Coulthard: It's time to deliver.

Scottish veteran hoping for a stronger year for Red Bull Racing in 2008, as design guru Adrian Newey's input finally begins to bear fruit.

David Coulthard has acknowledged the fact that it is time for Red Bull Racing to do its talking on the track in 2008, whilst re-iterating his desire to continue competing in Formula 1 ‘for the foreseeable future'.

The experienced Scot will this year be heading into his fourth consecutive campaign with RBR – and his 15th overall in the top flight – and as the new season fast approaches he stressed consistency would be key to achieving results. Though the Milton Keynes-based outfit ended 2007 in its highest position yet in the constructors' world championship, but for a chronic lack of early-season reliability, Coulthard knows, it could have been somewhat better still.

“At this time of year you're always a bit nervous about how the car is going to be,” he admitted, “but I feel pretty motivated for the year ahead.

“Over the winter I had three weeks in one place – training, mountain climbing and planning for the new season – which was fantastic after travelling around so much as part of the constant merry-go-round of F1.

“I'm now looking forward to getting down to Melbourne and finding out who has got the quick cars and who has produced a dog. Hopefully we haven't got one of those!”

With Adrian Newey once more heading up the design department, that, assuredly, will not be the case, and Coulthard – now the oldest driver in F1, and one with more than 220 grand prix starts and 13 victories under his belt – is confident Red Bull finally has everything in place to make a substantial leap up the grand prix grid in 2008.

“We've been investing in people at the factory and trying to give them the tools to do the job and produce a good package,” the 36-year-old explained. “There's no magic involved. Adrian's fingerprint is on the design of cars that have won more than 100 grands prix; he's even more successful than Michael Schumacher, who ‘only' won about 90 of them.

“You've got to have a leader in every organisation, and Adrian clearly leads that department. I think he can see that we are progressing and getting quicker, and I think we will take another step forward this year. We have expectations, but at the end of the day we have to go out and deliver.

“Of course you need a reliable car, but more than that you need a fast car. We were about 1.5 seconds on average away from the fastest cars last year, and that's a hell of a lot of lap time. We have to take a step forwards, and when you presume that McLaren and Ferrari – within the regulations – are close to maximising the potential of their cars, there's scope for us to do that.”

As to his own future within the sport – something that has been the subject of considerable speculation in recent years – Coulthard was forthright, re-affirming his hunger for competition in the top flight and rubbishing rumours that have linked him to following such as Juan-Pablo Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve across the Pond to NASCAR racing once the curtain comes down on his F1 career.

“I love racing,” he asserted. “There's never any question about whether I'm excited going into the first grand prix of the season.

“I don't feel the need to not think about F1; I love F1 and I love motorsport. When you're passionate about something why would you not want to think about it? I've had a fantastic, long career in F1 which is still continuing, and I want to go out and do my best every season.

“I'm committed to driving in F1 for the foreseeable future and beyond.”

DC: I am committed to F1

David Coulthard insists he still excited as ever to be driving in Formula One and has no intention of leaving F1 for NASCAR next season.

The Red Bull driver was recently quoted saying, "I would consider something like NASCAR. The only thing is, America, you have to commit to it absolutely. Which means you move out there, take your family there."

However, with preparations for his 15th season in F1 well underway, the Scot made it clear that he wants to stay involved in the sport for a long time.

Coulthard told the Scottish Daily Record: "There is never any question about whether I am excited going into the first Grand Prix of the season.

"I'm committed to driving in F1 for the foreseeable future and beyond

Karen & Flavio

Karen