Interview: David Coulthard on racing, women and group hugs

The Race of Champions is billed on its own website as a “unique head-to-head race” to decide which of the world’s best drivers “really is the fastest of them all.”

Over the course of two days, leading racers come together to do battle in identical cars, with the level playing field supposedly giving fans the opportunity to see how drivers from a variety of disciplines compare out on track.

Certainly it’s the only time of the year the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Tom Kristensen and Jorge Lorenzo could ever come face to face, but how seriously do they take it? To find out, we asked former F1 driver and reigning champion, David Coulthard...

The 44-year-old was victorious in the individual competition when the RoC was held in Barbados last year, having previously finished runner-up to Sebastien Loeb in the final in 2008.

“It would be fantastic to go as far as I can in the competition,” says Coulthard. “But honestly speaking, if I’m able to beat all those young, talented racers who are actively competing then they’ve either had a very bad day, or I’m rediscovering my youth!”

This year the event takes place at London’s Olympic stadium, previously a track and field venue for the 2012 Games and soon to become the home of footballists West Ham United.

For now though the 54,000-capacity stadium will play host to a temporary racing circuit, where – unlike in F1 – every corner will be visible to the fans. And unlike NASCAR, there’s the added bonus of seeing drivers turn right as well as left.

According to Coulthard, the atmosphere is more celebratory than competitive, a mood set behind the scenes as the drivers gather before the race.

“We historically use a dressing room like you would for football,” DC explains. “You don’t see the other guys in the shower or anything weird like that, but you’re all just sitting round and there’s a real shared experience of getting ready.”

And the final ritual before taking to the circuit? “There’s normally a big chant and a group hug before we all go out to compete.”

No wonder Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg haven’t joined the line-up together.

Although there’s no pressure on retirees such as Coulthard, the Race of Champions does present an opportunity for drivers in the early part of their careers.

Jolyon Palmer will partner Pastor Maldonado at Lotus in 2016, and a solid performance in the Race of Champions among a roster of high-achievers could boost the young Brit’s profile ahead of his F1 debut next year.

Asked if the 24-year-old should be targeting victory, Coulthard responds: “He should be.” The Scot took part in his first Race of Champions in 2004, by which point he’d racked up all 13 of his career grand prix victories.

“I’d like to think that any of the young guys that have the chance there should be visualising it right now,” he adds. “They should be thinking about it and they should be trying to win it. And if they’re not, then to my mind they don’t have the right focus.”

One racer whose focus isn’t in question is Susie Wolff, who will make her final competitive appearance alongside Coulthard for Team Scotland in the Nations Cup next week.  The 32-year-old announced her retirement from motorsport only a few days ago, after concluding an F1 drive would never come her way.

Coulthard – who raced against Wolff in DTM for three years – describes her as “a talented racing driver”, but concedes her ability to win a world championship is a question that will remain unanswered.

“I think she long was of the mantra that ‘this isn’t about being the best woman in motorsport’, it was about trying to be the best she could as a competitor.

“But that said, I think she’s had a great journey and she’s a very capable racer.”

Wolff is one of the few women to have got near the top of Formula One, becoming the first female racing driver to feature in a grand prix weekend during a practice session at Silverstone in 2014.

The UK’s Motor Sports Association says that just eight percent of racing license holders are women, indicating the challenges of increasing female participation across the racing spectrum.

Despite this, Coulthard believes that motoring is “very open to female competitors”, unlike other sports where competitors are split by gender.

“I have a son who’s seven,” says DC. “He’s grown up with a French speaking mother and an English speaking father and he’s bilingual.

“So what I’m saying is whatever you immerse your kids in at an early age is what becomes their reality. So to have more female racers, you would need to immerse them in the same environment as 99 percent of what boys are immersed in.

“But from a skills point of view, there’s no reason at all why ladies can’t compete with and beat men in motorsport. Because this isn’t a physical limitation. It’s a hand-eye coordination sport and ladies have ample hand-eye coordination. So it’s not a problem.”

With her racing career almost at an end, Susie Wolff plans to launch a new initiative showing the next generation of female drivers that they are capable of competing with the best.

The Williams driver has a point to make. Don’t bet against her proving it at the Olympic Park next week.

The Race of Champions takes place in London on Friday 20^th and Saturday 21^st of November. Tickets can be purchased here.