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Formula Ford Duratec

Formula Ford Zetec

Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing.

History[link]

The origins of Formula Ford began in the early 1960s, where motor racing schools such as The Jim Russell school, and Motor Racing Stables featured single seat Formula Junior and Formula 3-like machines from world class constructors like Cooper and Lotus. Many aspiring formula 1 stars looked to these schools in the hope of learning the craft and also looking the part. However, although there was no shortage of aspiring drivers, these schools had much trouble avoiding bankruptcy. The 1 litre Formula 3 engines, the 1.1 litre Coventry Climax FJ and later the Ford Anglia 105E, cost around £3,000 at the time in addition to the Dunlop racing tires that cost £80 a set. Furthermore, these engines were incredibly fragile to boot, meaning these engines had a tendency to self destruct. All these factors contributed to a steep maintenance and upkeep cost of these schools.^[1]

In 1963, Geoff Clarke; the owner of Motor Racing Stables, moved his racing school to the Brands Hatch circuit. This brought him in contact with John Webb; Managing Director of Developments at Brands Hatch. At about this time, two of the school’s Lotus Formula Junior chassis were fitted with a stock 1498cc Ford pushrod engine as featured in the recently introduced Cortina GT sedan. The 1500 Cortina, with its sensational reliability and horsepower output fairly close to “F3 proper” proved a resounding success in the school. The earliest experiments with radial tires bore fruit as well: the students of the day didn’t care that these weren’t the racing engines or racing tires, just that the cars were equal.^[2]

At an informal meeting at the December 1966 racing car show day at Olympia, John Webb and Geoff Clarke were discussing the possibility of building a fleet of identical open wheel race cars based on the success of combining the Ford power plant and road wheels, radial tires, and Formula junior style chassis. Not only would they make ideal school cars, but would also provide a new entry level formula for a race series. They felt if they called it “Formula Ford” they could get backing from Ford itself. Webb was on the phone the next day to Ford competition manager Henry Taylor, who agreed to provide Clarke and MRS with 54 Cortina GT engines at £50 each (£15 below retail). Webb also approached the Royal Automobile Club’s competition director, to establish rules for this new class. Late in 1967, Ford announced the new Formula Ford class to the world.^[3]

Rules: (reprinted from May ‘67 issue of R.A.C. Motor Sport Bulletin)^[2]:

1. Type of Car – This formula is open to single seat cars with open coach work as defined by the F.I.A. for Formula 1, 2, and 3 and complying with R.A.C. Vehicle Regulations.

2. Engine and Ancillaries – Standard normal specification Cortina GT engine. All standard parts to be used with the exception of the air cleaner (which may be removed and substituted by a ‘trumpet’),

carburetor jets, spark plugs. Exhaust manifold, oil sump and pump (‘dry sump’ is allowed). Re-boring is permitted using production pistons to a limit of .015. The only modification is allowed if balancing and polishing but the compression ratio must not exceed 9:5:1 (total combustion space to be not less than 44.2cc per cylinder). The dimensions of all moving parts must be within standard Ford production tolerances.

3. Electrical Equipment – Standard dynamo and starter to be retained in working order. Diameter of dynamo driver pulley free.

4. Cooling – Radiator, fan and water pump free.

5. Gearbox – Not more than four forward speeds and one reverse (which must be operable from the driving seat) but otherwise free.

6. Flywheel – Standard Cortina GT.

7. Clutch – Free including attachment to flywheel.

8. Drive – Rear-wheel drive only, final drive ratio free, but torque biasing differential not allowed.

9. Steering Gear – Free.

10. Wheels – Only steel disc type with a maximum rim width of 5.5 in.

11. Brakes – Only Standard parts from any homologated Group II car(s) allowed, except for drums or discs or linings.

12. Fuel Pump – Free.

13. Chassis – Of tubular construction with no stress-bearing panels except bulkheads and undertray, but the curvature of the undertray must be limited to a maximum of 1in. tubes may be transport

liquids if required.

