Interview - David Coulthard

The Red Bull driver spoke exclusively to Sport magazine ahead of the new season.

Formula One begins life without Michael Schumacher this weekend, but one old boy remains. Sport spoke to Red Bull's David Coulthard ahead of the new season...

We're at the start of the new Formula One season. How does it feel to be the oldest driver on the grid?

"I have to say, it feels great. I'm the oldest driver in F1 - I'll be 36 at the end of March - and, in terms of experience, I think only Rubens Barrichello started racing before me. I look back on my career and I'm very proud that I've been in more than 200 Grand Prix - when I started, I'd have been happy with 100. You also have to remember that I've been competing in motorsport of various forms since I was 11. It's great to still be here, though, battling at the highest level."

Do you still feel that buzz at the beginning of a new season?

"Of course. If I didn't, there would be something wrong. I still get that buzz from F1. There is no bigger motivation for me than driving an F1 car to the limit. The sport is always changing, too. When I started, it was in a certain type of car, but now it's different. We have one tyre manufacturer across the board. Regulations are changing all the time, so it's always a challenge. It's man against machine."

What expectations do you have for 2007?

"My ultimate goal is to be Red Bull's leading driver. I've been that for the past two seasons, and that's what I want to do again. We finished seventh in the constructors' championship last year, and we want to steadily evolve as a team. It takes a long time to do that, of course. There are 400-plus people in an F1 team, and they need to be the right 400-plus people for everything to go smoothly. Teams take a while to get everything right. For five years, the top team was Ferrari, and then it was Renault for two years. This year it will be Ferrari or McLaren, but the goal at Red Bull is just to keep progressing."

Have you been happy with performance in testing? Who has been quick during pre-season?

"Speaking honestly, I think we could have done a little better. We were in the third division of teams last season, and this time round we want to be in the second - whether we have done enough to get there yet, we'll have to find out. For me, Ferrari have the advantage going into this season, followed by McLaren, Renault and BMW Sauber. That's four teams that are going to be right up there, so you see how difficult it will be to get on the podium."

Michael Schumacher won't be around, of course - will anyone be able to step up and take his place?

"Well, you're talking about Michael Schumacher. I don't know that much about football, but it's a bit like having football without Pelé, if that makes sense. I don't think we'll see any one driver being as dominant as he was. Fernando Alonso will be the favourite, but Kimi Raikkonen is waiting in the wings. Then there is Lewis Hamilton, and Renault's Heikki Kovalainen - look out for both of them."

There's a lot of fuss about Lewis Hamilton - what do you make of it all?

"A lot of people talk about the pressure he will be under, but I'm not so sure there will be that much. He's a young man and he'll enjoy it - he'll get in a car and drive very fast round and round in a circle, and that will be that. The travel, the testing and the publicity might all be new to him, but he'll have this season to settle in and his main job will be to support Alonso. He's on the rollercoaster ride to fame and fortune, that's for sure."

A big talking point this season is the battle of the four British drivers. How much satisfaction would you get from finishing top of that little pile?

"It's an unrealistic goal, simply because the Red Bull car isn't as complete a package as the McLaren. You have to deal with facts, and they have been quicker than us during winter testing. Judging on the evidence I have seen so far, the leading British driver will be Lewis Hamilton, followed by Jenson Button or myself. Anthony Davidson will probably be the fourth driver, because he's with a smaller team in Super Aguri. Whatever happens, my life won't grind to a halt if I get one less point than I am targeting. I have plenty of experience, I've won several GPs and I have been on the podium 60-odd times. I can't carry the car on to the podium."

Finally, what does the Australian Grand Prix mean to you?

"I've won in Melbourne twice, so I've certainly got fond memories of it. I like the set-up of the track and I think it's a great place to start the season - you always get a warm welcome. It's quite a challenging Grand Prix, but maybe not the best for seeing exactly what the cars can do - the track is neither fast nor slow, rather somewhere in the middle. By the time we get to Malaysia and Bahrain in April, we'll have a better idea of how the season is going to pan out."

For the full interview with Coulthard pick up a copy of Sport, the new weekly sport and lifestyle magazine, which is out on Friday.