F1 driver - easy life? Don't you believe it....

David Coulthard may be the darling of the British motorsport press at the moment, as he chases Michael Schumacher for the world title on the back of two wins this season, but that does not mean he can put his feet up and rest on his laurels...

Whether it is testing, meeting the media or conducting public relations engagements for McLaren and its sponsors, there is very little time for the Scot to enjoy the finer points of being a grand prix driver.

As part of his obligations to team sponsor West, Coulthard recently undertook to take company's video camera on a tour of his haunts - both past and present, local and overseas - complete with commentary.

His first port of call was back home in the Scottish town of Twynholm, where he joined members of his family for his grandfather's eightieth birthday celebrations....

"I didn't grow up in a racing driver's city," Coulthard pointed out as he surveyed the town he left for the high life in Monaco, "When I go to work, it's in a different country each week. Life is dictated by the F1 calendar. It is very intense and therefore quite draining physically and mentally.

If you think about it, it's very difficult to comprehend how you can step out of a racing car - when you have been round a track at close to 200mph and having that quick decision in your brain as to whether you can keep your foot flat to the floor, or whether you want to lift - and then come back to somewhere as tranquil as the south-west of Scotland. If you lifted, you are in the wrong business - but it's all so far removed from grand prix racing, it's a completely different life.

"I always enjoy coming back home. It has a calming feeling as you drive down the twisty roads to Twynholm, where I grew up. In a way this is recharging the batteries. It may not be the glamorous setting people expect a grand prix driver to be in, but yesterday I was on my boat in the south of France.

"I haven't seen a lot of my relatives for several years because, for the past twelve years, I haven't lived in Scotland. So an occasion like this is important, as it reminds you where you come from and how proud we all are of anyone who has success. I hope that continues. The person you are today is formed by the people who influenced you as a child, like your direct family and all your relatives."

As part of his trip home, Coulthard took time out to visit the official David Coulthard Museum, set up close to his home town in response to the hundreds of tourists who went to Scotland looking for somewhere to discover more about their favourite Scot.

A recent investor in the holiday property market in Monaco, Coulthard found himself roped in to helping out at the museum, as it experienced something of a rush...

"I wouldn't normally be here, but they had a bit of a rush on, so I thought I would help," he said from behind the counter of the cafe, "I'm proud of my spot of table cleaning! If I finish with racing, this is still a job I can do.

"My sister works here dealing with the merchandise and handling the people coming to the museum. It's amazing that so many members of the family are involved. It was my father who started the collection in the first place. It's nice to see that people want to come here and enjoy a different theme to a cafe in this area.

"I'm not a collector of anything. I'm so used to travelling with one bag and my briefcase. In my Monaco apartment, I just have one trophy - which doesn't even look like a trophy. I don't have pictures of me in racing cars, and I think that is because my father has always had the collection and I send everything to him. I think it shows I am very content in my private life as an individual and I don't need to be surrounded by grand prix racing all the time. I switch my mind to racing when I head off to a grand prix.

"I'm so used to being somewhere on any particular day that it is difficult for me to just sit at home and relax. In my whole grand prix career, I have always been with a partner and I've been very fortunate with the partners I've had. Now, in this new situation, it would be very easy as an active young male to find myself being distracted. But, actually, I feel very focused on the job in hand, because I know I can go to a race and in the back of the mind, I am not thinking about someone else, no matter how small
a part that may be in your thought process. That sounds selfish, but maybe that is what it will take for me to enjoy the level of success I would like to have. It's a learning process of my life and I am as curious as anyone else to know how big a part it will play."

With his familial 'duties' over for another few weeks, work calls again, and Coulthard's next appointment is with a private jet at Prestwick airport, where he reflects on the lifestyle of the F1 driver...

"Prestwick is famous as the only place where Elvis touched down when he was flying to Germany," he points out, before casting his mind back briefly to the downtime spent in Scotland, "It will be a long time till I'm back here again as there is no major family event until Christmas time. I've really enjoyed being able to refresh my mind as to how pretty the area is that I grew up in. There's a freedom that just clears the mind.

"I worked out that I spend three weeks every year in the air. That's the same as an average working man's holiday for the year and I spend that time in a little capsule, 35,000 feet above the ground. It's a lot of travel and not the perfect holiday destination, but it's a little more comfortable than commercial flights.

"I have a small group of people who I either work with or are friends who come to the races. The great thing is they have their jobs to do, so I don't have to look after them at the track. It allows me to concentrate on my job, so it is really not a distraction at all. It helps break up the journey if you have friends you can talk to."

Arriving back in Monaco for a brief stop-over, the Scot has an important personal function to attend to - the opening of his recently acquired hotel in the Principality....

"Through a connection with a friend, there was an opportunity to be involved with a hotel project which is actually a few metres from my apartment in Monaco," he explains,"I'm excited about the idea of being involved in it. I am not involved in the day-to-day business, but I travel and stay in hotels. I know what I would expect as a traveller. It doesn't have to be what the public might think. It just has to be good clean service, with a sense of style which makes you feel a little bit romantic - something a little bit
different to a normal hotel.

"It's off the back of me being a Formula One driver that there has been so much media interest in the opening of this hotel. The F1 aspect has brought a wider range of media, and should help establish it much more quickly than it would do otherwise. I'm interested in the people aspect of the business - the success of the hotel will be down to the quality of the people who work here. They all have to perform.

"What I can bring to them, in a sporting way, is that I do appreciate how important teamwork is. It is very much a part of F1, and any person not working to the best of their ability has a knock-on effect throughout the whole hotel or business. When I'm racing, I'm totally focused on that and, when I'm away from racing, I want to forget about driving and get my mind on something else, to keep my mind fresh for the next time I go racing. That's why I have these interests and put a lot of importance on the social side of life. I don't feel at all like a grand prix driver when I'm away from the race track.

"It still genuinely does come as a surprise when people recognise you. Of course, it's nice and a massage to your ego, especially if you have done well, but I sincerely don't walk around thinking 'I'm a Formula One driver, look at me'. I have the same thought processes as non-sports people have. All the simple things and that's life. Would we want it any other way?"