14. Body – Free within limits of 1.

15. Fuel Tanks – Free.

16. Suspension and Running Gear – Free except that all parts are steel except springs, hub adaptors, rear hub carriers and bearing bushes the materials which are free.

17. Shock absorbers – Free.

18. Tyres – Racing tyres are not allowed-otherwise free within standard production retail range as specified in Section 1 of R.A.C. Tyre Regulations.

19. Weight – Minimum weight of 400kgs (881.6lbs).

20. Cost – not to exceed £1,000 retail complete running order.

21. Eligibility – No driver who has competed in an International Formula 1 or Formula 2 race may participate.

Geoff Clarke then set about approaching existing race car constructors to build the first Formula Fords. Both Bruce McLaren and Jack Brabham turned down the idea; Colin Chapman however dusted off the then obsolete Lotus 31 Chassis and reinvented it as the Lotus 51. He agreed to provide the first of two 25 car batches at £850 per car. The only stipulation Chapman had was that a Renault gear box was used. This proved to be fundamental weak point in the drive train. Difficulty with the Renault transmission resulted in a failure to continue with the second batch of cars for MRS.

Jim Russell approached Colin Chapman to supply Formula Ford cars for his own school. Chapman insisted Russell match Clarke’s 50 car order; Russell would only commit to 10 cars so the deal fell through. Russell then approached Allan Taylor who built the Alexis car and a deal was struck to jointly produce the Russell-Alexis. This car had the Hewland racing gear box which made the car more expensive (£999), but was more reliable and allowed interchangeable ratios.^[4]

The first standalone Formula Ford race took place at Brands Hatch on July 2, 1967. Of the 20 cars that competed, 10 were MRS Lotus 51’s, including the eventual winner, Ray Allan. The Russell-Alexis car demonstrated its superiority by winning its debut race in August 1967 and by 1968 54 Russell-Alexis had been sold. Based on this success Jim Russell opened 2 more racing schools in Britain, another in Canada, and another in the United States.

Chapman and his Lotus 51 did recover, replacing the troublesome Renault gear box with the Hewland unit, even claiming Jim Russell as a customer in 1968. 1968 also saw the debut of Meryln as a Formula Ford constructor, dominating sales for that year. Other new manufactures included Crossle, Dulon, Elden, Hawke, and Royale, together with existing constructors such as Brabham choosing to build a Formula Ford chassis.

As the production Ford Cortina engine evolved to a new 1600cc crossflow unit, so did the Formula Ford regulations. Increasing costs forced them to relax the £1,000 price ceiling on Formula Ford as blueprinting of the engine was now allowed.^[5]

Belgium hosted the first race outside England, in 1967. Formula Ford racing quickly spread across Europe and North America, with the first official Formula Ford race in the United States on March 23, 1969. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, Formula Ford had established itself as a direct path to a seat on a Formula 1 car, the highest level in open wheel motorsport. Australian Tim Schenken won over 2 dozen Formula Ford races in 1968, two years later he was driving a Formula 1 car for Frank Williams. Emerson Fittipaldi impressed during the 1970 Formula 1 Grand Prix Season after a short stint in Formula Ford. In 1970, he became the first Formula Ford graduate to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix. In 1972, he became the first Formula Ford graduate to win the Formula 1 World Championship.

Features of Formula Ford[link]

Formula Ford is not a one-make championship. It allows freedom of chassis design, engine build and numerous technical items of specification on the car. This opens the door to many chassis manufacturers, large and small. Many other single-seater formulae impose fixed specifications. Only two other professional single seater racing formulae in the world offer the same freedom of chassis and engine build: Formula Three and Formula One.

The Formula today[link]

Formula Ford racing exists in two main forms: National Series for aspiring 'career' drivers run around the world which have used the 1600 Duratec engine, (which replaced the heavier but not significantly more powerful Zetec engine in 2006), and for 2012 are beginning to adopt the new Ecoboost 1600 turbo engine; and a mainly amateur, club-racing series attracting serious enthusiasts using the now elderly 1600 Kent Engine with which the formula ran from the mid-1960s to mid-1990s. Whatever the engine of the Formula Ford car, it has long provided a relatively inexpensive way for drivers to race purpose-built racecars. There are many Formula Ford 1600 series for drivers of the older Kent-powered cars.

