Coulthard's last F1 season
2008-07-03 17:34
Silverstone - 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 Scottish driver, who has driven for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull since 1994, has won 13 F1 races from 237 starts but none since the 2003 Australian Grand Prix. His best result this season was sixth at the Canadian GP on June 9.
Coulthard made his announcement at Silverstone on Thursday, three days ahead of the British GP. He was the last driver to win the race 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."
- AP