F1 legend David Coulthard says most young racers will never make it — including his own son?

17:05, 30 Jul

byPietro Vurro

As the son of a former Formula 1 driver, Dayton Coulthard carries a famous name into his early steps in motorsport. But don’t expect his father, David Coulthard, to be the next Jos Verstappen. The 13-time Grand Prix winner is approaching his son's racing journey with a different mindset — one grounded in experience, realism, and patience.

Dayton has only just begun his single-seater career, with a promising start.

“He's done four races so far. He's racing this weekend, Snetterton. He finished second at the last race, so he's been progressing in each of the events,” Coulthard said. “Obviously, he's got to be targeting winning, because that's how you progress.”

While proud of Dayton’s early results, Coulthard is clear: this is not his career — it’s Dayton’s.

“I guess there's a lot I could share with him, but in the end, it's not my career, it's his career.”

The Verstappen-Hamilton Effect

Coulthard doesn’t shy away from addressing the pressure that often comes with being a second-generation driver — especially in a sport obsessed with the next Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton.

“There’s thousands of young racers each year who all want to be Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton or whatever. And maybe in every five-year period, you’ll get one person that’s capable.”

It's a sobering truth from someone who lived through the cutthroat reality of racing — from karting to Formula 1 podiums. For Coulthard, talent alone isn't enough. The path is brutally competitive, and only a handful ever reach the pinnacle.

He also reflected on the moment he first tested a Formula 1 car — the legendary McLaren Honda V12 once driven by Ayrton Senna. Despite the magnitude of the moment, his father kept it simple:

“My dad said to me, ‘Son, they're testing you, they're not testing us. Just go there, drive the car, try not to crash it.’”

That line stuck. Coulthard drove alone that day — no hand-holding, no entourage. It’s the same independence he expects of his son now.

“You can only do so much for your children... At a certain point, you're in the car alone. You have to drive alone. And you have to make your own decisions.”

Interestingly, Coulthard didn’t push Dayton into karting early on. In fact, the now-teenager started relatively late by today’s standards.

“He didn’t start karting until he was about nine. I had him in the sailing club, the football club, the golf club. I actually didn’t particularly encourage him to go into racing.”

Why? Because Coulthard understands the fine line between passion and pressure.

“Racing as a hobby is fantastic. Racing as a career is really, really difficult. And not everyone, for whatever reason, gets that opportunity.”

Even with a second-place finish under his belt, David isn't jumping to conclusions about Dayton’s future — but he knows what it takes.

“He’s got to win. The chequered flag is — you’ve already seen that before everyone else.”

In an era where comparisons to Verstappen and Hamilton are handed out too quickly, Coulthard is choosing something more valuable: perspective.