MICHAEL SCHUMACHER’S RETURN to Formula 1 has so far been less than inspiring so when the veteran racer got caught up a little controversy last weekend, drivers and pundits alike were quick to give their point of view.
The seven-time champion and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton had a fascinating duel over 20 laps– some of the most exciting driving seen this season– and while neither man was willing to say much afterwards, several parties have suggested that the German’s actions weren’t quite legal.
Watch the highlights:
Red Bull driver Mark Webber has questioned Schumacher’s actions in his latest BBC column, stopping just short of saying that he was wrong. He wrote:
“One incident in particular stood out – Lewis had a clear run out of the second chicane into Lesmo and Michael went across to defend, then came back again. Moving that many times was pushing the boundaries.”
One of the race stewards on the day, Irish ex-racer Derek Daly, has since admitted that he didn’t see the incident at the time and told gpupdate.net that he would “have made a recommendation that a penalty should be imposed” if he had.
However, the 42-year-old’s former rival David Coulthard has stated his belief that while his moves were “right on the limit”, the driving was simply what fans and drivers are used to from Schumacher.
Commenting on the incident himself, Schumacher pointed out that the race stewards had seen nothing wrong with his actions.
However, Hamilton (complete with wannabe rock star sunglasses) gave a rather more interesting reaction to the BCC during their live post-race coverage:
Schumacher has, of course, been embroiled in controversy in the past – incidents with Damon Hill (Australia 1994) and Jacques Villeneuve (Jerez, 1997) of particular note.