David Coulthard fears a Formula One fatality if young drivers fail to act responsibly on the track.

Speaking at the French Grand Prix, the Scot also accepted for the first time that he was to blame for a 1998 collision in Belgium that left a raging Michael Schumacher accusing the McLaren driver of trying to kill him.

Coulthard was comparing that incident with one last week when he almost ploughed into the back of Spaniard Fernando Alonso's Renault at the European Grand Prix.

At Spa in 1998, Schumacher's Ferrari ploughed into Coulthard's car in heavy spray while the German was leading and trying to lap Coulthard. The Scot vehemently denied he had braked early at the time.

"I'm not doing a Fernando-beating thing," said Coulthard. "But I realised on reflection...when Michael ran into the back of me, his reaction was that I'd brake tested him or tried to kill him and all that sort of thing.

"The stewards looked at the data and I hadn't braked, so it was just all brushed under the carpet.

"The reality is that I lifted to let him pass me, but I lifted in heavy spray on the racing line. You should never do that. I would never do that now.

"In 1998, I didn't have the experience and the knowledge, and I had never had someone run into the back of me. And because someone pushes you, you react. So you act as though 'I didn't do that,'" he said.

"The minute I knew he was there, and I was told by the team that he was and was trying to allow him to pass me, I should have made a smarter decision."

Coulthard said he had learnt from the experience and that drivers like Alonso would have to learn as well.

"The risk is that it could have been a very dangerous accident for Michael and Nuerburgring could have been a very dangerous accident for me," he said.

"Eventually, somewhere down the line, eight or 10 years from now, a young guy will come in and it will happen to Fernando and then he will feel slightly different about it."

Coulthard was asked whether he had told Schumacher what really happened all those years ago. "No, because the penny has only dropped since Nuerburgring," he replied.