Michael Schumacher in Monaco Grand Prix Problems Again
Thursday, 20th May 2010
Monaco Hotels were full to bursting point as the Monaco Grand Prix took place.
However, it not plaiun saling for Michael Schumacher who revived old memories for all the wrong reasons when he was stripped of sixth place for illegally overtaking Ferrari's Fernando Alonso on the last corner of the Monaco Grand Prix.
Racing in the principality for the first time since 2006, when he was sent from pole position to the back of the starting grid, the seven-times champion's behaviour was once more the subject of a stewards' enquiry.
This time they included the German's old track rival Damon Hill, Britain's 1996 world champion, but the verdict was the same. Schumacher, making his comeback at the age of 41 and after three years out, was deemed to be in the wrong.
After lengthy deliberations, an announcement was made two and a half hours after the race had ended that the stewards had imposed a drive through penalty which had been converted into a 20-second addition to his total time.
That was enough to drop Schumacher, at least pending a Mercedes appeal that was lodged immediately after the verdict, out of the points to 12th place and moved Alonso up into sixth instead.
The Spaniard is now third overall in the championship, three adrift of Red Bull's Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.
RASCASSE CORNER
Schumacher had barged past Alonso moments after the safety car, deployed after a crash at the slow Rascasse corner, had pulled off with only the final corner between the drivers and the chequered flag.
"My team told me no overtaking on the last lap," said Alonso, who had been close behind McLaren's Lewis Hamilton at the time.
"They said the safety car would come into the pits, but that didn't mean I could overtake.
"I saw Lewis was very slow on the last lap, so I asked the team again whether they were sure I could not overtake because I was ready to pass him if I could. But the team repeated there was to be no overtaking, so when I saw Michael I was very surprised."
It was at Rascasse, barely 50 metres down the road from where Schumacher overtook on Sunday, that Schumacher caused uproar in 2006 qualifying. Then, as a Ferrari driver, he blocked the track at the end of qualifying to deny Alonso pole.
Alonso went on to start that race from pole position for Renault after the stewards punished Schumacher by sending him to the back of the grid.
Alonso started Sunday's race from the back of the grid after crashing his Ferrari in Saturday's final free practice.
"I got the message the track was clear," Schumacher told reporters. "The team told me on the radio the safety car had passed line one and I was allowed to overtake. The line is right in front of the entrance to the garages.
The spot of the accident was clear, the cars were gone, so I don't see any reason why this should not be allowed."
