David Coulthard Interview - Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, Red Bull & More

Inside Line F1 Podcast's Soumil Arora is in conversation with David Coulthard - about life and philosophy of Formula 1. He explains his relationship with Christian Horner & Mercedes, retiring from Formula 1 (and Red Bull Racing) a season before the team started winning, Adrian Newey and more.

(Season 2023, Episode 14)

Follow our host on Twitter: Soumil Arora

Image courtesy: Red Bull Content Pool

# Inside Line F1 Podcast Episode 14: David Coulthard Interview

**Summary:**

In this episode of the Inside Line F1 podcast, host Soumil Arora engages in a captivating conversation with David Coulthard (DC), a legendary Formula One driver and current Red Bull Racing ambassador. DC shares his insights on various aspects of his career, including his relationship with Christian Horner, the transition from McLaren to Red Bull Racing, his racing driver psychology, and his involvement in promoting opportunities for women in motorsport.

**Key Points:**

- **Christian Horner's Leadership:** DC acknowledges Christian Horner's managerial skills and human touch, emphasizing his ability to create a positive team environment and foster strong relationships with team members.

- **Transition from McLaren to Red Bull Racing:** DC discusses the challenges of moving from a race-winning team like McLaren to a midfield team like Red Bull Racing. He highlights the need for mental adjustment and the importance of patience and perseverance in building a successful team.

- **Racing Driver Psychology:** DC reflects on his remarkable resilience and determination in the face of adversity, particularly after his plane crash and the tragic death of Ayrton Senna. He emphasizes the significance of passion, commitment, and the ability to overcome doubt and fear in the pursuit of racing goals.

- **W Series and Women in Motorsport:** DC expresses his support for initiatives like the W Series and More Than Equal, which aim to create opportunities for women in motorsport. He believes that shaking the traditional male-dominated tree is essential for identifying and nurturing female talent in driving, engineering, and other roles within the sport.

- **The Future of Women in F1:** DC remains optimistic about the future of women in Formula One, acknowledging the progress made by the W Series and the F1 Academy in providing platforms for female drivers. He emphasizes the need for continued support and investment to ensure that talented women have equal opportunities to succeed in the sport.

**Overall Message:**

David Coulthard's interview offers a glimpse into the mindset and experiences of a successful Formula One driver, highlighting the importance of resilience, adaptability, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. His insights on the challenges and opportunities faced by women in motorsport underscore the need for ongoing efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the sport.

