MOTOR SPORT:DAVID COULTHARD is on standby for a Formula One comeback if either of Red Bull's drivers are unable to race in the first two grands prix of the season, the team said yesterday.

A spokeswoman said the 37-year-old Scot, in Melbourne as a pundit for BBC television, was their official reserve driver for Sunday’s season-opener and the following race in Malaysia.

New Zealander Brendon Hartley, a Red Bull junior driver, had been lined up for the role but the 19-year-old was unable to obtain the mandatory super-licence.

Red Bull’s regular drivers are Australian Mark Webber, who broke his leg in a cycling accident in November, and Germany’s Sebastian Vettel.