The United Kingdom is often considered the home of F1. Many of the sport’s most successful teams and drivers have hailed from there, and even today, half of the grid operates out of the UK. Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, Williams, and Aston Martin are all based there, while Alpine and Haas also have key facilities in the country.
David Coulthard, however, feels that many do not appreciate the country’s racing legacy enough.
“There is so much to shout about in the UK,” he said on The Chris Moyles Show. “If we were American, everyone would know how brilliant we are in designing racing cars and we have had a lot of brilliant drivers and a number of world champions“.
Top drivers sit in their F1 racing cars, London, November 14th, 1964 before taking part in the Lord Mayor’s Show. Front to rear: Jim Clark in a Lotus, Graham Hill, BRM; Jack Brabham, Brabham; and Bruce McLaren, Cooper. The theme of this show was the History of British Motoring pic.twitter.com/JO5XZ4lsax
— Bourdyot (@bourdyot_) October 1, 2019
The British have a long history of designing some of the finest racing cars in the sport. However, Coulthard believes they tend to be “a bit reserved” and don’t boast about their prowess. He even labeled Britain as the “Silicon Valley of engineering and designing fast race cars.”
Elaborating on his point, Coulthard took Williams as an example. Though backmarkers today, they have a rich motorsport legacy, having fielded legendary drivers like Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell, and Jenson Button. All three got their first break with the Grove-based outfit under Sir Frank Williams, highlighting that British teams excel not only in car design but also in scouting top talent.
What Coulthard’s America comment meant
Coulthard suggested that Americans are proud and vocal about their achievements in racing, and rightfully so. Homegrown series like NASCAR and IndyCar are among the two most popular motorsports disciplines in the world, and despite F1’s best attempts to penetrate the American market, they remain more popular locally.
That could change, with Logan Sargeant—with his year and a half of F1 experience—insisting that F1 had become a lot more watched in America. The Florida native said in an interview in 2023 that the sport would soon get as big as NASCAR and IndyCar. If not bigger.
He credited Netflix’s Drive to Survive for fueling the growth. Because before getting access to behind-the-scenes footage from the fast lives of F1 drivers both on and off the track, “I don’t think back in the day anyone really cared,” Sargeant said.
The jury as to what is actually better, however, is still out. People like Coulthard or Sargeant may consider F1 to be superior, but Will Buxton, who was one of the faces of Drive to Survive, clearly prefers IndyCar.
Calling the racing better, Buxton said, “A decade ago, I reported on my first Indycar races, including my first visit to IMS (International Motor Speedway). I fell in love with the place immediately.” It is for the same reason that Buxton has decided to return to IndyCar as a presenter this year.