[00:00.000 -> 00:24.780] Hey there folks and welcome to this super special episode of the Inside Line F1 podcast.
[00:24.780 -> 00:28.800] My name is Somal Arora and I am the host of the Indian Racing League broadcasts on Star
[00:28.800 -> 00:34.280] Sports and you've read it right, David Kulthar is on the show.
[00:34.280 -> 00:39.640] Last month DC came to India for his fantastic Red Bull Racing showrun where he tore up the
[00:39.640 -> 00:44.700] streets of Mumbai with a 2011 championship winning car and Red Bull India were kind enough
[00:44.700 -> 00:45.200] to give us
[00:45.200 -> 00:51.040] exclusive access to DC to speak about a lot of things about his Formula 1 career and also what
[00:51.040 -> 00:56.000] he looks forward to in the future and so firstly I'd like to express my gratitude to them for
[00:56.000 -> 01:01.920] allowing us the time with DC but when we had DC on the show ah there was just so many fun things
[01:01.920 -> 01:05.480] to discuss we started off by talking about Christian Horner
[01:05.480 -> 01:08.360] and what was it like to actually be hired by someone
[01:08.360 -> 01:11.560] who was younger than you and still running the entire team?
[01:11.560 -> 01:13.760] Were the doubts ever creeping up on DC?
[01:13.760 -> 01:17.680] Then, what was the transition like to switch from a race-winning team in McLaren
[01:17.680 -> 01:18.960] to Red Bull Racing?
[01:18.960 -> 01:22.320] How does a racing driver actually adapt their expectations and
[01:22.320 -> 01:28.880] suddenly go from fighting for podiums every weekend to then being fighting for points in the midfield and finally we
[01:28.880 -> 01:33.000] also get to talk about his racing driver psychology about how he deals with
[01:33.000 -> 01:38.120] tragic incidents like those of his unfortunate plane crash and also the
[01:38.120 -> 01:41.680] pressure of stepping up to the Williams team when Ayrton Senna unfortunately
[01:41.680 -> 01:45.000] passed away. All of this and more is going to be a part of this episode.
[01:45.000 -> 01:48.000] But if it's your first time listening to the Inside Line F1 podcast,
[01:48.000 -> 01:51.000] welcome and I hope you have a fun time.
[01:51.000 -> 01:52.000] Let's listen in to DC.
[01:54.000 -> 01:56.000] Well DC, it's amazing to have you in person.
[01:56.000 -> 01:58.000] Thank you so much for taking the time to join us right here.
[01:58.000 -> 02:03.000] It's amazing to see your affiliation with repair racing continuing so well into the future as well.
[02:03.000 -> 02:07.600] It's been so many years since you stopped driving for them. but all these show runs come about and you just feel the romance between
[02:07.600 -> 02:12.000] the two of you. But I want to take it back to the very start because we're now seeing a stage where
[02:12.000 -> 02:16.320] Red Bull Racing are kind of at unprecedented dominance and Christian Oner has been at the
[02:16.320 -> 02:21.440] forefront of all of it. Back when you joined the team, Christian was two years younger than you.
[02:21.440 -> 02:28.160] Now, was that a weird time for you? And what were your initial impressions of him? Because surely there must have been a little bit of a doubt that someone who's younger
[02:28.160 -> 02:31.920] than me and he's running the team is really good enough. What were your first impressions of him
[02:31.920 -> 02:36.560] when you joined us? Yeah, I think it's a fair question, but the reality is Christian's a racer.
[02:36.560 -> 02:41.760] You know, we'd come up through the British karting system, so I was aware of Christian. I knew of him,
[02:41.760 -> 02:45.280] I'd watched him progress into cars, obviously behind my
[02:45.280 -> 02:51.960] journey and I knew of his Arden Formula 3000 team which was winning championships and you
[02:51.960 -> 02:57.160] know, it's a very small community, the motorsports world. So then to see that Christian was sort
[02:57.160 -> 03:03.040] of parachuted in as a new team principal was not at all concerning because you need in
[03:03.040 -> 03:06.960] the leader, you need someone someone understands the dynamic of racing.
[03:07.240 -> 03:09.320] There's lots of great business leaders out there.
[03:10.260 -> 03:14.840] But what I think sets formula one apart is the, the time constraints of making
[03:14.840 -> 03:21.760] decisions, the ability of teams to adapt, react, you know, pit stops are perfect
[03:21.760 -> 03:24.000] example of the sort of teamwork that goes on.
[03:24.000 -> 03:31.000] So, you know, I had no doubt that no doubt that Christian had the managerial skills to be able to operate the team, but
[03:31.000 -> 03:33.280] that's just part of the story.
[03:33.280 -> 03:39.200] What was lacking at that time was the technical skills to design and build a really strong
[03:39.200 -> 03:40.200] car.
