David Marshall Coulthard, MBE, nickname DC, is an erstwhile British Formula One racing driver, presently a commentator, presenter and journalist. He started with karting before making headway to car racing in the British Formula Ford Championship and the Formula 3000 series. He made his Formula One debut for Williams during the 1994 Spanish Grand Prix and fetched his first Formula One win at the 1995 Portuguese Grand Prix. In 1996 he joined McLaren and moving on won two races in 1997, five races throughout 1999 and 2000, and finished as runner-up in the 2001 Formula One World Drivers' Championship. He secured his last win at the 2003 Australian Grand Prix, left McLaren after 2004 season and joined Red Bull in 2005. He made his last Formula One entry at the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix before retiring from the race later that year. Thereafter he worked with Red Bull as a consultant and joined the BBC as a commentator and analyst for their Formula One coverage. He also participated in the Race of Champions and won the 2014 and 2018 competitions. Starting from 2016, he has worked for Channel 4 as an analyst and commentator.
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Childhood & Early Life
David Marshall Coulthard was born on March 27, 1971, in Twynholm, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland to Duncan Coulthard and Elizabeth Joyce Coulthard née Marshall among their three children.
Coulthard hails from a family with car racing background. His grandfather took part in the Monte Carlo Rally while his father was into karting and became Scottish National Champion. Coulthard developed interest in motorsport in childhood and considered Formula One World Champions Nigel Mansell, Jim Clark and Alain Prost as his idols.
He attended Kirkcudbright Academy where he garnered eight O Grades.
He got his first kart from his father as a gift on his eleventh birthday. He won the Scottish Junior Kart Championship and the Scottish Kart Championship among many other local karting championships. In 1985, he won the Cumbria Kart Racing Club Championship.
Eventually he forayed into car racing winning the British Formula Ford Championship in 1989. He also emerged as the first recipient of the inaugural McLaren/Autosport Young Driver of the Year award that paved his way to test a McLaren Formula One car.
In 1991 he signed with Paul Stewart Racing and competed in the British Formula 3 series and garnered five wins. He finished as runner-up in the Championship. Same year he became winner of the Macau Grand Prix and the Masters of Formula Three and finished second in the annual Formula Three Fuji Cup.
He competed in the 1992 Formula 3000 International Championship and finished ninth. He had stints with Pacific Racing (1993) and Vortex (1994). In June 1993, he competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of the TWR Jaguar Racing team.
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Family & Personal Life
Coulthard has houses in London, Belgium and Switzerland and owns many luxury hotels in the UK. He lived in Monaco for a while and owned the Columbus Hotel Monaco.
He was romantically associated with Canadian model Andrea Murray before splitting in the late 1990s; with American model Heidi Wichlinski for around a year starting from early 2000; and had a four-year relationship with Brazilian model Simone Abdelnour till 2005.
On June 2, 2006, he got engaged to Belgian television presenter Karen Minier, with whom he had his first child, Dayton Minier Coulthard, born on November 20, 2008.
His home village houses a museum dedicated to him. His autobiography ‘It is What It Is’ that he co-wrote with Martin Roach released in 2007. He is an ambassador for the charity ‘Wings For Life’ and a Brand Ambassador of Mercedes-Benz. He remained associated with development of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and is the owner of a midnight blue (904G) 1971 Mercedes-Benz W113 280 SL.
His service to motorsport was recognised by appointing him Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) during the 2010 Birthday Honours.
