Coulthard prepares for Spanish GP

Robert Millward

Thursday, May 4, 2000 | 8:35 a.m.

LONDON - The day after surviving an air crash that killed the two pilots, Formula One star David Coulthard was back to his usual routine and preparing for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver was hailed a hero after helping his fiancee, Heidi Wichlinski, and personal trainer Andrew Matthews climb out of a burning Learjet after it crashed while landing at Lyon Airport on Tuesday.

The two pilots, David Saunders and Dan Worley, were killed instantly as the front of the plane was torn off on impact. But the three passengers managed to climb out of a fuselage window in what Coulthard later described as a miracle escape.

All three were examined at a local hospital and released, and newspapers carried photographs of Coulthard and his fiancee arriving at their home in Monaco.

"He will be going to Barcelona and he will be in the Spanish Grand Prix," McLaren spokeswoman Paula Webb said of Coulthard. "He is a professional racing driver and is very focused trying to win this race."

That means the 29-year-old Scot will climb into the cockpit of his McLaren and race around the Circuit de Catalunya at speeds of up to 180 mph starting with Friday's practice.

Coulthard, who won the British Grand Prix for the second year in a row nine days ago to cut the championship lead of Michael Schumacher to 20 points, looks certain to line up for McLaren when practice starts.

"It is a question for McLaren," said his manager Ian Cunningham. "David will make his decision in conjunction with the team, but he would like to drive."

Olivier Panis, a veteran of 91 Grand Prix races for Ligier and Prost before joining McLaren as a test driver, could take over if Coulthard didn't take part.