[03:40.200 -> 03:46.600] But what we do have is a really strong hammer against the backdrop here, which we can hear banging in the background.
[03:46.600 -> 03:51.040] That's gonna be punctuating the sights and sounds of India.
[03:51.040 -> 03:52.880] No, exactly, that's just part of the whole experience,
[03:52.880 -> 03:53.800] let's put it that way.
[03:53.800 -> 03:56.840] But on the subject of Krishna and his managerial abilities,
[03:56.840 -> 03:59.200] we've seen it come to light with Drive to Survive.
[03:59.200 -> 04:00.860] People have seen him being very plucky
[04:00.860 -> 04:01.700] with all the other teams,
[04:01.700 -> 04:03.800] but there's gotta be something special about him
[04:03.800 -> 04:08.640] off the camera that we don't see. So what really sets him apart as a managerial talent for him?
[04:08.640 -> 04:14.640] His human skills. Krishan is a nice man. You know exactly where you stand with him. You know
[04:15.520 -> 04:19.680] what he expects and you know when he expects it but he's also got a sense of humour and he's got
[04:19.680 -> 04:29.040] a compassion that means that when we're not working all the time, there is a time to relax, there is a time to reflect, there is a time to celebrate. And some people
[04:29.040 -> 04:35.360] are just on all the time. And if I even reflect on my time at McLaren, you know,
[04:35.360 -> 04:39.320] Ayrton Senna was very successful there, Alan Pross, you know, Nicky Lauda, all
[04:39.320 -> 04:43.800] these these guys, and I was all under the leadership of Ron Dennis. Ron enjoyed
[04:43.800 -> 04:45.000] switching off,
[04:45.000 -> 04:47.000] which a lot of the media might not have seen.
[04:47.000 -> 04:49.480] You know, he famously said to a press conference
[04:49.480 -> 04:51.040] that they make history
[04:51.040 -> 04:53.200] and that the journalists only write about it,
[04:53.200 -> 04:56.400] which alienated him from most of the media
[04:56.400 -> 04:58.560] who were hardworking professional individuals.
[04:58.560 -> 05:00.880] But it's what a lot of the time you don't see,
[05:00.880 -> 05:02.880] which is some of the strongest human skills
[05:02.880 -> 05:04.960] that people like Christian have.
[05:04.960 -> 05:05.200] And then you had Adrian Newey coming in the mix as well. You think he was the silver bullet that changed the team? you don't see, which is some of the strongest human skills that people like Christian have.
[05:05.200 -> 05:08.640] And then you had Adrian Newey coming in the mix as well. You think he was the silver bullet
[05:08.640 -> 05:12.320] that changed the team? And how confident were you in the abilities? Because that's part
[05:12.320 -> 05:15.440] of the lead for him. When you go from McLaren to Red Bull Racing, there's also got to be
[05:15.440 -> 05:19.120] that mental switch when you've got to prepare yourself for not fighting for podiums every
[05:19.120 -> 05:23.280] week. How tricky is that for a racing driver who's basically from the start of their lives
[05:23.280 -> 05:25.240] been trained to compete for podiums and wins all along?
[05:25.240 -> 05:27.360] Well, it's part of a journey, it was part of the process.
[05:27.360 -> 05:32.240] I had nine seasons at McLaren and when that came to its natural conclusion, there was
[05:32.240 -> 05:37.720] limited opportunity within Formula One and limited interest, quite frankly, in where
[05:37.720 -> 05:39.440] I was in my career.
[05:39.440 -> 05:46.480] And I wasn't interested in the previous iteration of Bull Racing, which was Jaguar Racing. I just met with the management team,
[05:46.480 -> 05:51.000] and I just didn't believe that it was operating in a way
[05:51.000 -> 05:52.680] that could compete for victories.
[05:52.680 -> 05:56.200] But when Red Bull bought the team, that changed everything.
[05:56.200 -> 05:57.800] And that really created an opportunity
[05:57.800 -> 06:00.920] to see a route to progress.
[06:00.920 -> 06:03.160] And of course, none of these things happen quickly.
[06:03.160 -> 06:10.100] But when you believe, when you have the commitment both in human resource and financial resource.
[06:10.440 -> 06:28.280] What is not some magical world that is not over our planet it's a group of individuals that come together that have a common desire and ability to work as a team and that overtime is what you know enabled Red Bull to become a world championship winning team.
[06:28.760 -> 06:47.200] Just one question, I want to be really honest. You retired in 2008, Red Bull started winning races in 2009. I know it was a natural thing, something that came really naturally and you spoke very often of how satisfying it felt, but did it really irritate you a little bit, just a tiny sense here and there that, okay, I could have been winning races again. I stayed for one year.
[06:47.200 -> 06:51.920] You would think so, but the reality is I was done. I had 15 seasons in Formula 1. I'd been