A Formula Ford car is one of the more distinctive-looking open-wheel race cars because it does not have wings to create aerodynamic downforce. Top speeds in the National Class are easily as high as in the other Junior Formulae of BMW and Renault, but cornering speeds tend to be lower as Formula Ford cars lack the downforce-producing aerodynamic aids on the other cars; handling is therefore entirely down to mechanical grip, and the lack of wings ensures that cars following another are not aerodynamically disadvantaged, allowing some of the closest racing with plenty of overtaking. Series' rules may permit slick or treaded tires, generally supplied either by Dunlop or Avon. As the rules limit engine modifications, all cars are relatively equal racing results tend to be close. Formula Fords allow suspension, damping, gearing and braking bias changes, but not aerodynamic options such as winged cars.

Many famous race drivers have used the formula as a step up to international competitions. For example, Eddie Irvine and Jenson Button were both British Formula Ford champions; and Danica Patrick, the first female to win a major race in the IndyCar Series on a closed course, finished second in the British Formula Ford Festival early in her career. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Emerson Fittipaldi and Jody Scheckter were both competing in Grands Prix within a year or so of starting Formula Ford in Britain.

The 2012 Formula Ford Ecoboost car[link]

2012 Formula Ford Ecoboost

2012 Formula Ford Ecoboost

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A new Formula Ford car is expected to be introduced in 2012. Unlike its predecessor that has NA engines and manual gearboxes, the car will be utilising power from a turbocharged Ford EcoBoost engine and a sequential gearbox. The new car is expected to have 165PS, with identical engine calibration for every competitors' cars.

The car's chassis remains a steel spaceframe construction, with free chassis design open to all manufacturers. New to the car is its compliance with Formula Three safety standards, which involves mandatory crash structures, side-impact panels running the full height and length of the cockpit, an FIA-specified headrest and an extricable safety seat.

In addition to the safety enhancements, some mandatory elements of bodywork shape have also been introduced. These will define the shape, size and orientation of the sidepod air intakes and the roll-hoop cover. By mandating these the frontal areas will be equalised between different manufacturers, removing the potential for significant aerodynamic advantage, making driving ability and the skills of engineers and designers in car set-up the major factors.

Ford Championships around the world[link]

Championships for Formula Fords are run in many countries around the world. The major one is the British Formula Ford Championship operated by RacingLine Ltd, but there are thriving series of note in Australia,^[6] Holland, Scandinavia, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, Asia, and South Africa. Each run to essentially the same rules and regulations, with minor variations for local conditions.

In 2011 a Formula Ford Eurcup was introduced, inviting the best drivers from the Dutch, British and Scandinavian championships to race together at some prestigious circuits. The series visited Spa, Zandvoort, Brands Hatch Grand Prix and Zolder to form the four stand-alone rounds.

Formula Ford winner at the 2009 U.S. SCCA National Championship Runoffs

• Asian Formula Ford Championships^[7]
• Australian Formula Ford Championship^[8]
  • State Championships are also held in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.^[9]
• British Formula Ford Championship^[10]
• Canadian Formula Ford Challenge^[11]
• Danish Formula Ford Challenge
• Dutch and Benelux Formula Ford Championships^[12]
• F2000 Championship Series^[13] (United States - East, with one Canadian round)
• Finnish Formula Ford Championship^[14]
• Formula Ford EuroCup
• Formula Ford Festival
• New Zealand Formula Ford Championship^[15]
• North European Formula Ford Championship^[16]
• Ontario Formula Ford Championship (Canada)
• Pacific Formula Ford 2000 Championship^[17] (California, with one Nevada round)
• Québec Formula Tour 1600^[18] (Canada)
• Scandinavian Formula Ford championship
• South African Formula Ford Championship^[19]
• U.S. F2000 National Championship

Chassis[link]

