The Twynholm-born Formula One driver had a miserable start to the weekend after qualifying in just 10th place out of 20 for his Red Bull team.
And things went from bad to worse from there on in.
Despite a battle with pal Jenson Button which lasted 13 laps early in the race, Coulthard was unable to make up the places from 10th and being pushed off the track in the first lap saw him fall back as the pack sped past him.
He was unable to climb back up the field during the remaining laps and was out of the running for points after his car proved no competition against the front-runners, despite its mechanical reliability.
The Red Bull team walked away from the paddock without any points and left the Hockenheim circuit feeling deflated.
Coulthard later said: "This track just didn't suit the RB4 car and we could tell that from first practice." Of the race, he said: "It was a poor start. Heidfeld ran wide in Turn One, which pushed me wide and off the circuit, so a lot of people passed me there. I was stuck behind Jenson (Button) for 13 laps or so, he always seemed to have better traction so it was difficult to have a big dive at the end of braking. I got past him, as well as Rosberg before that.
"Towards the end of the race, Rubens (Barrichello) got better traction off a turn and moved over. I came back on to my line to take the corner. I guess he thought I wasn't going to do that, which is why he had his car there, but it didn't work out."
Team-mate Mark Webber suffered his first mechanical failure of the year after collecting debris which hindered his oil cooler.
Storming around the track to take his second victory in a row was Brit Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren Mercedes.
Hamilton finished the race with a four-point lead in the championship and managed to beat Ferrari rivals Kimi Raikonnen and Felippe Massa.
An unusual finish for Renault's Nelson Piquet Jnr saw him scoop the second place trophy with Massa in at third. Piquet managed to hold off the Ferrari after proving too slow to battle against Hamilton and letting him through.
Coulthard and his Red Bull team will now head to Budapest with the Scot ranked at 14th in the championship