“I’m pretty gutted, it’s not how I wanted to end my career,” said the Scot. “I took a cautious approach into Turn One and left plenty of space for the car on the inside, but unfortunately I think Rosberg hit me though Turn Two, which spun me round. I thought it would be okay, but then Nakajima ran into the front of my car and took off the front corner.”
Despite a quick shower, Coulthard was philosophical about the race and thanked the team with whom he stays on as a consultant. “I wanted to get to the chequered flag,” he said. “I was going to do some donuts for the crowd, which is something you normally get fined for, but it didn’t work out. I can’t complain though, I’ve had a good career, so thank you to everyone who has supported me. Thank you also to the efforts of every member of the Red Bull Racing team for the last four years, which have been a lot of fun, I look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.”
Red Bull team Principal Christian Horner added: “It’s a great shame for David to be eliminated from his last Grand Prix at the first corner, but he can look back on a long and illustrious career where he’s achieved a great deal. He now moves on to a different phase in his life and will continue to have a close relationship with Red Bull Racing. We’re looking forward to working with him outside the cockpit.”
David Coulthard began his career after coming on as a substitute driver for the great Ayrton Senna, the race in which Senna met his fatal accident. Since then, he has managed to gain 13 wins in his career, with 12 pole positions with 535 points.