Van Diemen RF01 Formula Ford Chassis

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

In order to reduce cost and allow smaller manufacturers to produce their own design of chassis without prohibitive tooling costs, chassis are steel space-frame, unlike the monocoques found in other types of single seater racing. The more popular marques as of 2011^[update] were Van Diemen, Mygale and the Australian-built Spectrum, but smaller manufacturers such as Ray and Vector have had some success. In the United States in the early twentyfirst century Pipers also raced with strong results. Historical designers who have made a mark on the series have included: Titan, Lotus, Merlyn, Hawke, Citation, Swift, Euroswift, Elden, Reynard, Crosslé, Lola, Zink, Bowin, Royale, and Cooper Racing.

Engine[link]

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Formula Ford racing cars can be fitted with different engines. After some very early races with the 1500 cc Ford Cortina GT engine, the formula rapidly adopted the OHV 1600 cc Ford Kent engine, using production blocks with little special preparation. In 1993 Ford replaced its Kent block engine with the more modern and more powerful 1800 cc 16-valve Zetec. The advent of the Zetec created a new class of Formula Ford cars popular in some countries, although the increased weight of the engine was felt to adversely affect the handling of the cars^{[citation needed]}. The formula originally mandated production gearboxes, wheels and tyres (and a maximum cost for the rolling chassis, although this was long since abandoned), but Formula Fords later used racing gearboxes and, in some championships, slick tyres.

For the 2006 season the Zetec engine was superseded by the 1600 cc, DOHC 16v Duratec engine. The Zetec was criticized by engineers and designers as less than ideal because of its bulk and weight. The move to Duratecs brought Formula Ford back to using 1.6 L capacity motors. Despite the capacity decrease, at up to 160PS the newer engines were more powerful than the Zetecs, and weigh 20 kilograms (44 lb) less, reducing overall weight and increasing performance significantly.

For 2012 the fourth engine generation is launched with the Ecoboost 1600 direct-injection turbo engine. By far the most technologically advanced engine in the history of the Formula, it uses controlled engine mapping to deliver around 165 bhp for all cars. As a modern, high performance engine, the engine runs well within its manufacturing tolerances, which should ensure greater reliability and lower maintenance costs than any of its predecessors. It also means, for the first time in the history of the Formula, that all of the engine's internals will be standard production parts.

The Sports Car Club of America approved Honda's 1500cc Fit engine for use in Formula Ford, or Formula F as it must be called, in 2010.^[20][21]

Administration[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

This article or section appears to contradict itself. Please see the talk page for more information. (January 2010)

Ford Motorsport administers some of the national Formula Ford championships around the world, and continue to control the Technical Regulations for all cars globally. The older Kent-engined cars are very popular with club racers, providing the ground for several organizations to run their own series. Many racing schools offer driver training in Formula Ford cars. However, in many countries, Formula BMW and Formula Renault Campus had superseded Formula Ford as the main entry level class in the mid-2000s; the demise of Formula BMW in Europe after only a few years of operation caused somewhat of a resurgence in support for the Ford grids. In the UK there are many club-level regional series aimed at the amateur enthusiast, as well as championships for older Fords. So popular is the Kent engine around the world that Ford Motorsport recently restarted a limited production of the increasingly hard to source engine blocks: for a major motor manufacturer to restart output of a 40 year old design just shows how well-established the formula still is.

For many years the highlight of the Formula Ford season was the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, England. Entries of several hundred cars from all over the Formula Ford world were common into the 1990s, with racers competing in knockout heats to decide the grid for a grand final. Entries later declined, and later Festivals struggled to attract more than 40-50 cars, enough for two heats and a final dash. More "historic" FF1600 cars had been turning up for the supporting races than contemporary Zetecs, however in 2006 the Festival saw the Duratec engine for the first time thereby having a final for all 3 marques at one meeting for the first time. The Walter Hayes Trophy now recognises the continuing interest in 1600cc 'Kent' Formula Ford and attracted over 150 entries in 2006, including several drivers who more commonly compete in much more senior formulae.

