BEYOND THE GRID LEGENDS: David Coulthard on fighting for the best seat in F1

The Formula 1 driver market is potentially just one domino away from exploding into a frenzy, so what exactly does an F1 driver need to do to get themselves into the best seat on the grid?

With multiple wins, poles and podiums throughout his 15 seasons at the pinnacle of motorsport, David Coulthard was often fighting at the front. But how did he make his way into the fastest cars?

Speaking to Beyond The Grid host Tom Clarkson, Coulthard shares some of the remarkable tales from that journey – including his careful approach to getting a drive at Williams after the death of Ayrton Senna and why a “totally unnecessary” contract dispute resulted in him leaving them for McLaren.

DC emphasises the importance of dealing with people, pressure and politics in navigating his way to the front of the grid.

He reflects on how he negotiated with big team bosses like Ron Dennis, why he tried to use the media to his advantage and how surviving a plane crash changed his approach to life in F1.

To listen to this week’s episode, simply hit go on the audio player above or click here to listen via your preferred podcasting platform.

You can also check out a huge selection of previous episodes – spanning every decade of F1 – in our dedicated Beyond The Grid library here.