David Coulthard won 13 Grand Prix during his Formula 1 career, but it’s hard to believe any were earned with a better overtake than how he took the lead at the 2000 British Grand Prix.
McLaren are one of the most historic teams in F1 history, even if the likes of Lewis Hamilton occasionally lost out on race victories because of mistakes made by the experienced outfit.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are battling it out this season to see who will add their name to the list of McLaren world champions, with the constructors’ championship already all but sewn up at the halfway stage of the 2025 campaign.
David Coulthard will see himself as one of the best drivers ever to race for McLaren, who didn’t win a title.
| Grand Prix starts | 246 |
| Pole positions | 12 |
| Wins | 13 |
| Podiums | 62 |
| Fastest laps | 18 |
| Points | 535 |
| Best championship finish | 2nd (2001) |
He had an unenviable task of trying to beat Mika Hakkinen as his teammate, and Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello during the last unstoppable period of Ferrari’s career.
Schumacher had clashed with Damon Hill in the past, but it was Barrichello who stood in the way of Coulthard and victory at the 2000 British Grand Prix.
The Scot pulled off a move that day that 1992 world champion Nigel Mansell would have been proud of.
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How David Coulthard won the 2000 British Grand Prix with Nigel Mansell-esque overtake
Coulthard started fourth at the 2000 British Grand Prix, but overtook Mika Hakkinen going into the opening corner.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen pitted earlier in the race, allowing Coulthard to move up to the back of Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello.
In 1987, Mansell pulled off an incredible dummy on Williams teammate Nelson Piquet going into Stowe corner to overtake him.
Coulthard perfectly emulated the 1992 F1 world champion, feigning to go right before driving up alongside Barrichello on his left and swooping around the outside of the corner.
| RANK | DRIVER | TEAM | TIME | POINTS |
| 1 | David Coulthard | McLaren | 1:28:50.108 | 10 |
| 2 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren | +1.477 | 6 |
| 3 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | +19.917 | 4 |
| 4 | Ralf Schumacher | Williams | +41.312 | 3 |
| 5 | Jenson Button | Williams | +57.759 | 2 |
| 6 | Jarno Trulli | Jordan | +1:19.273 | 1 |
The Scottish driver had gearbox troubles for the final 15 laps of the race, but that wasn’t going to stop him from claiming his second victory on the bounce at Silverstone.
Speaking in his post-race press conference, Coulthard said: “I thought I was going to be stuck behind Rubens until the fuel stop, and I was comfortable with my stop.
“We were able to run the engine, and I was hoping to be able to go longer than he would go.
“But then he made a small mistake coming out of the last corner [before the Hangar Straight], Becketts, while I got it right, and I got a run on him.
“Remembering Nigel Mansell’s move on Nelson Piquet [at Stowe in 1987], I thought I would give that a try!
“It held together, and obviously that gave me the advantage when we came in for the pit stops.”
Working on commentary for ITV Sport, Martin Brundle said: “Look, look! Coulthard is past the Ferrari!” as he and Murray Walker had missed the initial overtake.
“Coulthard has passed Barrichello, he takes the lead of this race!”
Watching the replay, Brundle continued: “Coulthard’s going to go down the outside, Coulthard, it’s a brave, brave run down the outside.
“Barrichello defends his line, but he has to reduce his speed some, and Coulthard says, ‘I’m coming through, now’s the moment’,”
Michael Schumacher defeats David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen to win the 2000 F1 championship
Coulthard had a torrid start to the 2000 F1 campaign, scoring four points in the first three races.
His victory in the fourth race of the season at Silverstone saw him jump to second in the standings with 14 points, and Hakkinen sat two points behind him on 12.
However, Schumacher – who benefited from Barrichello eventually retiring from the British Grand Prix – finished third and added four points to the 30 he had scored by winning each of the first three races.
| RANK | DRIVER | TEAM | POINTS |
| 1 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 108 |
| 2 | Mika Hakkinen | McLaren | 89 |
| 3 | David Coulthard | McLaren | 73 |
| 4 | Rubens Barrichello | Ferrari | 62 |
| 5 | Ralf Schumacher | Williams | 24 |
| 6 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Benetton | 18 |
| 7 | Jacques Villeneuve | BAR | 17 |
| 8 | Jenson Button | Williams | 12 |
| 9 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Jordan | 11 |
| 10 | Jarno Trulli | Jordan | 6 |
Schumacher’s form and reliability in the middle of the season stuttered, and at one point, it looked like Hakkinen might win three championships on the bounce.
The German won each of the last four races to beat Hakkinen by 19 points in the end, with Coulthard a further 16 back to secure another third-place finish in the drivers’ championship.