Dirty M. Schumi
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from the F1 Racing Magazine:
Williams came close to protesting Â’94 title
Sunday, 18, June, 2006, 13:00
WilliamsÂ’ engineering director Patrick Head has revealed that his team would have protested Michael SchumacherÂ’s 1994 world title victory had it not been for Ayrton SennaÂ’s fatal accident earlier that year.
Schumacher won the championship in acrimonious circumstances, colliding with Damon HillÂ’s Williams in the Adelaide season finale seconds after running off the track and clipping the wall.
The contact forced both cars to retire, giving Schumacher – who had a one-point lead going into the race – his first world championship.
There were widespread accusations at the time that Schumacher had turned in on Hill because he knew his Benetton was damaged after hitting the wall, but the German denied any malice and the FIA took no punitive action.
However, the stewardsÂ’ damning verdict on SchumacherÂ’s antics at MonacoÂ’s Rascasse corner this year reopened all the old questions about the seven-time world championÂ’s on-track etiquette, and prompted a re-evaluation of his part in previous controversial incidents.
For Head, however, it merely put an official stamp on what he had always believed to be glaringly apparent about SchumacherÂ’s character.
“The Monaco stewards’ verdict indicates that they and the FIA believed Michael was guilty of foul play,” Head said in the July issue of F1 Racing.
“And, in a sense, I suppose you’d have to say that if a man is capable of foul play once then he’s potentially capable of foul play any number of times.
“But, as far as Australia 1994 is concerned, Monaco 2006 doesn’t really make any difference.
“And that’s because, that day in Adelaide, we at Williams were already 100% certain that Michael was guilty of foul play.
“It was so blatant.
“He was about to drive his stricken Benetton up the slip-road when he spotted Damon’s Williams about to pass him and abruptly veered across the track to prevent that happening.”
Head told the magazine that it was only unease over the tragic legacy of the 1994 season that prevented Williams from officially protesting SchumacherÂ’s title.
“We seriously considered lodging a formal protest there and then, on the grounds that it had been so blatant, but decided against it simply because of what had happened earlier in the year,” he said.
“Because 1994 was the terrible year it was – in other words, because Ayrton Senna had been killed in one of our cars at Imola – we didn’t really think it would have been right for Damon to win the world championship that year, especially if he’d done so in court, so we didn’t protest.
“But had it been any other year – or had Ayrton not been killed in one of our cars – then most certainly we’d have lodged a formal protest on the very grounds on which Michael was found guilty at Monaco in ’06.”
Head expressed disbelief at those doubting whether Schumacher would really resort to underhand tactics, claiming that a ruthless will to succeed at any cost has always been part of his make-up.
“What I find remarkable is the mood of righteous indignation adopted by some people in the Ferrari team about what Michael did at Monaco,” he said.
“I’m not one of the extreme ones calling for him to be kicked out of F1, but what this episode proves – just as it did at Adelaide 1994 and on a number of other occasions – is that he isn’t a sportsman in the sporting sense of the word.
“He has an overwhelming urge to win and it seems quite clear that he doesn’t care how he achieves that aim.
“But I’m just amazed that people are surprised that he does these things, given the track record.
“This sort of behaviour is clearly just part of Michael’s persona.” -
Bit of a longwinded way to state the glaringly obvious - MS is and has always been a cheating scumbag.
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Ferrari is now like Juventus FC. Both are equally dodgy.
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didn't schumi attempt to do the same thing to Villenueve?
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Nah, with Villeneuve and Hill he aimed to take one car out of play each time. This time round he went for broke and took 9 cars out of qualifying.Originally posted by the Bear:didn't schumi attempt to do the same thing to Villenueve? -
heh heh heh..
i meant he pulled the Hill stunt with Villeneuve but failed...Originally posted by Gedanken:Nah, with Villeneuve and Hill he aimed to take one car out of play each time. This time round he went for broke and took 9 cars out of qualifying. -
Well, given his attitude and track record, even if he wins another dozen titles no one in posterity would acknowledge him as a great driver.
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He tried and failed too, after Ricardo Zonta collided with him at the 2000 Austrian GP. Shifted the blame to DC at Spa 1998 in the wet weather and lost his marbles as well.
Having a team which endorses this unsporting behaviour is just as disgusting.
In contrast, I think Alonso has grown out of his antics at Brazil and Nürburgring 2003. -
I sincerely believe Alonso's Brazil 03 accident was a genuine mistake, probably due to inexperience. The only 2 glaring instance I can remember of him losing his cool in the car was Monaco 04 and Canada 05. Since then I do think he's calmed down a lot, although to be honest, I will always think of him as a spanish bullOriginally posted by Kuali Baba:He tried and failed too, after Ricardo Zonta collided with him at the 2000 Austrian GP. Shifted the blame to DC at Spa 1998 in the wet weather and lost his marbles as well.
Having a team which endorses this unsporting behaviour is just as disgusting.
In contrast, I think Alonso has grown out of his antics at Brazil and Nürburgring 2003.
For in car cool, I don't think anyone beats kimi. Sure he might have lost his cool out of the car several times before, but in car cool is much more important. Altho he seems to have mastered out of car cool as well this year in Monaco.