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Coulthard played a key role last year in persuading Newey to join Red Bull from McLaren, where the two worked together from 1997-2004.

Sometimes I think Coulthard doesn't get the credit he deserves in this respect, he was with Red Bull since the beginning, helping the team build on each season culminating in the teams first podium with a stunning drive in Monaco. Coulthard's pivotal role in brining Newey to RB helped shaped the teams current success to which he is still contributing to this day.



Dietrich Mateschitz absolutely loves the guy:





Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsp ... 756280.stm

I think David has it pretty sweet, the only thing missing is the WDC but he had to compete with Shumi, Mikka, Kimi and Alonso, all of which I think are far superior drivers. I think he's still highly respected in Red Bull and he probably has a lot of influence within the team too. Not forgetting his broadcasting career is coming along nicely.

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I have always thought this, and my mind boggles to 2009 and would have loved to have seen DC racing Button whilst challenging for the WDC, as that was Seb's first year in RB. I don't know if it would have been nearer or if DC would have done any better, but 2 British Drivers challenging for the WDC would have been fantastic!

A driver similar in ability to Webber, fast driver just lacked the consistency of a champion. What DC is good at though was like above, his ability to push a team forward and help within the team in many different area's.

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Driver Instructor & Test Driver

DC is a great guy. He was fun to follow especially with all the hot eye candy he was always toting around. Like someone said above, lacked consistency of a champion. Some days, he was fantastic. I'm glad he's still around, I don't mind listening to his commentary.

Couldhtard was a key player in the development of the team. He gave them stability and with his assistance, allowed the team to develop into the monster it now is. Without him, it may have taken two or three years more time.

Coulthard had obviously passed his peak by 2008. Him racing for RBR in 2009 would have been a waste for the team and he'd have been well behind Webber. Granted he scored a podium in his final season, but he was very fortunate with the safety car and the regulations about pitting at the time. His team-mate was actually in 2nd when the safety car came out, but Red Bull decided to pit him the lap the safety car came in for some strange reason. It was the race after the pit lane rules were altered and I suppose Red Bull simply forgot about this. But I digress.

The only good DC being at Red Bull in 2009 would have done would have been for Mark Webber. His stock values would have skyrocketed as Coulthard floundered whilst he challenged for wins.

DC no doubt did a lot of work to stabilise Red Bull into the team it is now, but a lot has changed since he retired. I know he stayed on as an advisor, but one must wonder how much an advisor actually does. Schumacher stayed on at Ferrari for a bit and what was there to show for it? A few fans claiming that he was the reason for all their bad strategy moves. He'll forever be remembered in Red Bull history, but the team has grown and matured much more than it ever did with him in action.

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I also have one of these.

It's hard to say how much credit a driver deserves for car development, and this is one thing which I would really like to know - to what extent is driver feedback incorporated in car development (as opposed car setup where driver input is crucial)?

As Jomox pointed out, he's a lot like Webber - he was often quicker than Mika or Kimi on race weekends, just not consistently enough during the season to mount a title challenge. When someone mentioned after Vettel's 2010 title triumph in Abu Dhabi that it was magnanimous of Coulthard to make way for Seb in Red Bull, he quickly asserted that the new champion had much more talent than he ever did.

I like the guy though, especially his honesty about his own career in the sport.

I don't think masses of credit can be attributed to Coulthard, but he certainly helped lay the foundations. If he'd stayed on another one or two years it wouldn't have made much difference as Toby said above - the big winner would have been Webber, but it wasn't to be.