Michael's incident during qualifying (Monaco GP)

Ed · Post by Ed » Sun May 28, 2006 1:50 am

Michael Schumacher won Pole in Monaco due to his own mistake. He had set the fastest lap time and on his final lap he went a bit wide and stopped at Rascasse without hitting the barrier then stalled. Alonso, Webber, Fisichella, Raikkonen and Coulthard where all behind him on flying laps. At least 3 of those drivers had a chance to set a better time than Michael's had his car not been there.

If you watched the incident, do you think it was a deliberate move by Michael to secure pole ? Or was is it a geniune mistake ?

And do you think he should be penalised for it ? Or is it just tough luck for those behind him ?

Tell us your opinion. It is a controversial issue particularly that it involves Michael so the tensions are high but lets keep it clean please.

<T-K> · Post by **<T-K>** » Sun May 28, 2006 2:38 am

I think it began as a genuine mistake...he had a bit of understeer,But he must have realized it could work to his advantage.....

Firstly, He said after the race that he tried to put it into reverse, and then stalled a little while later......but from what i saw from the on board footage, it didnt look at all as if he was trying to engage any gears........

Secondly, It was relatively clear that he had a bit of understeer, but he corrected it, and then, all of a sudden, he turned the car towards the barrier.........? Suspicious?

He also used a very clever cover up story of how "He didnt know his qualifying position until he got back to the pits and they told him P1".....Taking pole around Monaco is quite important, and I am sure someone would have been on the radio, telling him that he had gotten provisional pole???

I dont think that you can really penalize him, because this sort of thing hasnt happened before.....and the best thing now would be for the FIA to learn from this, and start tweaking the format slightly....just so that someone cant make a 'mistake' that puts them at an advantage...

Overall I think that it was a really stinky move, and I wish the Ferrari PR people all the best of luck in trying to make shumi look like strawberry shortcake........

Snowy · Post by **Snowy** » Sun May 28, 2006 2:43 am

A very suspicious use of opposite lock

If it was oversteer (backend hanging out) I could understand the use of all that lock but I don't think it is adviseable to steer into a barrier you think your about to understeer into. I might be wrong Michael often defies the laws of physics.

Ed · Post by Ed » Sun May 28, 2006 4:03 am

A few quotes from F1 drivers and team personnel about the incident

Michael Schumacher

We try to drive the car and we find out what it is. The point is that I think I was slightly quicker in the first sector. I don?t know what it was in the second sector but I was obviously watching my time and I was just a little bit quicker and a little bit quicker is not enough, honestly, so you push and you go for it and that was a bit too much.

....

It would be a shame if it is true (a deliberate act), absolutely, but I think it is as usual whatever you do in certain moments. Your enemies they believe one thing and the people that support you believe another thing and that is what our sport is about.

Fernando Alonso

I have my opinion and I won?t tell it here

Flavio Briatore

I think he is taking everyone for a ride. Someone who was seven times a world champion wants us to believe that he didn't do it on purpose, it's fairyland. And given that we are not Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, I think that what he did was unsporting and against everything. It's really astonishing what he did. Incredible!

Pat Symonds

Extremely surprised to see Michael make a suspicious mistake at the end of the super-pole that looked as if it had come from a novice driver ? not a world champion

Mark Webber

Obviously, if it is intentional it is childish, isn't it? It looks a bit tricky to be honest.
I just feel you don't have to do this stuff. Why does it always have to happen? It's like Mike Tyson biting someone's ear off, isn't it?
If it's deliberate it's absolutely rubbish. It's massively below the belt and if that's the case he should definitely lose all his qualifying.

Juan Pablo Montoya

Was it really a mistake? I'm not so sure

Kimi Raikkonen

I don't believe that he really had any problems

David Coulthard

No great surprise that Michael had to stop

Jacques Villeneuve

I hope it was deliberate, because if that was a mistake he should not even have an F1 superlicence.
If you can make a mistake like that, you shouldn't drive a race car. There's no way you could make a mistake like that.

danilen1 · Post by **danilen1** » Sun May 28, 2006 4:16 am

haha, i loved reading those quotes..
It shows that even though michael schumacher has achieved more than anyone else in F1, he is still completely unable to command any respect from the other drivers because of the way he has gone about getting it. Its a pity that someone so prominent in the sport can cause so much controversy.
If he doesnt lose a few fastest times I will be pretty disappointed in the FIA, but I'm hoping he starts pole so alonso can beat him in the race and really embarass the cheats of this sport.

