SAO PAULO, Brazil — Although only one race away from retiring after a 15-year career as a race driver, Red Bull’s David Coulthard has no plans to stay away from Formula One.
On the eve of the Brazilian Grand Prix, Coulthard said he will only feel the full impact of his decision to retire after Sunday’s race.
“I’ll realize that this part of my life has come to an end — that my journey has concluded — when I step out of the car, hopefully at the checkered flag and in the points,” Coulthard said Thursday at a news conference at the Interlagos track.
“All good things come to an end so, although it has been the driving force in my life, I am looking forward to the next phase which will still involve Formula One through my consultancy agreement with Red Bull.”
The 37-year-old Briton announced his decision to retire in July, saying it was based on “a desire to stop while I am still competitive and enjoying the immense challenge that Grand Prix driving represents.”
Coulthard moved from testing to be a front-line driver for Williams after Ayrton Senna’s death at the San Marino GP in 1994. He won his first F1 race in Portugal in 1995, going on to finish third that season.
Coulthard also won 12 F1 races for McLaren during a nine-year spell with the team. He moved to Red Bull in 2005.
“I would like to be viewed as someone who tried their best with the talent they had,” he said. “As someone who was a team player, and last, but most importantly, was a sportsman.”
The Briton said in retirement he will also help promote Wings For Life, an Austria-based spinal cord research foundation.
“I’m dedicating my last race to the vision of making paraplegia curable,” he said. “Wings for Life helps accelerate the breakthrough in spinal cord research.
“In Formula One, success is determined by a few seconds, in medicine people think in terms of years. But in both disciplines, ambition and commitment are crucial factors that are needed in order to reach the finishing line as soon as possible.”
For the Brazilian GP, Coulthard’s car will have a special livery promoting the foundation.
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