MONTE CARLO, Monaco — David Coulthard walked away from a high-speed crash in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday, his second accident of the season.
The 37-year-old British driver lost control of his Red Bull car as he came out of the tunnel — the fastest part of the street circuit race — and slammed into the right wall. The front right wheel was damaged while the rear right wheel came loose, forcing the car to skid into the runoff area.
“This was one of the biggest hits, definitely,” Coulthard said of his racing career. “After the first impact, I wished I was anywhere else than in a race car.”
Coulthard appeared unhurt after getting out of his car, only stretching his neck before heading back to the team garage with a sore head and elbow.
Coulthard had set the sixth fastest lap time after two sessions of qualifying for Sunday’s race, but starts from 10th after missing out on the final qualifying session.
The two-time Monaco GP winner was at a loss to explain what caused him to lose control while traveling at 115 mph.
“Obviously, I lost control of the car when I hit the brakes,” he said. “What’s strange is that I’ve braked there many times before and never had that situation, but I have to accept that maybe today it was one step too far.
“The guys will look through the data, they’ll look at the car and try to understand it, but for now we just have to assume that I lost the rear.”
Cars reach speeds of more than 174 mph coming out of the tunnel with drivers forced to adjust from the dark to sudden light before navigating a chicane.
Coulthard said he had enough time to react and brace for the impact, likening his high glide into the run-off area on the anti-friction car base to riding a skateboard.
“The big thing was missing the end of the barrier, which I had no control over,” he said. “You don’t take a lot of speed off, so I was very lucky to go down the escape route.”
In March, Coulthard’s steering rod broke during practice at the Malaysian GP and sent his car over a curb, snapping both front wheels. Red Bull had received late clearance to race at Sepang because of doubts over the safety of its car.
At Monaco, the front wheel stayed loosely tethered to the car, flying wildly through the air and even appearing to graze Coulthard’s helmet.
“It’s a lot to ask the wheel to stay attached in those circumstances,” the former McLaren driver said. “I’m very lucky.”
Tethers were brought in to improve safety with governing body FIA concerned about loose wheels injuring or killing stewards. Three-time world champion Ayrton Senna was killed at the San Marino GP in Imola in 1994 after his front suspension came back to hit his head.
At last month’s Spanish GP, McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen was left unconscious after a high-speed crash into a tire wall. The Finn spent a night in a hospital after receiving slight injuries, including a concussion.
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