David Coulthard claims he rejected an offer from Ferrari in1996 to be Michael Schumacher’s teammate

David Coulthard, the former 13-time Grand Prix winner, has made it known that in 1996, he rejected an offer from the Maranello-based Ferrari F1 team to be Michael Schumacher‘s teammate. Coulthard has admitted that he declined the offer because it was not as per his expectations.

David Coulthard during his career at the pinnacle of motor racing, drove for teams like Williams, McLaren, and also the mighty Red Bull F1 team. However, a potential tie-up with the Italian outfit did not come to fruition as they offered him a second driver role on the team.

Coulthard has recently opened up about it, and said, as reported by Soymotor;

I met Jean Todt at his apartment in Paris to talk about the possibility of driving for Ferrari in 1996. Basically, his offer was a number two driver contract, which, although now anyone can draw a conclusion about my career. I didn’t like it at the time. I wasn’t going to sign anything that didn’t guarantee me the same number of opportunities as the other driver.

The Brit has given an in-depth verdict on how things were for him when Ferrari came up with an F1 offer. Looking at his reaction, it is quite clear that there was no way he was going to sign a deal where he was not going to have the same kind of opportunities as Schumacher.

David Coulthard since retiring has done several show runs for Red Bull

While David Coulthard retired from F1 at the end of the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, he has since been doing various kinds of activities. Sometimes he’s seen giving in-detail analysis from behind a microphone whereas on other occasions he’s seen getting behind the wheel of Red Bull cars.

Moreover, Coulthard very recently, was presented with the opportunity to drive the mighty RB19 around the Silverstone F1 circuit. He had a blast that day and at the end of it all, acknowledged the brilliant job Christian Horner and Co. did with the production of their 2023 F1 car.

David Coulthard is very much a part of the Red Bull family and whenever the team decides to do a show run somewhere, he is one driver who is most often seen behind the wheel of their cars. Coulthard has over the years, very rarely missed an opportunity to feel the thrill of driving an F1 car.

In case you missed it:

• George Russell highlights the ‘sad reality’ of F1
• Oscar Piastri claims he’s not an ‘adrenaline junkie’

Stay Updated!

Join our newsletter to receive exclusive updates and curated insights directly to your inbox.

Subscribe NOW