May 14 (GMM) David Coulthard is now the oldest active formula one racer because he does not want to quit before he has achieved his goals.

That is the opinion of the 37-year-old Scot's former McLaren teammate Mika Hakkinen, who retired at the end of the 2001 season with two drivers' championships under his belt.

"I'm surprised some drivers, like DC, can hang on for so long in formula one," the 39-year-old Finn, who left F1 at the age of 33, is quoted as saying by the Canadian news agency Canwest.

Coulthard, the winner of 13 grands prix, left McLaren at the end of 2004 and took up residence at Red Bull Racing, for whom he still drives.

Hakkinen, in Montreal on sponsorship duties, added: "On the other hand, I understand why, because if I never would have won the championship I probably would still be (in F1).

"The story is different for a lot of drivers, but for some, if you haven't reached your goal, you just keep going and going and going," he explained.