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It Is What It Is: The Autobiography
From his quiet beginnings in rural Scotland to his multi-millionaire lifestyle in Monte Carlo, where he owns one of the most luxurious hotels in the principality, David Coulthard's life story is an extraordinary one. He got his breakthrough into Formula One in the tragic circumstances of Ayrton Senna's death in 1994, and quickly established himself as one of the best drivers on the circuit. From 1996-2004, he drove for McLaren, one of the leading teams throughout the entire period, before moving to Red Bull for 2005-07. Taking the reader from his early days when he first became hooked on racing karts at the age of 11, through to the high-speed world of Formula One he now inhabits, Coulthard has written one of the most honest and powerful sports autobiographies of recent years. In the book, he talks about his ups and downs at McLaren, the reputation he gained for his playboy lifestyle and how hard this has made it for him to settle down. Throughout it all he seeks to answer the questions about himself that anyone might ask, and so to reveal what it is that really drives him on. His struggle to understand himself makes for a remarkable memoir.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published August 9, 2007
9 people are currently reading
254 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 26, 2011
Well what a strange man David Coulthard is. Full of contradictions, strange anecdotes and OCD tendencies.
What is does do in this book is give a good idea of what sort of person you have to be to be an F1 driver, precise, focused, single minded, full of self belief.
He really does believe that he is one of the greatest drivers to ever have raced, and he is happy to cherry pick statistics to back up his point.
This is not to say he isn't a likable character though, he is very human, he has flaws that he recognises, he has a good sense of humour.
Particularly watch out for the chapter where he claims he is not a ladies man, and then details many many women he has been with, or the bit when Jensen Button rugby tackles him to the ground, or his essay about toilet brushes...
A strange man indeed, but worth reading for any F1 fan.
What is does do in this book is give a good idea of what sort of person you have to be to be an F1 driver, precise, focused, single minded, full of self belief.
He really does believe that he is one of the greatest drivers to ever have raced, and he is happy to cherry pick statistics to back up his point.
This is not to say he isn't a likable character though, he is very human, he has flaws that he recognises, he has a good sense of humour.
Particularly watch out for the chapter where he claims he is not a ladies man, and then details many many women he has been with, or the bit when Jensen Button rugby tackles him to the ground, or his essay about toilet brushes...
A strange man indeed, but worth reading for any F1 fan.
March 9, 2015
I must say, this was a bit of a yawn fest..... The more I read, the more I didn't want to go for a drink with the man.
As autobiography's go, this book was extremely self congratulating and arrogant and at times a way to vent at other drivers he did not like, a la Mansell, Montoya etc.
The book was also not very insightful, comparing it to "Crashed & Byrned" (Tommy Byrne), "Flat Out, Flat Broke" (Perry McCarthy) and "My Story" (Alex Zanardi) nor eloquently wrote.
I enjoyed the humorous parts, of which there were two (DC losing his V plates and being told by his race chief that once he lost these it would happen every night, which it kind of did with a fumble at Monza the following night) and being very worse for wears on a Yacht in Monaco with Jenson Button in the nude.
I also enjoyed reading about some of the perks that being at the top provided, including the second brake system fitted to his McLaren and the zero gravity Cosmonaut experience.
Other than the snippets above, a largely forgettable book that I was too eager to finish to move onto something new.
If you are looking for motorsport autobiogs I would recommend missing this one and reading one of the three fore mentioned in my review
As autobiography's go, this book was extremely self congratulating and arrogant and at times a way to vent at other drivers he did not like, a la Mansell, Montoya etc.
The book was also not very insightful, comparing it to "Crashed & Byrned" (Tommy Byrne), "Flat Out, Flat Broke" (Perry McCarthy) and "My Story" (Alex Zanardi) nor eloquently wrote.
I enjoyed the humorous parts, of which there were two (DC losing his V plates and being told by his race chief that once he lost these it would happen every night, which it kind of did with a fumble at Monza the following night) and being very worse for wears on a Yacht in Monaco with Jenson Button in the nude.
I also enjoyed reading about some of the perks that being at the top provided, including the second brake system fitted to his McLaren and the zero gravity Cosmonaut experience.
Other than the snippets above, a largely forgettable book that I was too eager to finish to move onto something new.
If you are looking for motorsport autobiogs I would recommend missing this one and reading one of the three fore mentioned in my review
February 10, 2019
Those of you who watched Formula 1 during David Coulthard’s career will know he was a charismatic personality who enjoyed female company and a good laugh in front of the cameras.
His autobiography is certainly an extension of that personality, as he wittily recounts his motorsport career and the luxuries it included.
