Jul 2, 2006

Schumacher Steps in It

Many say that Michael Schumacher is the greatest Grand Prix driver of all time.  His accomplishments in the face of the pressures of today's Formula One racing are more than impressive; they are incredible.  But the great driver covered himself with detritus (or worse) by his actions and inactions in the fabled Grand Prix of Monaco. 

If you missed it in the excitement, the seven-time World Driving Champion was accused of stopping in the midst of the second-to-last corner of the Monaco circuit during qualifying, effectively making it impossible for his chief rival, Fernando Alonso, to turn in a better lap and win the pole.  Though Schumacher claimed innocence of any intentional wrong-doing, he was stripped of the pole position and forced to start the race from the last position on the grid.  He eventually finished fifth in the race and still trails Alonso by a wide margin in the race for this year's Driver's Championship.

Since Schumacher is known as both an intense competitor and a nearly flawless technician behind the wheel, his protests that the stall was unintentional were met with scoffs in the paddock.  Even Schumacher had to admit the whole thing looked bad and smelled worse.

"Without knowing the situation we had and what I felt, no one else is really in a position to accurately judge what happened from the outside," he told BBC Sport. "I have to admit that certain things must have looked a bit curious from the outside but there were reasons for that and I don't really want to elaborate on it. It's not really anyone else's business either."

I guess it's not anyone else's business except for the millions of F1 fans around the world who expect their heroes to compete in a sportsmanlike manner. Apparently the concept of sportsmanship has vanished from F1 as Schumacher vainly tries to pursue Alonso, who is nearly as unbeatable this year as Schumacher was two years ago. F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve, long a member of the Michael Schumacher Non-Fan Club, resigned from the Grand Prix Drivers' Association after it recently confirmed Schumacher as its leader.  He suggested that it was obvious that Schumacher stopped his car on purpose during Monaco qualifying and then was not man enough to admit it.  Nobody questions Schumacher's courage and skill, but after this episode you have to question his integrity.