David Coulthard predicts how many laps a normal person could last in an F1 race, ‘I’m being generous’

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David Coulthard was one of the most accomplished Formula 1 drivers of his generation. Between his debut in 1994 and retirement in 2008, he won 13 Grands Prix.

Only one driver – Stirling Moss (16) – has taken more victories without winning a world championship. Coulthard came closest in 2001, when he finished as the runner-up to Michael Schumacher.

In 1998 and ’99, he saw McLaren teammate Mika Hakkinen win back-to-back titles. Such was the intensity of their rivalry, Coulthard ‘couldn’t stand’ Hakkinen at the time.

The Scotsman has made more appearances for McLaren (150) than any other driver, though Lando Norris will replace him at the top of the leaderboard before the end of the year. Coulthard, who also raced for Williams and Red Bull, made nearly 250 starts overall.

David Coulthard explains why a normal person would be lucky to last 10 laps in a Grand Prix

Coulthard, now a pundit on British television, was once asked on the Formula For Success podcast how long a ‘normal person’ would last in an F1 race. He explained that it’s essential to build up physically during the junior categories.

Even rookies who have spent their childhood racing often struggle with the demands on their neck due to the G-forces. Coulthard says viewers shouldn’t underestimate the demand on a driver’s ‘internal organs’ either.

His ‘generous estimate’ was that an average person could cope for around 10 laps, and that’s even before considering the difficulty of driving the car and the mental challenge. The minimum distance of an F1 race is 305km, with the exception of Monaco.

Coulthard said: “Physically, we all talk about the neck – you definitely need a strong neck to drive a Grand Prix car, because you’re pulling over 5G in braking and lateral load.

“But the other thing is the internal organs. When you’re pulling G, your heart, your lungs, your stomach – anything that can move within the body does move.

“That’s the thing, you need to have developed your physical skills all the way up through the lower formulae. A normal person would not last 10 laps in a Grand Prix, and I’m being generous at 10.”

How David Coulthard compared to Max Verstappen in his 50s

14 years after he retired from F1, Coulthard went up against Max Verstappen as part of the filming process for a documentary. They both completed a single lap of the Imola circuit.

Coulthard was five seconds slower than the reigning world champion and is confident he could chip the gap down to two with more time in the car. But for physical and cognitive reasons, there’s no way he could be as fast as he used to be.

According to Coulthard, drivers like Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton have ‘spare capacity’ to pinpoint the limit of a car. That’s what sets them apart.

Hamilton is the second-oldest driver on the current grid at 40, behind Fernando Alonso (44). No quadrigenarian has won the championship since Jack Brabham in 1966.