Related Formula[link]

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Reynard Formula Ford 2000 at the Nürburgring in 1985

Formula Ford has given birth to several other categories of racing: Formula Ford 2000 evolved in the 1970s to use a Pinto engine and, although it used basically Formula Ford chassis, permitted use of slicks and wings; it was seen as a natural step up from the 1600cc formula and a stepping stone to categories such as Formula Three. Formula Ford 2000 engines and transmissions were married to sports-racing chassis to produce Sports 2000.

Older Formula Fords, with outboard shock absorbers, race in the United States as Club Formula Fords in SCCA and other club racing series.

Formula 100 was an unsuccessful attempt in the late 1960s to create a sportscar category related to Formula Ford but using a 1300 cc Ford engine; the cars were heavy and slow. The proposed Formula Turbo Ford, an attempt to update FF2000, of the mid-1980s was limited to one Reynard that ran a few demonstration laps.

Formula Ford remains popular in its 1600 cc form—the cars are widely raced, sprinted and hillclimbed. Formula Continental is also a popular choice in the USA and Canada. The class provides a venue for Formula Ford 2000 as well as the earlier Formula C (1100 cc pure racing engine) and Formula Super Vee (production-based VW engines) cars. Formula Continental cars employ aerodynamic effects (front and rear wings).

However, the inherent danger of motorsport shows has been underscored by a number of devastating crashes, most famously the crash of 19-year-old driver Lucas Dumbrell at the Oran Park Raceway in 2008. The incident occurred on the second lap of a 12-lap Formula Ford race which preceded the V8 Supercar championship race. The safety car had been deployed, causing the pack leaders to slow down as they rounded a dog-leg. However, seconds later, cars in the back half of the track were unaware of the yellow flag having been raised and had not slowed down, resulting in Dumbrell running over the back of a competitor and rolling his car.^[22] Dumbrell suffered severe spinal injuries that left him a quadriplegic.^[23]

References[link]

External links[link]

• British Formula Ford

David Coulthard

Born	(1971-03-27) 27 March 1971 (age 41)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	British
Active years	1994–2008
Teams	Williams, McLaren, Red Bull
Races	247 (246 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	13
Podiums	62
Career points	535
Pole positions	12
Fastest laps	18
First race	1994 Spanish Grand Prix
First win	1995 Portuguese Grand Prix
Last win	2003 Australian Grand Prix
Last race	2008 Brazilian Grand Prix

David Marshall Coulthard, MBE, (/ˈkoʊlθɑrt/; born 27 March 1971,^[1], often known as DC, is a Scottish former Formula One racing driver .^[2]

Coulthard, who was born and raised in Twynholm,^[3][4] made his Formula One debut in 1994 and won 13 Grands Prix in a career spanning 15 seasons. Twice a winner in Monaco, Coulthard was team-mate to Mika Häkkinen in the Finn's two Drivers' Championship-winning seasons for McLaren Mercedes before helping establish the Red Bull team. His best Drivers' Championship finish was second in 2001.

After retiring from racing in Formula One, Coulthard continued to be involved with the Red Bull Racing team as a consultant,^[5] as well as joining the BBC as a Television commentator and pundit. He returned as an active driver in the DTM series for 2010, piloting a 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class for Mücke Motorsport. He has finished in 16th position in the drivers championship in both years of competing in the series.^[6]

Pre-Formula One[link]

Coulthard's Formula 3000 car which he drove for Pacific Racing in the 1993 season

Coulthard began karting as soon as he was permitted, at the age of 11. He raced karts for six years, moving south once he had started to win local championships.^[7] He regarded Rowrah, in Cumbria, as his home circuit. It was there that he won the Cumbria Kart Racing Club championship in 1985, a year after Allan McNish.^[8] McNish credited the start given to him, David Coulthard, and Dario Franchitti largely to David Leslie, senior and junior.^[1]

In 1989, Coulthard started racing in Formula Ford,^[3] winning the first ever McLaren/Autosport Young Driver of the Year award. A broken leg at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps put an end to his 1990 racing season, although by the end of that year he was testing for McLaren. He returned the following year to win the Marlboro Masters race at Zandvoort and the Macau Grand Prix. In 1992, he finished ninth in the Formula 3000 series. The following year he improved to third overall.

