Red Bull Racing
David Coulthard |
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| Nationality | Scottish |
| Date of birth | 27 March 1971 |
| Place of birth | Twynholm, Dumfrieshire, Scotland |
| Joined Team | 2005 |
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In 1989, David Coulthard became the first ever recipient of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award for British motorsport’s finest young prospect.Already a karting and Formula Ford champion, he went on to star in Formula 3 in 1991 – where he was narrowly beaten to the British title by Rubens Barrichello after a long tussle.Formula 3000 then beckoned, and he became a regular frontrunner while also testing for Williams, before receiving his F1 call-up May 1994. After the death of Ayrton Senna, Coulthard was promoted to the drivers seat alongside team mate Damon Hill. After a poor season Coulthard wasn’t retained for 1996 – although he took his maiden win in Portugal before departing to join Hakkinen at McLaren. The duo were initially evenly-matched, and it was Coulthard who scored the McLaren-Mercedes partnership’s first victories in 1997. McLaren hit championship-winning form the following year, Hakkinen flourished and Coulthard found himself in a supporting role, where he would remain for most of the next seven seasons. He was replaced by Juan Pablo Montoya for 2005, but instead of retiring he switched to the new Red Bull team. RBR’s fun-loving ethos was a breath of fresh air for DC after years of playing the corporate man at McLaren-Mercedes – and it showed both in his newly-bearded appearance and his reinvigorated driving. Fourth place on the team’s debut, ahead of both McLarens, was a remarkable start, and he also took the team’s first ever podium at Monaco in 2006. In total, Coultard now has a record of 13 Grand Prix wins, and a highest finish of Runner up in the drivers championship. |
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Mark Webber |
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| Nationality | Australian |
| Date of birth | 27 August 1976 |
| Place of birth | Quenbeyan, Canberra, Australia |
| Joined Team | 2006 |
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Webber's driving career began when he won the prestigious Formula Ford Festival in 1996 then impressed in British Formula 3. His potential was spotted byMercedes and they subsequently signed Webber for their sportscar programme. In 1998, he and his partner Bernd Schneider finished second in the 1998 FIA GT title race.A difficult and painful year followed when an aerodynamic problem sent Webber into two terrifying aerial accidents during practice for Le Mans. He then returned to single-seaters for two successful seasons in Formula 3000 and F1 testing duties for Arrows and Benetton, eventually getting his F1 break with his former F3000 team boss Stoddart at Minardi in 2002. Webber made a remarkable F1 debut – benefiting from some first corner mayhem to score an emotional fifth place on his and Minardi team owner Paul Stoddart’s home turf in Australia in 2002. His continued heroics for Minardi earned Webber a move to the troubled but better-funded Jaguar team for 2003. In 2005, Webber joined a Williams team that was a far cry from the dominant operation of its glory days and the relationship ended after two years of frustration. The few potential bright spots, such as a near-certain home podium in 2006 and a shot at Monaco victory later in the year, were lost to unreliability. But rather than feeling bitter, Webber adopted a ‘chin up and press on’ attitude and focused on a brighter future with Red Bull. |
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