F1 legend David Coulthard opens up on battle with bulimia: 'I needed to make weight'

David Coulthard pictured in 2023 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

F1 legend opens up on battle with bulimia: 'I needed to make weight'

Coulthard felt it was something he had to do

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Friday 11 September 2026 15:59

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F1 legend David Coulthard has opened up on his grim battle with eating disorder bulimia, admitting it was something he had to do 'to make weight'.

The now 55-year-old Scot enjoyed a highly successful career in the sport, winning 13 Grands Prix and finishing runner-up in the 2001 World Drivers' Championship.

But behind the glamour of the grid and the lavish Monaco lifestyle, Coulthard battled one major problem throughout his career - he was tall at 1.82m (6ft).

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The former Williams, Mercedes and Red Bull star raced during an era where every extra pound for an F1 driver was a major penalty. Making weight wasn't optional, it was obligatory and it left Coulthard with a grim path to the top.

He spoke about that path on the Up To Speed podcast, with a sponsorship deal he once had with Scottish confectionery brand Tunnock's acting as an unlikely segway.

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'That's what bulimia will do'

He told co-host Will Buxton: “That’s what bulimia will do. Well I was bulimic - it’s in my book. But I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and I’m no longer.

“I was tall and I had to make weight so in the same way a jockey would go the sauna, I would go to the bathroom.

“It was tough but I was tall for my generation and I had to keep my weight down so that was my commitment.

“So it wasn’t for let’s say mental health issues that I thought that I needed to be slim. It was for good old-fashioned, like a boxer or a jockey, I needed to make weight."

Coulthard is now a highly successful broadcaster.

F1 rules on weight are more lenient now

Coulthard, now a highly successful broadcaster including regular appearances on Channel 4, was quick to point out that weight concerns for F1 drivers in 2026 are not what they used to be - the rules are now more lenient.

“Thankfully, modern Formula 1 accommodates drivers up to a combined weight of 80 kilos. Back in my day if you were much over 70 you were in deficit.”

F1 David Coulthard