His autobiography is certainly an extension of that personality, as he wittily recounts his motorsport career and the luxuries it included.
October 1, 2011
Must read for any self-respecting Formula 1 fan... whether you're a fan of DC or not, you should read this. A funny and insightful look inside the mind of a Formula 1 driver.
August 5, 2019
A nice insight into the life of an F1 driver, with some nice anecdotes and stories. I also think he is very honest about F1 and himself, and not always to come out of it as a better person. Yet it cost me some trouble to get through it, because of mediocre writing and some anoying force applications of the title of the book. But there, I read it, I finished it, I gave it three stars. It is what it is.
April 12, 2018
Useful research for my upcoming book www.1994f1.com
A good insight into his life as a Formula 1 driver, especially the relationship between David, Mika Hakkinen and team boss Ron Dennis. Its a bit short on his Williams days which was what I was most interested in for my upcoming book. But a must read for fans of Formula 1 looking to learn about the behind the scenes part of the sport.
A good insight into his life as a Formula 1 driver, especially the relationship between David, Mika Hakkinen and team boss Ron Dennis. Its a bit short on his Williams days which was what I was most interested in for my upcoming book. But a must read for fans of Formula 1 looking to learn about the behind the scenes part of the sport.
July 5, 2023
Great insight into the era
November 15, 2023
A very strange and odd man but also very focused in what he does.
OCD in certain aspects but that's not a bad thing. Pity a lot more males are not like DC.
All in all a good read.
OCD in certain aspects but that's not a bad thing. Pity a lot more males are not like DC.
All in all a good read.
October 13, 2021
A no nonsense insight into the life of an F1 driver. Great stories of racing with Mclaren, for Ron Dennis and against Mika Hakkinen. Good read.
October 27, 2014
When this autobiography was published in 2007, It’s odd that Coulthard has chosen this time in his career to put an autobiography about. Many times in the past few years he has fobbed off journalists asking the same old questions about when he will retire, always insisting that he intends to keep racing for much longer.
So why put out an autobiography when he did? I can’t answer that question. The autobiography covers the whole Coulthard story is here, with plenty of interesting background story on his path to F1 and stacks of amusing anecdotes that his most devoted followers will surely adore.
He has a few highly topical remarks to make on the equality of treatment he got at McLaren alongside Mika Hakkinen. But while reading his remarks about getting equal technical treatment and feeling he lacked the support of the top management, it almost begins to sound like what Fernando Alonso has been complaining about during his career.
The content is generally really good, although I hoped for a little more on his feelings about the state of the sport and some insight into the inner workings of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, where his expertise has been put to good use.
The style is awkward though. To me, it really feels like a ghostwritten book, with the author reporting what happened in a rigid chronology and not deviating from this structure.
As an autobiography it’s slightly disappointing for me after following the career of Coulthard since 1997. Coulthard’s character doesn’t come out in full colour and it feels like it is dulled for coming at us second hand.
In the near future, he’ll take a second crack at writing an autobiography in the future which I hope would be penned from his own hand after retiring from television broadcasting with the BBC and providing us with hindsight of his experience there.
It's not a bad book but its not a brilliant book either. But if your fan of F1, you will enjoy this book.
So why put out an autobiography when he did? I can’t answer that question. The autobiography covers the whole Coulthard story is here, with plenty of interesting background story on his path to F1 and stacks of amusing anecdotes that his most devoted followers will surely adore.
He has a few highly topical remarks to make on the equality of treatment he got at McLaren alongside Mika Hakkinen. But while reading his remarks about getting equal technical treatment and feeling he lacked the support of the top management, it almost begins to sound like what Fernando Alonso has been complaining about during his career.
The content is generally really good, although I hoped for a little more on his feelings about the state of the sport and some insight into the inner workings of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, where his expertise has been put to good use.
The style is awkward though. To me, it really feels like a ghostwritten book, with the author reporting what happened in a rigid chronology and not deviating from this structure.
As an autobiography it’s slightly disappointing for me after following the career of Coulthard since 1997. Coulthard’s character doesn’t come out in full colour and it feels like it is dulled for coming at us second hand.
In the near future, he’ll take a second crack at writing an autobiography in the future which I hope would be penned from his own hand after retiring from television broadcasting with the BBC and providing us with hindsight of his experience there.
It's not a bad book but its not a brilliant book either. But if your fan of F1, you will enjoy this book.