Formula One[link]

1994–1995: Williams[link]

Coulthard driving for the Williams team at the 1994 British Grand Prix.

Coulthard driving for Williams at the 1995 British Grand Prix.

In 1993, Coulthard became test driver for the world champion Formula One team Williams-Renault. He retained his role the following year until, after Ayrton Senna's death at Imola, he was brought in to partner Damon Hill for the Spanish Grand Prix. In eight of the remaining races he drove the second car. However, Nigel Mansell drove instead at Magny-Cours and at the last three races of the season. Renault were keen to have a big name in the second Williams,^{[citation needed]} and Mansell, at that time reigning Indycar champion, fitted the bill. Despite fastest laps at the German and Portuguese Grands Prix, Coulthard finished on the podium only once when he finished second at Estoril.

Coulthard had intended to race for McLaren in 1995 but, on 14 December 1994, the FIA Contract Recognition Board ruled that "Williams Grand Prix Engineering Ltd. is the team entitled to the services of Mr. David Coulthard for the 1995 FIA Formula One World Championship season."^[9][10]

Coulthard's first victory came at the 1995 Portuguese Grand Prix. Despite never finishing below fourth place, and scoring five pole positions (four of them consecutively), his eight retirements due to poor luck and some unforced errors tarnished his season. By July of that year^{[citation needed]}, Coulthard had already signed for McLaren, with whom he would drive alongside Mika Häkkinen.

1996–2004: McLaren[link]

Coulthard driving for the McLaren team at the 1998 Canadian Grand Prix.

During the 1996 season McLaren cars finished on the podium only five times, as the Mercedes-powered cars were simply not fast enough. Coulthard's car retired from races on seven occasions. He led at Imola and lost out to Olivier Panis at Monaco.

In his second year with McLaren, Coulthard finished the 1997 Drivers' Championship in third place (following Schumacher's disqualification),^[11] tied on points with Jean Alesi. He had won the Australian and Italian Grands Prix as well as recording the fastest lap at the race in Montréal. He had been leading in Canada, but was delayed for over a lap by a clutch problem during his second pit stop. Minutes later Panis crashed, causing the race to be stopped. Had Coulthard's car not stalled, victory would have been his.^[12]

At the last race of the season in Jerez, Coulthard was obliged by team orders to concede second place to Häkkinen with three laps to go. Villeneuve needed to finish the race to win that year's drivers' championship in a car which was underperforming following a lap 48 collision with Schumacher. He gave way to the two McLarens on the final lap, with Coulthard reported to be "not bubbling with joy after the event... Häkkinen himself was speechless and made little sense after the race."^[13]

In 1998, McLaren cars won nine of the races, but it was Häkkinen who won eight of those and who took that year's title. Coulthard's only victory of the season was at the San Marino race. He finished second behind his team-mate five times.

Coulthard driving for McLaren at the 1999 Canadian Grand Prix.

Once again in 1999, bad luck and unreliability were blamed^{[by whom?]} for Coulthard finishing the season only in fourth place, with two wins among his six podium finishes. However his teammate, Häkkinen, was able to win his second consecutive drivers' championship. McLaren lost the constructors' title to Ferrari.

In 2000, he was involved in a tight battle for the drivers' championship with Schumacher and Häkkinen, but eventually fell out of contention into a third place finish. In 2001, he finished the year in second place, but with barely half the points (65) tallied by runaway winner Schumacher (123). Coulthard extended his contract with McLaren in 2002^[14] but his subsequent years with the team, to 2004, were disappointing as well, as he was regularly out-paced by younger teammate Kimi Räikkönen. Many of Coulthard's critics argue that his decline began early in the new millennium.^[15][16][17] In 2003 the FIA introduced the single-lap qualifying format. Since his Formula Three days, Coulthard had the reputation of being a poor qualifier. He openly admitted that he did not like the format and was a vocal opponent of it.^{[citation needed]} With the announcement that Juan Pablo Montoya was to join McLaren in 2005 alongside Räikkönen, 2004 was to be Coulthard's last year with the team. A poor tenth place finish in the final 2004 standings (24 points, equal with the injured Ralf Schumacher) had not helped Coulthard's cause for 2005 either.