( i dont expect the FIA to do too much, remember him driving into hill in 94, villeneuve in 97, ferraris rule breaking barge boards, and this years flexi wings) what a joke.

GhoGho · Post by **GhoGho** » Sun May 28, 2006 4:40 am

He should at least have damaged the car, then it would seem to be genuine. (and maybe then they could still work on the car!)

I think i should get a job at ferrari

<T-K> · Post by **<T-K>** » Sun May 28, 2006 4:46 am

Juan Pablo Montoya

Was it really a mistake? I'm not so sure

Great response........

lemon_martini2 · Post by **lemon_martini2** » Sun May 28, 2006 5:09 am

At least he didn't try and completely block the track like he did in Austria 2000.

Again I have the feeling the stewards won't take action as there 'will be no evidence he did it deliberately'.Pity how every Ferrari incident involves a bending of the rules which aren't covered so they can't be punished for it...

Snowy · Post by **Snowy** » Sun May 28, 2006 7:17 am

The stewards have sent him to the back of the grid!

Snowy · Post by **Snowy** » Sun May 28, 2006 7:23 am

The stewards said in a statement that the seven-times champion had deliberately stopped his car on the track at the penultimate Rascasse corner in the closing seconds of qualifying, preventing rivals from setting a faster time.

The two page document found that the 37-year-old German had broken the rules on a number of counts.

"The stewards can find no justifiable reason for the driver to have braked with such undue, excessive and unusual pressure at this part of the circuit and are therefore left with no alternative but to conclude that the driver deliberately stopped his car on the circuit," they said.

"This is a breach of 2006 Formula One sporting regulations article 116 and hence a driving infringement," it added. "The stewards accordingly direct that the qualifying times of Michael Schumacher, the driver of car number five, be deleted.

Southernman · Post by **Southernman** » Sun May 28, 2006 12:08 pm

I think initially that MS made a mistake but decided to make a meal out of it. I equate this to a footballer taking a dive. Penalty deserved.

BlinkyBill · Post by **BlinkyBill** » Sun May 28, 2006 12:44 pm

What a day!

I havent seen the evidence, but it must be damning.

When I heard of Fisi's relegation I actually thought it was a reasonably good concept to drop drivers to the back of the pack for that particular session only. ie Fisi earnt his place in the top 10 shootout, but if he messed around, send him to P10 but no further.

My initial reaction was that Michael should be sent to P10. It would have been a less controversial punishment, and it would have allowed somewhat of a Ferrari involvement in the race, albeit for very minor points only.

By sending him to the back . . . Ferrari's race is over. That says to me that the evidence is damning.

If the evidence is damning, Ferrari have some PR problems now, and if you were Kimi - would you really want to be under that kind of management - regardless of the quality of the car?

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Sun May 28, 2006 1:20 pm

I just saw the tape-delay of today's qualifying session in Monaco, and IMHO, that was a deliberate act on Schuey's part, "blocking" the track as he did at the end of the final session........for once, the FIA was right to do what they did.

Ed · Post by Ed » Sun May 28, 2006 1:52 pm

Thanks Snowy for the timely updates

JayVee · Post by **JayVee** » Sun May 28, 2006 3:53 pm

Just saw a replay of what Michael did on rpm and surely he could have continued ?? He didn't even try to turn, he just stopped

I don't like the decision though, I wanted Alonso to beat him when they are next to each other but it just shows that Michael remains the same person he is. He would use any opportunity and take advantage.
This was way too much. To get pole for making a mistake and get away with it would have been totally unfair.
The FIA had to set an example. The sport is getting cleaner and we don't need drivers like Michael to influence the younger drivers to behave in this way.
Look at Alonso and Raikkonen, both ultra competitive but very well behaved and fair on the track.
Looking forward to a clean race