December 22, 2010
David Coulthard's autobiography is as its title proclaims: 'It is what it is'. I wasn't much of a fan of his back in the day, did like him a bit in the early days but it became clear in his 1999 season he didn't have the capacity to be a World Championship driver.... even though McLaren kept him for 9 years! This book provides an interesting insight into what makes DC tick, including some surprising personality traits. There are a lot of things here that I didn't know about him, the sort of pressures involved in starting out in motor racing and many amusing stories. DC, as he shows in the book, was incredibly lucky to get the break he did, though under horrible circumstances. Thinking about if the Williams seat had not been vacant, DC may not have ended up in F1 at all or struggled to like Alan McNish. He is honest about himself, that he was great on his day but just lacked that consistency over a whole season teammates Damon Hill, Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen had. However, he made that up with his PR friendly manner and devotion to whatever team he was involved with, which is why Ron Dennis kept him for as long as he did I reckon. Personally, I can't see a better driver for Redbull when they bought Jaguar in 2005 as he provided the perfect persona for their brand. If you have an active interest in Formula One racing and the racing drivers behind the helmet I recommend giving this a go.
January 30, 2016
You get a feel that this biography was narrated as it almost sounds like David is remembering points as it goes along. Certainly he repeats little bits and gets sidetracked from his main point. Overall it doesn't seem to be as well organised as you'd expect from him and things like the 2007 spygate should have been explained for new F1 fans.
There are also moments when it sounds as though he's answering a question. But none of this detracts from the interesting life he has lead or his ability to honestly analyse his own life. He says himself that he prefers question and answer sessions to giving straight speeches so I guess this method of writing worked well for him.
I'd certainly recommend this book to anyone interested either in Coulthard himself or to someone just interested in a behind the scenes look at F1. It's interesting to realise he wrote this book looking ahead at 2008, with no thought of retiring, yet by the end of that year he'd hung up his helmet. This truly is covering his life as a driver.
There are also moments when it sounds as though he's answering a question. But none of this detracts from the interesting life he has lead or his ability to honestly analyse his own life. He says himself that he prefers question and answer sessions to giving straight speeches so I guess this method of writing worked well for him.
I'd certainly recommend this book to anyone interested either in Coulthard himself or to someone just interested in a behind the scenes look at F1. It's interesting to realise he wrote this book looking ahead at 2008, with no thought of retiring, yet by the end of that year he'd hung up his helmet. This truly is covering his life as a driver.
June 19, 2023
A good overview of David Coulthard's career. His career primarily came before I started properly following F1, so it was interesting to read about some of the interesting events he was involved with in races and off the track like the helicopter crash he was involved with. He tries to discount the ladies man persona the press gave him but pretty much contradicts himself with all the stories of women he was involved with. He was pretty happy to name people he go on with and who he didn't and why (he is not a fan of Montoya) which is always good when it comes to autobiographies. There's a lot to admire about his career, his drive and work ethic but he also comes across as quite a cold character.
March 13, 2012
A brilliant insight into the life of a Formula 1 driver, especially the relationship between David, Mika Hakkinen and team boss Ron Dennis. Always felt that given the opportunity DC would have had an opportunity to go for the Championship, but his record is still very impressive. A must read for fans of Formula 1 looking to learn about the behind the scenes part of the sport.
January 6, 2014
I really enjoyed this autobiography and found it to be very well written and candid. Some of his own introspection was a little repetitive. I would love an update post 2008. I found myself giggling out loud over some anecdotes such as losing his virginity and the tale involving a Wallace and Gromit mug. All in all an entertaining and easy read for anyone interested in Formula 1.
August 16, 2014
I read this book and I loved it!he talks a lot about what kind of person makes it to be a formula 1 driver and he was certainly driven! Very funny and very honest!he lives the lavish life style but yet he's humble and hasn't forgotten where he comes from!a great read for any f1 fan!ive tried my best to do it justice but I suggest you read it for yourselves
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August 9, 2011Hi Guys! Read the book... its really really good! (and if you care, some hunky DC pics as bonus!). Ignore the bit about how much he loves his new girlfriend - it's all lies!!!.. just kidding, it's an excellent and well written book that I was totally hooked on! S xx
December 18, 2007
This was an OK book. It was interesting to learn more about him and read what he had to say about others in the paddock. Good for a long journey.
October 9, 2019
Not the politically correct Coulthard you'd expect.
April 8, 2014
Loved it. A great look into the world of Formula1
September 28, 2014
I thought this was really not a good book. I rarely throw books away when I have finished them, but this one broke my rule.
December 30, 2016
Dire, very disappointing. The ghost writer seems to have too much say in the content perhaps. Probably the worst racing driver biography I have read.
October 6, 2012
DC talks about his career quite frankly.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews