David Coulthard says modern F1 drivers have lost 'anger, hunger and fight' of past eras

13-time Formula 1 grand prix winner David Coulthard believes the current generation of drivers has lost the raw "anger and hunger" that defined the sport's more dangerous eras.

Having raced in the championship from 1994 to 2008, Coulthard reflected on the contrasts between his own time competing and the modern era. 

"My generation, we raced in all weather conditions. You couldn't see, you kept going until you hit something. Now the world has evolved so that races don't start because it's too wet," Coulthard explained on the Up To Speed podcast.

The 55-year-old made his F1 debut in 1994 with Williams. He had served as the Grove outfit's test driver from 1993 and was brought into the seat after the death of Ayrton Senna in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

After competing in his first race in Spain, Williams replaced Coulthard with 1992 champion Nigel Mansell for the French Grand Prix in what was supposed to be a one-off appearance. But, while Coulthard returned for the British Grand Prix, Mansell stepped in for the final three races of the season.

Coulthard later signed with McLaren from 1996 before he moved to Red Bull in 2005.

David Coulthard on the grid during the Sprint

Photo by: Dom Gibbons / LAT Images via Getty Images

"I lived through a very dangerous era," he continued. "I lived through a period where my opportunity came because the greatest driver of that generation was killed. So, let's say I think that we had a real feeling of how much it meant if one, you didn't crash, and two, you were lucky enough to be in a position to win.

"It all feels a little bit, and this is me getting into a territory... It feels a little bit like everyone thinks their time will come [to win a championship]. There's no guarantee your time will come.

"This is still a dangerous sport. It's still technology-driven, but I think that we've taken away certain elements of the anger, the hunger, the fight. The drivers all appear to get along very nicely, and they all travel together, and they all compare their [cars], 'look at my Ferrari, look at my Lamborghini'.

"Part of that may well be because social media means it's impossible for them to celebrate their lives in public because someone's there with a phone camera."