David Coulthard reveals surprise wildcard for F1 driver to pundit switch

Thomas Maher

David Coulthard has warned F1 Max Verstappen's dominance could hurt it.

David Coulthard has carved out a successful career as an F1 pundit and has tipped an unusual name to follow suit…

Coulthard’s erudite dealings with the media through his racing career made him a logical choice for broadcasters to approach when his F1 career came to a close, with the Scot joining the BBC as a pundit for 2009.

He became a full-blown commentator for 2011, and has continued to carve out a niche for himself in the media landscape as a columnist, M.C. and interviewer, as well as his broadcasting duties.

David Coulthard picks out current drivers who could turn to punditry

While any ex-F1 driver obviously becomes a possibility to pontificate upon the intricacies of the sport and share their opinions and insights, some personalities are better suited to it than others.

In the UK, former drivers like Jenson Button, Johnny Herbert, Damon Hill, and Martin Brundle are all household names just as much for their post-racing careers, while Germany boasts the likes of Timo Glock and Ralf Schumacher.

But it’s difficult to imagine ex-drivers like Kimi Raikkonen having much interest in such a post-racing career – the Finn retired from Formula 1 two years ago and has largely disappeared from public life. As a driver famously reluctant to waste much time talking, his succinct communication skills aren’t a natural fit for the ‘waffle’ most broadcasters would seek out.

So who from the current F1 grid might be well-suited to such a career, once they’ve hung up their helmets? Coulthard has earmarked two personalities on the grid that he believes could pick up the baton.

“Daniel Ricciardo, for sure, because he is just entertaining smiling,” Coulthard said in an interview with the UK’s Express.

“I don’t think Max [Verstappen] would be interested. I’m not sure Lewis [Hamilton] would.

“I think Daniel has such a big personality.”

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Coulthard also pointed to two British drivers who may end up following in his footsteps on the UK broadcasting scene once their careers have come to a close.

“There are a lot of great personalities out there; George [Russell], Lando [Norris]…” he said.

“These guys are naturally at ease with themselves and that is the important thing when you do television, you just have to be yourself. These guys are entertainers in their own right.”

But Coulthard’s other recommendation could raise eyebrows, with the Scot pointing to AlphaTauri’s famously fiery Yuki Tsunoda as being particularly entertaining.

“Maybe even Yuki [Tsunoda] because you would be betting on when he would use the first swear word!”

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