[06:51.920 -> 06:57.280] a test driver for three years before that. I'd raced since I was 11 years old. I think that
[06:57.280 -> 07:01.280] for different drivers at different periods of their career, there's a point where
[07:02.400 -> 07:07.200] there is nothing more to give. It's not that you, you know, I can still drive a race car.
[07:07.200 -> 07:09.800] I just can't drive it with the same passion and commitment.
[07:09.800 -> 07:12.660] And I was running out of that passion and commitment.
[07:12.660 -> 07:14.320] And that is the time to retire.
[07:14.320 -> 07:17.200] And, you know, Sebastian Vettel was the coming man.
[07:17.200 -> 07:20.920] Mark Webber had already established himself alongside me
[07:20.920 -> 07:23.120] as a teammate and was a winning Grand Prix driver.
[07:23.120 -> 07:29.160] So yeah, it was the right time. And I'm proud of the work that we did prior to my retirement
[07:29.160 -> 07:33.560] and that is also part of this journey I have now with Red Bull Racing.
[07:33.560 -> 07:39.120] I'm still, let's say, an invited member of the family and I really appreciate that loyalty
[07:39.120 -> 07:43.240] and I have to acknowledge Mercedes in that respect.
[07:43.240 -> 07:46.200] It's been a long time since I won a Grand Prix
[07:46.200 -> 07:48.800] with Mercedes power, but I still am
[07:48.800 -> 07:52.160] treated as someone that won the first Grand Prix for them
[07:52.160 -> 07:54.880] in the modern era when I was at McLaren in 1997.
[07:54.880 -> 08:00.000] And that long-term respect and allowing you to be recognized
[08:00.000 -> 08:02.160] is what sets these great companies apart.
[08:02.160 -> 08:03.920] David, I want to focus a little bit on the racing driver
[08:03.920 -> 08:07.840] psychology, because we've often heard your famous story of having that unfortunate plane
[08:07.840 -> 08:12.880] crash and then getting to a podium just a week later. I'm amazed because normal people know
[08:12.880 -> 08:16.880] to have some doubts here and there but the way you described it in your interview so far it's
[08:16.880 -> 08:21.840] always been like there was no doubts whatsoever. I had to get back in. Do those thoughts just not
[08:21.840 -> 08:29.040] arrive or do you just squash them? What's the truth? It seems surreal to be honest. Yeah well of course that evening when I eventually got back to to my
[08:29.040 -> 08:37.040] home, you know several hours after the plane crash, it's the end of the day, it's a reflection,
[08:37.040 -> 08:41.840] was you lie in your bed and of course there was a moment where I had the sort of shiver of that
[08:41.840 -> 08:53.520] could have been it, you know, I could have been the end of my journey on so you have decisions to make and motor racing was still a key part of my life and there was no doubt in my mind that i wanted to.
[08:53.740 -> 09:12.980] Race i want to race as soon as possible did the only consideration i had was one of respect to the family because there is two pilots who are fathers and mothers and wives and children and it's tragic that they no longer able to fulfill their potential and their opportunity to be
[09:12.840 -> 09:28.500] sons and fathers and husbands but life is very close to linked to death as we all know so you know you have to dust yourself off be mindful of the feelings of others but continue to commit to the opportunity in the journey that you're on.
[09:28.500 -> 09:37.400] How do you do that because even in 94 when you actually made your property it was in unfortunate circumstances because Williams have one seat empty because Edmund unfortunately passed away.
[09:37.800 -> 09:44.300] It's a dangerous sport you know that all along but what do you tell yourself or do you tell anything to yourself at all?
[09:45.120 -> 09:49.520] What do you tell yourself? Do you tell anything to yourself at all? I guess everyone's different and there will be someone that would be able to give you a whole
[09:49.520 -> 09:54.560] chapter and verse on the psychology of how people go about making the decisions but
[09:55.120 -> 10:04.720] how I feel I make decisions is based on logic and research and work and there's no sort of magic
[10:07.920 -> 10:11.700] research and work and there's no sort of magic conversation with yourself in the mirror or something like that. It's like, can I physically do my
[10:11.700 -> 10:16.780] job? Is the motivation to do that job still overwhelming? Is the desire still
[10:16.780 -> 10:20.700] you know, it drives your first thought in the morning and your last
[10:20.700 -> 10:26.680] thought when you go to bed at night? And if the answer to that is yes, then you get on with the opportunity.
[10:26.680 -> 10:29.560] It's a gift to be on this planet,
[10:29.560 -> 10:31.400] and it's a gift to be given the opportunity
[10:31.400 -> 10:32.600] to be a professional sportsman.
[10:32.600 -> 10:35.520] So you don't play around with that gift,
[10:35.520 -> 10:38.240] and if you do, you're probably not absolutely focused
[10:38.240 -> 10:39.680] and absolutely committed.
[10:39.680 -> 10:40.520] That's amazing, man.
[10:40.520 -> 10:42.480] It's amazing to hear that part of your psychology.
[10:42.480 -> 10:44.360] But David, the last question I've got for you
[10:44.360 -> 10:46.900] is about your involvement with the W Series as well.
[10:46.900 -> 10:48.820] Now, that's unfortunately not happening this year,
[10:48.820 -> 10:50.860] but I want to thank you for creating that opportunity
[10:50.860 -> 10:53.460] for so many drivers and seeing the progression out there.
[10:53.460 -> 10:55.580] But with the F1 Academy now on,
[10:55.580 -> 10:57.140] what do you look at the future like?
[10:57.140 -> 10:58.260] What do you think is going to happen?
[10:58.260 -> 11:00.460] And do you think the W Series has really pushed things
[11:00.460 -> 11:03.660] forward and we've got somewhat of a solution here?
[11:03.660 -> 11:11.160] Yeah, I think W has definitely accelerated change. Clearly it hasn't had the same reception from
[11:11.160 -> 11:16.200] companies that invest in motorsport, which has been traditionally male dominated as we
[11:16.200 -> 11:21.520] hoped, but we've definitely kickstarted a massive change in the attitude towards giving
[11:21.520 -> 11:25.200] women opportunity in motorsport, whether it's in driving, whether it's in engineering,
[11:25.200 -> 11:29.760] mechanics, and likewise, we've created household names now.
[11:29.760 -> 11:32.560] You know, Naomi Schiff, who was part of W as a driver,
[11:32.560 -> 11:34.880] is now part of the Sky Broadcasting team
[11:34.880 -> 11:36.920] and works with F1 as well.
[11:36.920 -> 11:40.920] You know, we've got drivers that now are established
[11:40.920 -> 11:42.240] in other race championships
[11:42.240 -> 11:44.840] that weren't previously sort of spoken about.
[11:44.840 -> 11:49.760] So I think that all of that is because of W having shaken the tree,
[11:49.760 -> 11:51.760] Formula One now of course have the Academy,
[11:51.760 -> 11:56.760] which will continue to create opportunity and shine a spotlight on the female talent that's out there.
[11:56.760 -> 11:59.760] And I'm part of another initiative called More Than Equal,
[11:59.760 -> 12:05.760] which is really looking at grassroots to create an opportunity for whatever.
[12:06.160 -> 12:09.140] Young talent is out there, wherever they happen to be in the world.
[12:09.520 -> 12:13.920] If they show that they've got speeds, then we want to support them in a way
[12:13.920 -> 12:17.920] that a Lewis has been supported and a max has been supported because that's
[12:17.920 -> 12:22.760] the only way I believe that we can truly find out if there is a max
[12:22.760 -> 12:27.280] beater or a Lewis beater, there's a lot of men out there that aren't capable of that.
[12:27.280 -> 12:31.000] So, you know, it's going to be a journey for the women
[12:31.000 -> 12:34.320] because it's about getting more in
[12:34.320 -> 12:37.480] and, you know, the more that funnel into the system,
[12:37.480 -> 12:40.800] then naturally that's going to improve the whole process.
[12:40.800 -> 12:41.640] Awesome. Thank you.
[12:41.640 -> 12:42.480] Thanks so much for that David.
[12:42.480 -> 12:43.300] Thank you.
[12:46.000 -> 12:54.000] Now that was fun, wasn't it? I was particularly amazed to listen to his psychology and just what he says to himself after tragic events like his plane crash.
[12:54.000 -> 13:00.000] And so, I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode half as much as I enjoyed being a part of it in person.
[13:00.000 -> 13:03.000] Because, my word, I still have goosebumps thinking about it.
[13:03.000 -> 13:08.440] If in case it's your first time listening to the Insideline F1 podcast, welcome aboard folks!
[13:08.600 -> 13:13.720] We've got post-race review episodes and pre-race preview episodes for every Grand Prix weekend.
[13:13.720 -> 13:19.480] And when the racing's not on, we've got so many people from in and around the sport to share their insights.
[13:19.760 -> 13:25.600] Including PADDOCK insiders like Peter Winsor, Bob Varsha, Craig Scarborough and Atle Gulbransan
[13:25.600 -> 13:29.960] and many other people surrounding the sport as well, including Manish Pandey, the director
[13:29.960 -> 13:34.260] of Senna and Lucky who was on the show as well earlier on, to share his creative thought
[13:34.260 -> 13:38.520] process behind creating these amazing F1 docuseries.
[13:38.520 -> 13:42.780] So if you like what you heard, leave us a good rating, subscribe to the podcast and
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[13:46.800 -> None] Thank you for listening folks, and we shall be back with more. Bye. Bye you