In 2010 while working on air for the BBC F1 coverage, he admitted that Ferrari had approached him for a drive while he was racing with McLaren. He turned down the offer, because he realised that if he was in the lead of a Grand Prix race and Michael Schumacher was behind him, he would have to move out the way to let him through.^[18][19]

2005–2008: Red Bull[link]

Red Bull Racing were attracted by Coulthard's experience and signed him for the 2005 Formula One season. He was teamed with the inexperienced Christian Klien and Vitantonio Liuzzi. Coulthard's contract at Red Bull Racing was also extended prior to the 2005 British Grand Prix, prolonging his Formula One career to at least the end of 2006.

Coulthard at the 2007 Italian Grand Prix.

For 2006, Coulthard continued at Red Bull, partnered again with Christian Klien. The team were powered by Ferrari engines, with a contract for Renault engines agreed for 2007 during the 2006 season. Technical director Adrian Newey joined the team from McLaren to design the 2007 car. These positive developments led Coulthard to state that he wished to remain with the team after the 2006 season, and to add to his victory tally with them.^{[citation needed]} On 7 August 2006, the day after the Hungarian Grand Prix where Coulthard finished 5th, it was announced the he had extended his contract with Red Bull Racing for 2007 and would be teamed up with Mark Webber.^[20]

Coulthard is as of November 2011^[update] the highest-scoring British driver ever with 535 points, beating Nigel Mansell's previous record of 482 points. At the 2006 Spanish Grand Prix he also became the 8th member of Formula One's "200 Club",^[21][22] joining Riccardo Patrese, Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello, Gerhard Berger, Andrea de Cesaris, Nelson Piquet and Jean Alesi in the list of drivers to have started 200 Grands Prix (Alain Prost and Michele Alboreto entered 202 and 215 races but started fewer). In the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix, Coulthard scored his first podium finish with Red Bull Racing, his best result with the team and also the team's first podium finish. During the trophy presentation, Coulthard wore a red cape as the team was promoting the film "Superman Returns".

After a slow start to the 2007 season, Coulthard delivered two strong drives at the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Spanish Grand Prix where he picked up the team's first points of the season. On 6 July 2007, Red Bull Racing announced that Coulthard's contract had been extended to the end of 2008.^[23]

Coulthard driving for RBR at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix, where he scored his second podium finish for the team

Coulthard had a bad start to his 2008 campaign after a racing incident with Felipe Massa. In a live post-incident interview with ITV's Louise Goodman, he expressed dissatisfaction with Massa's aggressive on-track behaviour.

"I know I screwed up the same way with Alex [Wurz] last year, and took full responsibility for it, and I would expect Felipe to do the same. If he doesn't, I'm going to kick three colours of shit out of the little bastard."
David Coulthard, 2008, after tangling with Felipe Massa.^[24]

At the second race in Malaysia, Coulthard suffered a bad suspension failure which saw his Red Bull team investigated for car safety. Although cleared to drive, the lack of testing time had a negative impact on his race performance and he managed only a 9th place finish. Despite a series of poor performances over the course of the 2008 season, he came back and managed to secure a hard-fought 3rd place at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix, the 62nd podium finish of his Formula One career.

On the Thursday before the 2008 British Grand Prix, Coulthard announced that he would retire at the end of the season, but would remain at Red Bull as a consultant. He retired on the first lap after colliding with Sebastian Vettel, the driver who would replace him at Red Bull in 2009, in his last British Grand Prix.^[25]

For Coulthard's final race, he competed in a car with a one-off livery promoting the charity "Wings for Life". In the event, Coulthard retired in the second corner on the first lap after he was hit from behind by Kazuki Nakajima in the Williams. In his final website blog before the race, Coulthard said, "I was thinking of asking the drivers to keep well clear of me into turn 1 to give me a better chance of finishing my last GP but I know all too well that when the lights go out racing instincts take over."^[26]

Helmet[link]

Coulthard's helmet is blue with a white saltire on the top (resembling the Scottish flag) with its 4 tips trepassing from the top to the chin area. At McLaren a white ring was added around the top. When he joined Red Bull a dark blue line was added in the middle to highlight Red Bull's logo. At the Japanese GP in 2007 he wore a grey helmet with a stylized saltire in its sides as an homage to the late Colin McRae.

