A man on a mission

[birkmama]

OK - call me biased, or whatever. I might lean towards BMW or towards Schumi, since both are somehow related to my person (Schumi only remotely genetical).

Question is: Who is to blame for the shunt between MS and JPM. Please vote and comment.

[sydude]

I quickly pulled this from PlanetF1.com's letters to the editor. It accurately portrays the sentiment felt by most of the F1 press and fanbase:

Stupid Schumi
Braking so hard you lock up your wheels, in a dark tunnel with low visibility, which has just seen a messy accident, when there's no way the driver behind can know you're going to do it. Stupid! And even then, they'd probably have got away without incident if Michael hadn't done his instinctive veer into the path of another driver as they come alongside. (How does he get away with doing that?) I for one, think he got exactly what he deserved.

Michael may be an outstanding driving talent, but he is also ruthless, unsportsmanlike and dangerous, more so than anyone else on the gird. Who else has been disqualified from the entire year's championship for blatantly ramming his rival (Jerez 1997). And it's not the first time is it? (Australia 1994). Every time I hear him spouting about driver safety, I cannot help thinking just how hypocritical this is, coming from someone with his track record of cheating and endangering others (including his own brother). How would he be viewed today if one of his many dangerous moves had resulted in the death or serious injury of Hill, Villeneuve, Hakkinen, Ralf, Frentzen or any of the many other drivers he has put at risk over the years? If he is really so good, why does he have to resort to cheating so often?
Michael



...How Ferrari can blame JPM for the incident that took Michael I don't know.æ What does Schumacher expect to happen if he does a 'burnout', before slamming on the brakes in the middle of a dark tunnel? After what happened at Monza four years ago to Jenson Button when he tried a similar manouevere he should have learned that it is not the best thing to do! Montoya had no option but to go to the right, and when MS went right there was only going to be one outcome.

I'd hope that tomorrow once Ferrari and MS have calmed down a bit from the frustration of going out of the race, they will admit that it was a racing incident, as the stewards have concluded. Then again I don't hold out much hope of that.

On another note, it was a great race, the best this season by a distance and the first where there was a genuine fight for the lead which is a rare sight these days. Roll on a JPM/MS front row next time out!
Matthew Huart, Hull, England



...The Schumacher/ Montoya collision was unfortunate but you have to conclude that Schumacher was very naive in his tactics.æ There was not much Montoya could do to react to it.æ Also, it's a shame that Schumacher couldn't show the same dignity Montoya showed when he was shunted out of the race whilst leading Verstappen (backmarker) in Brazil 2001.
Stuart Collin



...Schumacher brakes in a dark tunnel behind a safety car and expects the drivers behind to read his mind. He had no need to brake in the tunnel to warm-up his tyres. He could have done so at the restart. I have noticed that if he or Ralf lose out, they whinge and blame everyone but themselves, the sooner Ralf goes to Toyota, the better as Mike Gascoyne will sort his mind out or fire the twat.
Bryan Grieve, Scotland



...Shame! Michael Schumacher is the last one who should ever blame any other driver for dirty tricks. I still recall his lousy attempt at running Jacques Villeneuve off the track in Spain at the final race for the 1997 championship. There have been many other incidents caused by him, for which he should have been punished, but he gets away withy it because car is red. You must feel threatened if you require a clause in your contract that your team-mate may not beat you in a race without your consent. A fine example of arrogance.
M.J.Wessels



...Michael's trick inside the tunnel was taken from the book "Rookie mistakes to avoid", what on earth was he thinking? Warming up the brakes? More like warming up the tires in one particular spot. Is this what you would expect from a six-times world champion?
Anders



...Hahaaa! Brawn is blind as a bat and he's not even the one inside the dark tunnel! While Montoya is no saint, it was a racing incident to be sure! Michael Schumacher hit his brakes too hard, Montoya swerved right to avoid Schumacher and then Michael moved to the right at the same time! Grow up, Ross Brawn. You are a crude and classless character! You just cannot accept facts when you fail to get your own way!
Mandy Chung



