02/07/2008
NEWS STORY
David Coulthard and Adrian Newey made a surprise return to McLaren today, albeit as visitors, having bid for a tour of the team's Woking HQ in a charity auction.
The Red Bull driver, who raced for the British outfit between 1996 and 2004, and Newey, who was with the team from 1997 to 2006, formed a party of four visitors which also included (Red Bull team boss) Christian Horner and Coulthard's manager Martin Brundle, who spent one season with the team (1994).
"David has always been a popular driver at McLaren," said Martin Whitmarsh, "and we've known him for a long time. In fact, he's driven more Grands Prix for McLaren than any other driver in Formula 1 history.
"It's fantastic that he has put his hand in his own pocket to support this charity auction," he added, "and it's great to see him back at Woking. This afternoon showed that we still remain friends with many of our former drivers - because Martin, of course, is an ex-McLaren driver too."
Newey, who had previously enjoyed World Championship success with Williams, penned the 1998 and 1999 championship winning cars for Mika Hakkinen.