Post-Formula One[link]

Coulthard made his DTM début at Hockenheim in 2010.

Race of Champions[link]

At the 2008 Race of Champions, Coulthard made the final only to lose out to Sébastien Loeb. He made the quarter-finals in both 2009 and in 2011, his sixth participation in the end-of-season competition.^[27]

BBC[link]

From 2009, Coulthard has worked on the BBC's F1 coverage as an expert summariser (pundit).^[28] From the 2011 season onwards he also became a co-commentator initially to Martin Brundle and then to Ben Edwards. He was also the Red Bull Racing reserve driver for the first two Grands Prix of the 2009 season and is remaining with the team as a consultant and demonstration driver.^[29]

At certain Grands Prix in 2010, when regular Red Bull and Toro Rosso reserve drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Brendon Hartley competed elsewhere in the 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 Series season, Coulthard was available to step in as reserve driver.^[30]

DTM[link]

In 2010, Coulthard competed in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, driving a 2008-spec Mercedes C-Class run by Mücke Motorsport.^[31] It was announced on 8 April 2011 that Coulthard would again race the C-Class for Mücke Motorsport in the DTM, with Ralf Schumacher as his team-mate.^[32]

Coulthard was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours.^[33]

Personal life[link]

Coulthard has lived for some time in Monaco, and also owns homes in London, Belgium and Switzerland.^[34] He owns several luxury hotels in Britain and is a former owner of the Columbus Hotel Monaco, which is located in Monaco's Fontvieille.^[35]

On 2 May 2000, while he was leasing the Learjet of friend David Murray, the aeroplane developed engine trouble en route to Côte d'Azur International Airport in Nice, and crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Lyon-Satolas airport, France. Coulthard, his then-girlfriend the American model Heidi Wichlinski and personal trainer/bodyguard Andy Matthews survived; Murray's personal pilot David Saunders and co-pilot Dan Worley died.^[36] Coulthard and Wichlinski ended their relationship before the beginning of the 2001 season, which was followed with a series of inaccurate newspaper reports about alleged affairs with other women.^[37]

Coulthard was involved in a four year relationship with Brazilian model Simone Abdelnour,^[38] before ending the relationship in 2005. Coulthard became engaged to Karen Minier, a Belgian Formula One correspondent for French TV channel TF1, on 2 June 2006. The couple planned to marry "in the near future".^[38] Coulthard and Minier had their first child, Dayton Minier Coulthard, on 20 November 2008 weighing 2.8 kilograms (6 lb 3 oz).^[39] Karen and Dayton initially continued to live in Brussels,^[40] before moving to Monaco with her daughter from a previous relationship.

The museum in his home village dedicated to Coulthard is currently independently run by local fan Wendy McKenzie, after previously being run by Coulthard's family. It is now the home of the "Twynosi" (a cross between Twynholm and the Italian word for "fans", tifosi, as used by Ferrari fans), who gather on race days.^[41] He released his autobiography in 2007, entitled It is What It Is. In it, he stated that he had suffered from bulimia as a teenager, caused by the need to lose weight when competing in karting championships.^[42] In 2008, Coulthard acted as best man at the wedding of Chris Hughes and actress/presenter Amanda Holden.^[43]

Coulthard's second cousin, New Zealander Fabian Coulthard, is also a racing driver,^[44] and has won several junior championships. He is currently racing in the Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series for Brad Jones Racing.

Racing record[link]

Career summary[link]

^* Season in progress.

Complete International Formula 3000 results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula One results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)