...Monaco was a superb race for in the words of ye old Murray "drama, drama, drama!" Not least of which was the brake test by Schumacher. I don't see what Ross and Michael have to shout about. Michael did a manoeuvre (albeit a normal one for the final part of a safety car session), but the location (in the tunnel?).æ It might be worth remember that JPM does come from US where rolling starts after a safety are normal and is a cool customer on such things - another crack in the armour of Michael when under-pressure (even from a lapped driver?). Of course, Michael must have thought it was Adelaide all over again and so it's ok to turn in on others. Must surely rank as one of the most bizarre exits to a GP...
Andy Shearmanæ



Ross Brawn: F1's Master Whinger
Well, well, Ross. This weekend you were out-strategized and outpaced by the Renault team and how do you react? By whinging like a first grade child complaining that you lost the race due to Montoya's bump in the tunnel...Well, Ross even if the beloved Schumacher would have not gotten into that accident, your precious kraut driver would still have finished second to Jarno Trulli, because he had him beat on fuel distance anyways. After Schumacher gettingæ away with a whole host of different infractions over the years, you finally got your just due. So why donÍt you be a real man and suck it up, move on toæ the next race???
Sami Ahmed, Rochester Hills, Michigan, USA



...Although I both respect and admire what M.Schumacher has done at Ferrari with the undoubted aid of Ross Brawn and others, I fear that Mr Brawn has now become indoctrinated into the "Mr Perfect Schumi" religion.æ Although a driver of remarkable talent (I weep as I type - being a Button fan), Herr Schumacher does have his off days.
æ
Here once again we see a Schumi under pressure and seeking any advantage over his rivals trying to do burnouts in the tunnel behind the safety car to get a few degrees more into the tyres and brakes of his car.æ This is quite simply not the place. A very narrow racing line (ask Snr Alonso) and reduced visibility mean that a following driver would need superhuman reflexes to avoid a collision with the driver in front (to the gross effect of being collected by the car behind).
æ
Mr Brawn - accept facts!æ Michael is NEARLY perfect. He does make mistakes.æ We all know that you dislike Juan Pablo, but do not blame him for a rookie error made by Michael.
æ
For me it was simple - Michael did something dumb - Montoya had nowhere to go although God know's he tried. End of story...
Donna Brown



...Frank Hopkinson summed up the incident best in his "Winners & Losers" report as Ross Brawn really does seem to have red-tinted glasses.æ Ferrari are, in his eyes, never at fault and can win from any position!æ Michael should have known better than to to what he did in he tunnel; then when JPM tried to take evasive action MS moves to the exact part of the track JPM is headed! Even though JPM was not trying to pass and would have has to resume position behind MS anyway as the safety car was still out.æ One can only assume that Michael really hates being overtaken, plus Michael has a history of 'wobbling' a little when things don't go his way and with Trulli and Button both using the safety car to pit things certainly weren't going his way.æ The only person he really needs to be cross with is himself.
æ
By the way did anyone notice JPM overtook two cars on the track which is two more than most people.
Chris King, New Zealandææ



Ferrari Need To Accept That They Were In The Wrong
Does anybody remember the incident between Coulthard and Schumacher at Belgium in 1998.æ Coulthard slowed down to let Schumacher through in the rain, only for Schumacher to ram straight into the back of DC.æ And who could forget what happened afterwards.æ Michael reverting to childish behaviour in the pits.æ Does anybody remember in Adelaide in 1994 when Schumacher punted Hill out of the championship, then to try it again unsuccessfully three years later with Villeneuve. Schumacher and his cronies are a bloody disgrace.æ Be a man MS and take the blame for a stupid error.æ Montoya was no way at fault.æ How was he supposed to avoid you?æ I know these guys have excellent reflexes, but give me a break! What I am trying to say that Schumacher is no angel.æ And IÍm disgusted with him and his team.æ Who do they think they are?æ Ross Brawn need to wake up and smell the coffee.æ


Accept the fact that your man made a mistake, and that he is not perfect.æ And Senna was far and away the best driver in the world.æ You just have to look at all the world champions he raced against.æ But thatÍs another story
Simon Daly

A Dirty Trick From Schumi
It is very possible that Both Schummy brothers were aware that if they could get the likes of Montoya and Alonso off the racing line in the tunnel, they would hit the wall.
æ
When MS Brake tested Montoya, he probably hoped Montoya would go on the marbles and hit the wall. Luckily, MS hit the wall instead. Brake testing in the tunnel was a stupid, perhaps even a wicked thing to do...æ

With 16 or so cars behind him, I'm surprised there wasn't a bigger pile up.
Robert Mack