Max Verstappen Outpaces Coulthard by 5 Seconds in Same Car
Former F1 driver David Coulthard got a stark reminder of just how elite today’s top drivers are when Max Verstappen completely outclassed him during a filming session at Imola.
Coulthard, who raced for Red Bull between 2005 and 2008, shared the humbling experience during a recent interview with Indo Sport.
When asked if an average person could handle 10 laps in an F1 car, Coulthard didn’t mince words.
“That’s being incredibly kind. And when I say the average person, that includes me nowadays,” the 54-year-old Brit admitted.
He then recalled a revealing incident from two years ago that put things in perspective.
“I did a filming for a little feature where we were at San Marino, and I went around the track in RB7 which would have been Sebastian Vettel’s V8 World Championship car,” Coulthard explained.
Despite having won a Grand Prix at Imola in the late 90s, Coulthard couldn’t come close to matching the current world champion’s pace.
“I did one timed lap on a track that I’ve won the Grand Prix in 1998 or 1999. And then Max Verstappen jumped in the car, and he did one flying lap and I was five seconds slower.”
Five seconds in F1 terms is an eternity.
Still, Coulthard wasn’t too discouraged by the gap.
“I was actually reasonably happy with that because I hadn’t been around Imola for more than a decade or more,” he said. “I haven’t driven Grand Prix cars at that time. I’d done demonstrations and I do donuts but not pushing on a racetrack for well over a decade.”
“So that just puts in perspective what it is to be at the peak of your game.”
## F1 is ‘addictively uncomfortable’
The physical toll of F1 racing becomes apparent when you look at former drivers like Coulthard.
“I’ve lost more than two inches in neck girth and that’s including the fact that I’ve got neck fat as a 54 year old. That’s just muscle,” he revealed.
Current F1 drivers develop distinctive physical traits from the extreme forces they endure.
“You look at the drivers, their necks come from their jaws and you know mine used to, and I’ve got quite a wide jaw.”
These physical adaptations are necessary for a sport that pushes human limits in unique ways.
“That’s all because you’re supporting all that G and weight on your head. So it’s an extreme environment. It’s uncomfortable,” Coulthard explained.
But there’s something special about that discomfort for those who compete at the highest level.
“It’s fantastically uncomfortable. It’s addictively uncomfortable when you’re in the space of trying to win Grand Prix.”
