and David Coulthard is certainly one of them. Coulthard has scored only four points in the first three races, while teammate Kimi Raikkonen has not even seen the chequered flag due to three car failures in a row.
David Coulthard.
Photo by DaimlerChrysler.
Coulthard told BBC Radio that McLaren's performance is "extremely disappointing", and added rather cryptically: "Not one member of the team that's really pulling their weight is not disappointed."
He attributes the car's short fallings to design issues and the fact that it's just not fast enough, although it does have its good points. "The balance of the car is not that bad," he conceded. "If the pace was there, I'd be reasonably happy with it."
"I've certainly had winning cars more difficult to drive than this one, but it just doesn't give the necessary speed in the corners and on the straights to give you the lap time. It's as simple as that."
"It's a combination of the entire package. One of the greatest strengths of the car is its ability to brake into the corners. Control systems are working very well. And it performs very strongly in that area relative to the competition. But leaving the corners, in the middle of the corners, positional ability is quite difficult, so that's where you lose the time."
Coulthard retired from the Bahrain Grand Prix with an engine related problem, and Raikkonen's Mercedes unit burst into flames to force him out. However, David doesn't believe the blame for the overall performance can be solely shouldered by engine problems.
"At the end of the day it's not one element that allows a Grand Prix car to win," he remarked. "You've got tyres, engine, drivers and chassis and all four of those things have to work in harmony or else you won't perform."
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 Viber
Previous article Button not satisfied yet
Next article Todt proud of first Bahrain win
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
Mercedes
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
3 h
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Kimi Antonelli: "Weird" spin and car instability cost F1 Brazilian GP win
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
4 h
Kimi Antonelli: "Weird" spin and car instability cost F1 Brazilian GP win
Latest news
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
32 min
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
1 h
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
1 h
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
2 h
Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix
Feature
Discover prime content
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Formula 1
By Pat Symonds
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
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:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe