Top 5 unluckiest F1 drivers in the past decade

3) David Coulthard

David Coulthard

Race Starts – 246

Wins – 13

DC, as he is better known in the F1 paddock, has been one of the unluckiest drivers of the previous decade. He started in F1 with Williams in 1993 and got the race seat next year following Aryton Senna’s tragic death at Imola. His first full season came next year and he won his first ever race in Portugal that year. However, he retired 8 times that season due to bad luck and some major errors.

The next year (1996) he joined McLaren. However, the car was not up to standard and he managed to get on the podium only once that year. The next 5 years of his career were his best as he finished third thrice (1997, 1998, 2000) and second once (2001). He won 8 times during this period. In 2001, despite finishing second he only managed to 65 points compared to the 123 points tallied by Schumacher. His decline started soon after Raikkonen joined the team and outpaced him. In 2003, when F1 bosses introduced single lap qualifying, his star dimmed even further.

In 2005, he joined Red Bull and his poor run of form continued as the Red Bulls were not able to challenge the leaders though he did guide the team to their first ever podium in 2006 at Monaco. He got onto the podium two more times before bowing out in 2008. He was knocked out of the race after a smash-up.