David Coulthard admits he would have rather retired instead of joining one F1 team

David Coulthard has acknowledged that he would have preferred to retire from Formula 1 than compete for Jaguar during his time on the circuit.

In a discussion on the Formula For Success Podcast regarding his career, the highly skilled Scottish driver, who emerged as one of the most promising talents of his generation, entered Formula 1 in 1994 by replacing Ayrton Senna at Williams following Senna’s tragic incident at Imola.

Coulthard experienced a remarkable second season with Williams, achieving five pole positions and securing his first race win. Despite these accomplishments, he is often associated with his later years at McLaren, especially alongside Mika Hakkinen. Despite their impressive performance, Coulthard narrowly missed out on a championship due to Michael Schumacher and Ferrari’s dominance.

In the early 2000s, Coulthard sensed that his tenure at McLaren was reaching its conclusion. However, he expressed his preference to retire from F1 rather than join Jaguar during that period, given the team’s troubled situation. In an unexpected turn of events, Coulthard eventually ended up with Jaguar under a more recognizable name for contemporary fans. Fortunately, the team, which later became Red Bull, experienced a significant turnaround in its fortunes.

Reflecting on his departure from McLaren, Coulthard revealed, “When I knew I was leaving McLaren, we spoke to all of the teams, and one of the teams we had a meeting with was Jaguar. I recall specifically telling Martin Brundle, my contractual manager, that I would rather retire or become a test driver somewhere with the hope of returning to Formula 1 than race under Jaguar’s structure. The management and reporting structure to Ford, along with the limited upgrades, didn’t seem like a winning formula. The situation changed when Red Bull bought Jaguar and rebranded it in 2004.”

Coulthard was part of the inaugural driver lineup for Red Bull after the team took over from Jaguar. Despite Jaguar’s brief presence in the sport, they managed only two podium finishes in 85 races. Since rebranding as Red Bull, the team has enjoyed considerable success, and Coulthard likely appreciates the team’s current standing, possibly even envying the position of current Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.