 F1 Drivers Coming to Terms with Time Off Thursday October 18th, 2001 By Alan Baldwin
McLaren's David Coulthard, Championship runner-up this year, mused in Japan last weekend on what the coming weeks held in store. He swiftly dealt with any suggestion that he might be lounging on a beach for months while factory staff laboured away at building the new cars. "It is a very difficult thing to convince anyone that it is a pressure job and that we work hard," the 2001 runner-up said. "What everyone always thinks, including the team owners, is that you get paid a lot of money to drive a racing car and then you go swanning off on your boat or whatever it is you do. What they don't appreciate is that you are never off-duty...You are always working." The Scot was referring in part to the pressures of being a celebrity. But he also has plenty of sponsorship work ahead and will be back at the factory next week, helping on the new car's cockpit layout. "Some of the guys (at the slower end of the grid) say 'Ah, if I was in a quicker car I'd get the job done'," he said. "But equally, being in a less competitive car means there's less work to do off track as well. They can go away for two and a half months now with no commitments until the seat fitting. Plane Crash "We've got promotional appearances, so the work keeps going," he said. The Scot was expecting to benefit from the lack of winter testing, however. He recalled how in May last year, after he clambered from a plane crash that killed his two pilots, the subsequent rest had helped him. "After the plane crash I had a number of weeks when I didn't test and my performance started to improve," he said. "I think it was because I was arriving at the Grands Prix sharper. Before that I did every single test and if the team were planning one without me, I was on the 'phone crying and I was in the car. "I felt that was the way I would improve. But you do need rest...I intend not to stress myself the next couple of months when I'm not driving the car." From January 7, the work will resume in earnest with McLaren scheduling a test every day, including weekends, to the end of the month. Eddie Irvine, whose Jaguar team have not had much of a season, also expects to be working flat out when testing resumes in January. But he plans to have fun before that happens. "I'll have three months holiday which is the first time in five or six years because at Ferrari I did all the winter testing while Michael (Schumacher) went on holiday," he said. "And obviously at Jaguar I have had to deal with the winter testing as well, so I'm well pleased. "I've probably worked harder than any other driver in the last four or five years so a well-earned break is much appreciated."
Published at 16:31:15 GMT
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The season has ended and Formula One drivers have parked up their racing cars until January. But, despite a ban on testing through to the New Year, only a few can expect more than a short break from training and team commitments.
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