20 years ago: Coulthard's middle finger to Schumacher

What's more enjoyable than a pilot who shows refreshing humanity? A far cry from the cold, robotic image of the athlete who can calculate and predict everything at the wheel of his machine. This is what David Coulthard reflected during the 2000 French Grand Prix.

The Scotsman, on board his McLaren-Mercedes MP4-15, arrived at Magny-Cours (Nièvre) as direct pursuer of the championship leader, Michael Schumacher (Ferrari). The latter, despite his disenchantment with the French track, took pole, while “DC” set the second fastest time with the car of his teammate Mika Häkkinen.

The next day, 112 spectators showed up to watch a fight between the red single-seaters and the Silver Arrows. As soon as the lights go out, it's the first stage of the clash. Michael Schumacher shows notable aggression en veering towards his rival to stay ahead. 

This maneuver allowed Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari) to sneak into second place, much to the chagrin of David Coulthard, as Patrick Camus recounted in his race analysis (AUTOhebdo #1246). “The rules allow us to make a change of position when approaching or exiting a turn, it (Schumacher) therefore respected the agreement, explained at a “DC” press conference.

But once again, I had to take my foot off the gas and change direction to avoid a collision, even though I think my start was noticeably better than his. When changing sides of the track I found myself stuck behind Barrichello,” he regretted. 

But you have to wait around thirty laps for the tension to skyrocket. David Coulthard, back on the heels of “Schumi”, decides to launch a first attack:

Not born recently, Michael Schumacher widens his trajectory to counter this offensive, thus provoking the famous angry gesture from his rival. “I apologized afterwards, but I acted out of emotion! Michael was a very tough opponent, but sometimes he didn't need to be as tough because of his skill and speed.", will explain the person concerned.

The fight continues for eight loops. The Adelaide hairpin is a golden opportunity to finally take the lead, and David Coulthard boldly tries his luck again on the 40th lap. The wheels touch, but the tactic of diving inside pays off. 

A few minutes later, the Maranello car parked at the side of the track, engine broken, allowing McLaren to achieve a resounding double in France. But the pill of virile piloting of the Red Baron had difficulty passing for the Scottish winner.

“When I managed to pass Michael, he refused to move. Our wheels rubbed together, as they would have done during my first offensive if I myself had not decided to move aside. I just think that Michael doesn't behave very sportily on the track. 

I know very well that some will tell me that I am complaining for nothing and that Michael's method is the one that every driver must use to win today, but pushing an opponent is not part of the rules... We are risking our lives and (…) it would be preferable for everyone to judge the situation based on logic and the respect that we must have towards each other. »

As for the Kaiser, he saw no harm in his conduct. “Oh, did Coulthard give me the finger? I did not see anything ! You must know that this is not the kind of thing we look out for when we are in a fight... I saw it behind, then in front. Between the two, he can do whatever he wants. 

For me, his first overtaking attempt and then his overtaking were completely normal phases of the race. If he doesn't like seeing a driver resist him when it's a race and if he has to complain about unsportsmanlike or dangerous behavior on my part, he should look elsewhere. I have nothing else to say. My role is to defend myself, take the best possible path and make life difficult for him. »

That is clear. Faithful to his legend, Michael Schumacher was not going to change his driving method after this incident while David Coulthard was going to continue his career with the image of a driver who was undoubtedly less aggressive but with a smoother style than the German.