Coulthard blames Mosley for new face of F1

David Coulthard has pointed his finger at Max Mosley after Sunday’s processional start to the 2010 season in Bahrain.

While others have simply blamed the new refuelling ban, the retired Scottish veteran said today’s face of formula one is the "legacy" of former FIA president Mosley’s 16 years at the helm.

"I hope Max Mosley, watching from his ivory tower after relinquishing his post as president last autumn, enjoyed the Bahrain grand prix on Sunday," Coulthard, now an expert pundit for British television, wrote in a column in the Telegraph.

Coulthard, a winner of 13 grands prix, said F1 fans can also blame "revs limited to 18,000rpm", "standardised gearboxes and engines" and the "single tyre supplier".

He said those measures were all championed by Mosley and "appear to have done little for the show if Bahrain is anything to go on".

Coulthard also revealed he "got in a bit of trouble" last week for siding with Ferrari against F1’s struggling new teams, but he remains critical in his latest column.

About Virgin, he said wheels "should not be falling off cars during practice", and about HRT he said drivers "should not be going on track for the first time during qualifying sessions".

"And before people write in to say how great it was that both Lotus drivers finished the race; yes it was but should we not expect an F1 car to be able to complete a race?" said Coulthard. "Surely that is a minimum expectation?"