F1’s oldest driver arrived at the Circuit de Catalunya on Thursday and immediately faced rumours that he might be dropped from the Red Bull lineup at the end of 2007.
Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz hinted in an interview last week that his Milton Keynes squad might better be served by installing a young charger alongside one of the existing experienced racers next year.
With Mark Webber newly arrived and regularly in the top-ten qualifiers, the rumours hinting at a step up from junior team Toro Rosso for Vitantonio Liuzzi seem to suggest that David Coulthard – who made his grand prix debut way back in 1994 at Barcelona – is set for the elbow.
“I’m irritated to have to answer questions based on the fact I was born in 1971,” Coulthard fumed to the British newspaper The Mirror.
“The statistics show I am quicker in the races than Mark and the car telemetry shows it too. End of story.”
Red Bull’s motor racing consultant Helmut Marko, meanwhile, was asked by the German press if Coulthard’s comments also hint at a growing rift between 36-year-old Coulthard and Webber, who were never friends prior to their linking-up in 2007.
“It’s true that they do not go out for dinner together,” he said, “but they do have respect.”
