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DAVID COULTHARD

Renowned Formula 1 Grand Prix driver, television broadcaster, author and entrepreneur

Business insights from F1
Won 13 Grands Prix in his 15 seasons in Formula 1
Joined the Williams Formula 1 team in 1993 as test driver, supporting Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna in successive seasons
Moved to McLaren for nine seasons where he enjoyed a series of stellar performances including winning a further 12 Grands Prix
He finished in the top 3 in the World Championship for Drivers on no fewer than 5 occasions
His business interests include co-founding Whisper, one of Europe’s fastest growing media production companies, and Velocity Experience which develops and produces branded corporate events
In 2007 David published his autobiography It Is What It Is and in 2018 his second book The Winning Formula made the Sunday Times Best Seller list in the UK

One of the world’s most widely recognised sports personalities, David Coulthard is a renowned Formula 1 Grand Prix driver, television broadcaster, author and entrepreneur.

Born in Twynholm, Scotland, David began racing karts at the age of 11 and achieved significant success in the lower formulae of motor racing. This included victory in the prestigious Macau Grand Prix. He won the inaugural McLaren Autosport ‘Young Driver of the Year Award’ in 1989, leading to a test drive for the McLaren Formula 1 team.

He joined the Williams Formula 1 team in 1993 as test driver, supporting Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna in successive seasons. He made his Formula 1 World Championship debut for the team the following year, scoring his maiden victory at the 1995 Portuguese Grand Prix.

He then moved to McLaren for nine seasons where he enjoyed a series of stellar performances including winning a further 12 Grands Prix. He finished in the top 3 in the World Championship for Drivers on no fewer than 5 occasions. His Formula 1 victories included twice winning the prestigious British and Monaco Grands Prix.

In 2005 David joined the newly created Red Bull Racing team and played a key role in the team’s development, including bringing the team its first podium finish, at the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix. He stepped away from Formula 1 racing at the end of 2008, scoring his final podium finish in that year’s Canadian Grand Prix.

His business interests include co-founding Whisper, one of Europe’s fastest growing media production companies, and Velocity Experience which develops and produces branded corporate events. In 2019 David became non-Executive Chairman of W Series, the world’s first professional all-women single seater racing series, and he is President of the British Racing Drivers Club which owns and operates Silverstone Circuit in the UK.

David’s profile is underlined through ambassadorships for a number of major international brands. He continues to drive Red Bull’s F1 cars at promotional events and is co-commentator for Channel 4’s Formula 1 coverage in the UK. He often conducts the podium interviews with the top three finishers as part of Formula 1’s global television feed.

In 2007 David published his autobiography It Is What It Is and in 2018 his second book The Winning Formula made the Sunday Times Best Seller list in the UK. In 2010 he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

David tailors each presentation to the needs of his audience and is not limited to the topics listed below. Please ask us about any subject that interests you;

Leadership
Data-Driven Performance
High performance team work
Safety & risk management
Change management

High Performance Teamwork: How a team culture fuels high performance

A Formula One team has to design, manufacture, develop and operate a high-performance vehicle which combines technologies from aerospace, automotive and ICT. Compliance is essential, so too ensuring that the cars are safe, reliable and high performing. Deadlines cannot be missed; the Grands Prix which comprise the FIA Formula One World Championships represent series of non-negotiable deadlines.

Team work is key; the top teams have 1000 staff, only 10% of whom attend the races, so the high-performance team work starts weeks, months and years before an event in the research & development facilities and factories where these fascinating Formula One machines are developed. Trackside, the high-performance team work continues, perfectly exemplified by the pit crews who can execute precision pit stops in 2 seconds.

Developing the right team behaviour and culture is a key focus for the leadership teams. This means ensuring that everyone is accountable, takes responsibility and understands the importance of avoiding silo-mentality and embracing cross functional communications.

Alignment behind the team's strategies and ambitious goals is a vital, so too having the agility to flex strategy in the face of constant changes in technology and the performance of competitors.

The Winning Formula: Leadership, Strategy and Motivation The F1 Way

HOW DOES A PIT CREW CHANGE FOUR WHEELS IN 1.9 SECONDS?
AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR A COMPANY LIKE BLACKBERRY?

WHAT IS RON DENNIS' SECRET TO GOOD TIME MANAGEMENT?
AND HOW CAN THAT HELP TV PRODUCERS?

WHY IS F1 THE PERFECT EXAMPLE FOR LEADERSHIP, MOTIVATION AND STRATEGY?
AND WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM IT?

In The Winning Formula, driver, commentator and entrepreneur David Coulthard opens the doors to the secretive world of F1 and reveals in simple, entertaining and utterly compelling terms how he has been able to master this mind-boggling variety of disciplines by applying the skills honed from his years at the top of the world's most demanding motorsport.

By recounting his own stories, and combining them with first-hand experience of stellar individuals such as Lewis Hamilton, Ron Dennis, Sir Frank Williams, Christian Horner and Sebastian Vettel, Coulthard provides a fascinating fly-on-the-wall insight into F1 but at the same time offers an invaluable guide to the business of sport and the sport of business.

It Is What It Is

The stunningly honest and revealing autobiography of the most successful British Grand Prix driver of all time

From his quiet beginnings in rural Scotland to his multi-millionaire lifestyle in Monte Carlo, where he owns one of the most luxurious hotels in the principality, David Coulthard's life story is an extraordinary one. He got his breakthrough into Formula One in the tragic circumstances of Ayrton Senna's death in 1994, and quickly established himself as one of the best drivers on the circuit. From 1996-2004, he drove for McLaren, one of the leading teams throughout the entire period, before moving to Red Bull for 2005-07.

Taking the reader from his early days when he first became hooked on racing karts at the age of eleven to the high-speed world of Formula One, Coulthard has written one of the most honest and powerful sports autobiographies of recent years. He talks frankly about his ups and downs at McLaren and also about the reputation he gained for his playboy life-style. Throughout it all he seeks to answer the questions about himself that anyone might ask, and so to reveal what it is that really drives him on. His struggle to understand himself makes for a remarkable memoir.