Coulthard wants F1 rivals to admit their mistakes

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LONDON (Reuters) - Red Bull’s David Coulthard expressed frustration on Monday with Formula One rivals who refuse to admit their mistakes.

The 37-year-old Scot has yet to score a point this season after collisions in two of the three races, tangling with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa in Australia and Briton Jenson Button in Bahrain.

Coulthard said in a column for the ITV Web site (www.itv-f1.com) that he was disappointed Honda’s Button had blamed him to reporters after the race before apologising privately later.

"After the incident with Felipe Massa in Australia as well, I’m a bit weary of arguing about these collisions, because I think other drivers have got to take responsibility for their actions as well," said Coulthard.

"If it makes them happier, I’ll say it was all my fault," he added.

"But on that basis it will be all my fault if they try the same thing again, because I can’t see them when they’re in my blind spot, we have high cockpit sides, and they’re not far enough alongside.

"Either pass me properly or don’t stick your nose in there," said Coulthard, who will be in action again in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix.

Massa collided with Coulthard in Melbourne while trying to overtake the Scot on the inside as they headed into a corner, pitching .....continued below

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The Brazilian said afterwards that he had nothing to apologise for because he had done nothing wrong.

Coulthard messed up an overtaking manoeuvre on Alex Wurz in Australia last year, with his car narrowly missing the Austrian’s head as it flew over the front of the Williams, and he said he had shouldered the blame immediately.

"The thing that’s most disappointing is that when I screw up I admit my mistake, but when other people cause an accident with me, they seem not to," he said.

"I feel it’s a bit unfair that I’m made out to be some sort of crasher when I’ve done 230-plus grands prix and generally kept my nose pretty clean.

"I don’t want to crash with any of these people -- but I’m not just going to move over and say "after you, Claude". So I will not change my approach."

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Rex Gowar)