Following rules does not seem to be one of the virtues of former Formula One ace David Coulthard, who defied the speed limit and zoomed across the Mumbai sea-link at a breakneck speed of 260km per hour.

"I have been driving over 200kmph all my life. It is difficult to keep my speed below 100kmph," he said after the drive.

"Apparently there is a speed-limit.. about 50 or 100kms. But I do not intend to drive in India again. So instead I plan to go flat out," the British driver quipped yesterday while commenting on the speed limit.

Much to the disappointment of F1 lovers here, MSRDC, which owns the bridge, had asked Coulthard not to drive at over 100kmph, the permissible speed limit on the recently inaugurated Bandra-Worli sea-link.

The much-awaited run lasted barely for a few minutes, but was more than enough for Coulthard to capture the imagination of all those present to witness his latest conquest.

Scenes of disbelief and amazement could be seen on the faces of onlookers as Coulthard vanished from their sights in seconds after starting the engine and they kept an eye on the chopper recording his movement to know his position on the 5.6-kilometre sea-link.

DC, as he is affectionately known, also enthralled people with a couple of 360 degree spin-offs. It was unfortunate as he could not repeat the performance as the engine overheated forcing him to stop.

"Unfortunately, the run was short. I'd have liked to drive a little more but F1 cars are fragile as they are designed for special circuits," he said.

The 38-year old also praised the engineering marvel saying that it surpassed his expectations.

"I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth the bridge was. It is a good piece of engineering," Coulthard said.

Asked about his impression of India, the racer said that he was amazed to see how tolerant the country was.

"I have seen cars, bicycles, cycles all coexist at the same place. I am amazed at how tolerant the society in India is," he said.

Coulthard claimed that it was during this trip that he had used a horn for the first time.

"I've never heard so many vehicles honking at the same time at one place. This was probably the first time that I've used a horn," he said.

The former F1 ace also had a few words of encouragement for the aspiring racers in India.

"You already have your own F1 team. I would be happy if would have your own F1 circuit and can't see why you can't have a F1 world champion in the near future," he said.