by VALERIO BARRETTA
Coulthard compares past champions
There Williams is trying to return to the glories of the past, and having signed Carlos Sainz (also alongside an excellent driver like Alex Albon) is a further sign of great ambition. Under the guidance of James Vowles, the Grove team wants to return to the team of 30 years ago, when every champion wanted to drive Sir Frank’s car to win the title. Among these are Nigel MansellAlain Prost and Ayrton Seinepilots with whom a young David Coulthard (in 1993 Williams test driver) came into contact.
Coulthard’s words
The Scotsman compared the three world champions thus: “These are very different personalities. Mansell was one of the most naturally talented drivershe was very brave and capable in an era when cars were very physical, they didn’t have power steering and other aids. He absolutely believed in himself, but this made him appear a bit touchy, touchy. Another word might be arrogance. I’m a big fan and I have a lot of respect for all these drivers, so I’m not saying this to offend but just because it’s what I think.“.
“Prost was introverted, a little nervous. He was always biting his nails, he limited the number of laps on the track: he wanted to spend time analyzing the data with the engineers, and I also think he measured every lap. For him every lap was a potential accident and every accident was a potential injury“.
“And then there was Ayrton, who was a mix of these two drivers.“, concluded Coulthard. “Maybe he wasn’t as arrogant as Nigel; but he believed in himself and thought he had a higher power that guided him on the track. The thing that united them all, beyond speed, was their intense bond with the team. They were like the conductors of a huge orchestra. Then they got in the car and achieved results.“.
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