REPORT: David Coulthard gets a speeding ticket. In an F1 car.
David Coulthard demonstrates for Red Bull Racing in Mumbai, India – Click above for high-res image gallery
You can't blame an F1 driver from driving fast. That's what they're supposed to do. Evidently authorities in India feel differently, however, as they've slapped David Coulthard with an enormous £20,000 (approx $33k) ticket for breaking the speed limit. The kicker? It was for a Formula 1 demonstration on a closed-off section of roadway.
The winner of thirteen grands prix (and one of the top points scorers of all time) retired from active racing at the end of last season, but remains a consultant and test driver for the Red Bull Racing team which he helped form. The team recently held a demonstration run in Mumbai, India, drawing a crowd of some 50,000 racing fans.
Part of the route took Coulthard across the Rajiv Ghandi Sea Link. The bridge has a maximum speed limit of 62 miles per hour, and even drops to 31 MPH in some parts. DC, however, was clocked at 162 MPH. As a result, the local authorities are reportedly withholding the £20,000 deposit which the team put down for the event, making for one mammoth speeding ticket. But at least Coulthard isn't stuck paying out of pocket.
[Source: Autosport]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
AK 6:39PM (10/26/2009)
As an Indian, I'm not surprised. This is the kind of stupidity that the Indian economy has thrived in spite of, not because.
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TigerMil 7:30PM (10/26/2009)
As an Indian you should not be surprised at the corruption in Mumbai.
Paul 7:32PM (10/26/2009)
Yeah, seems excessive, granted. And it doesn't paint India as real F1-friendly. But to be fair, as the photos illustrate, there were no safety barriers and this was probably no place to do those speeds around crowds of that size.
Anyone recall the LeMans disaster of 1955? Almost 100 spectators killed when a car flew into the stands, broke up and tumbled. Ever felt a carbon fiber shard? Imagine thousands of knives flying through a crowd. It would be a huge setback for the sport if anything were to go wrong here.
Ray 8:12PM (10/26/2009)
@Paul
Except he was going that fast on the bridge, not around the crowds of people. Ever learned reading comprehension?
"The Scot drove across the cable-stayed bridge at 260km/h, despite having been warned not to go over 100km/h, the prescribed speed limit over the bridge."
erik1080 10:17PM (10/26/2009)
Looks like he's using the prime, harder compound tires. ;)
hashiryu 11:40PM (10/26/2009)
So lame. I hope India never gets a GP.
Jared 11:53PM (10/26/2009)
Autoblog can't convert units..... o_0
I said it. In the first post.
shawn 4:58PM (10/27/2009)
First of all it was a closed street why was there a cop even clocking with radar on it? This so lame!
P.V. 6:39PM (10/26/2009)
He shoulda bribed the cop. That's what I do every time I visit, I kid you not. Even the smallest bribe will do the trick. (Cops, as well as other authorities in India, are incredibly corrupt, if you haven't noticed.)
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John H. 6:51PM (10/26/2009)
$20k GBP is a pretty good bribe.
Sasha 2:47AM (10/27/2009)
I dunno..I tried bribing a cop once with $3 and 20 rupees, all the cash on me..I ended up having to escape three cop SUVs on that rusty ol Bajaj, which made for a pretty hairy ten minutes ;) Thank Ganesh for rush hour traffic!
vespid82 6:39PM (10/26/2009)
"grands prix"?
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eric.j.peterson 6:46PM (10/26/2009)
Grands Prix is the correct pluralization of Grand Prix.
vespid82 7:04PM (10/26/2009)
Stupid French...
BMWsRock 6:44PM (10/26/2009)
that's just silly. the government people should chill... it was a closed road and it's an F1 car demo not a scooter demo
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NorCalAngler 6:47PM (10/26/2009)
Smart move putting down a hefty deposit with a corrupt government. They should have a Mexican bank handle all of their investments, too.
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larry raines 6:48PM (10/26/2009)
I like how the headline lies to you about the body copy.
As if he was actually pulled over and issued a speeding ticket.
inorder to get you to read an article about Red Bull Racing Inc. loosing their deposit when they held a public event.
Crappy sensationalistic "journalism"
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nissanfreak87 6:53PM (10/26/2009)
Oh chill out, have some fun every once in a while, not everything has to be serious business all the time.
Nateb123 6:54PM (10/26/2009)
I am Mr. Serious! This is my serious face!
Hike15 9:51PM (10/26/2009)
It was fun imagining him sitting on the side of a public road in an f1 car with a cop behind him. I thought of the stig getting pulled over by a cop while he was driving a caterham.