Monaco 2010 — An Unfair Penalty

There was much to be excited about Monaco: Schumacher’s return to form in the prior race (Spain), his phenomenal track record in Monaco, and further performance upgrades for Mercedes. For the first time this season, there was hope for victory, or at least a podium finish.

Qualifying looked promising. Both Mercedes drivers were consistently timing in the top five and looked threatening enough to claim pole position. But it fell apart in Q3 as Mercedes made an error of sending Schumacher in traffic, particularly close to Rosberg on his own flying lap. Both drivers suffered, as Rosberg made a mistake on his final lap to qualify sixth, and Schumacher qualified only seventh after being blocked by Rosberg.

We all had some concerns about qualifying because of the number of cars but I have to say that from my point of view, everybody did a great job. I had a clean situation most of the time, except for once unintentionally with Nico. I think we got out of the car what we could today and the positive news is that I am on the inside which is a good starting position and our starts have gone well recently. So we can at least hope to make up one or two positions for the race.”

The streets of Monte Carlo do not bode well for overtaking, and so the race start was Michael’s best opportunity for gaining places. He made good of his inside line by overtaking Rosberg at the first corner, but Barrichello slipped past both Mercedes cars, leaving Micheal stuck behind until a strategically superior pit stop by Mercedes. From there on, till the final lap, Michael’s challenge was to close up to Alonso and then find a way past him in this impossibly narrow street circuit.

Photograph, courtesy of f1fanatic.

The race was all set to finish with Alonso in fifth and Schumacher closely behind in sixth, but a safety car incident made the finish one of the most exciting and controversial of recent times.

An accident between Trulli and Chandhok on the last stage of the race bought the safety car out. Many expected the race to finish behind the safety car, where regulations prevent overtaking, but a few speculated a final lap race to the finish if the safety car did pull out early. Well, the safety car did pull out on in time and Schumacher made a bold move on Alonso at the final corner, taking fifth place.

The reactions to Schumacher’s last-minute move was mixed: some claimed it illegal, referring to regulations under safety car conditions, while others hailed it as classic Schumacher pouncing at the slightest opportunity.

The race stewards (which included Schumacher’s old rival, Damon Hill) investigated the pass and later imposed a 20 second penalty against Michael, effectively pushing him back to 12th position. This penalty proved highly controversial, with many criticising ambiguous regulations which left teams unclear of what to do in final-lap safety-car-out situations.

Schumacher confirmed after the race that he had checked with his team over the radio before overtaking Alonso. Ross Brawn also confirmed that their interpretation of the ambiguous rules left them in no doubt that the race was on for the final lap.

With regard to the penalty given to Michael, we believed that the track had gone green and the race was not finishing under a safety car when article 40.13 clearly would have applied.

The reason for the safety car had been removed, the FIA had announced ‘Safety Car in this lap’ early on lap 78 and the track had been declared clear by race control. This was further endorsed when the marshals showed green flags and lights after safety car line one. On previous occasions when it has been necessary to complete a race under a safety car, full course yellows are maintained, as in Melbourne 2009.

On the last lap, we therefore advised our drivers that they should race to the line and Michael made his move on Fernando for sixth place. We have appealed the decision of the stewards.

FIA later issued a statement that they would revise the particular regulations under doubt, and this encouraged Mercedes to withdraw their appeal. This statement was a clear admission of ambiguity in regulations, but the penalty itself could not be reversed due to another regulation preventing such a reversal.

The problems identified during the final lap of the Monaco Grand Prix, counting for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, showed a lack of clarity in the application of the rule prohibiting overtaking behind the Safety Car.

Adjustments to the regulations are necessary to clarify the procedure that cars must meet when the last lap is controlled by the Safety Car whilst also ensuring that the signaling for teams and drivers is made more clear.

These adjustments will help to avoid the problem which occurred during the Monaco Grand Prix from happening in the future.

The Formula One Commission, upon a proposal of the F1 Sporting Working Group will submit an amendment to the Sporting Regulations to address this issue. These amendments will be considered by the World Motor Sport Council at its next meeting in Geneva on June 23.

Schumacher’s reaction to the whole thing was level-headed:

My race today would have been pretty normal without the decision of the stewards afterwards. The start was interesting and it actually went according to plan. I managed to have a good pull-away but then I was a bit stuck and was caught by Rubens. So I had to wait for the opportunity to overtake and the team played it brilliantly. The crew was fantastic and thus the pit stop got me in front of him. The result in the very end, which put me back to 12th place for now, was obviously disappointing for me and I can fully understand that we are appealing the decision. Our understanding was that the ‘safety car in, track clear’ message meant we were back to racing conditions, so I went for it and overtook Fernando.

A Return to Form in Spain

Mercedes had a lot of thinking to do after the Chinese Grand Prix. Rosberg nearly won it, but his champion team-mate barely made into the points. Four races into his return, Michael’s results were only getting worse. A gap of three-quarters of a second between the team-mates in qualifying, and Michael’s uncharacteristic slides in wet condications, indicated fundamental problems with the handling of Michael’s car.

The team left nothing to chance. Michael’s car was completely reassembled with a chassis used in pre-season testing — this after suspecting minor damages that may have carried over from prior race incidents. The wheelbase was also lengthened on both cars to address weight balance issues that caused oversteer for both drivers. A revised aerodynamics package was also brought in for the Spanish Grand Prix, which included a radical new airbox for improved downforce.

The result spoke for itself. Schumacher improved immediately from his worst performance to his best yet. He was faster than his team-mate in all sessions for the first time this season, qualifying sixth and crucially ahead of Rosberg for the first time.

The race bore more good news, the highlight being Schumacher’s brilliant display of defensive driving against the clearly faster car of Jenson Button. Michael jumped Jenson at a pit stop and spent the remainder of the race defending Jenson’s many overtaking attempts. Jenson eventually wore out his tyres and Michael built a comfortable gap towards the end to finish fifth.

Michael defending Jenson at the 2010 Spanish Grand Prix. Photograph courtesy of f1fanatic.

Despite Michael’s strong showing, his fifth place finish was 62 seconds behind the winning Red Bull, meaning Mercedes have a lot more catching up to do.

“It was quite an entertaining race right from the start even if we knew from the beginning that there would not be a chance for us to compete for a podium place if everything goes as normal. Still it was exciting for me to manage to keep the position that I gained but then, I am obviously not too happy as today we could only defend. All we could do was to hope for reliability problems of others in order to make up positions and that’s not really what you want to do. It was an interesting fight with Jenson but all I could do is try to not give him a possibility to overtake. In the end the gap to the front is just too big to be really happy after this race. For Monaco, we hope that the characteristics of the track will suit our car better.

China 2010 — A New Low

This race will go down as one of Schumacher’s worst. It hurt watching the great champion scrape into Q3 and struggle again in wet race conditions.

Michael could only manage ninth in qualifying, over three-quarters of a second behind his team-mate who qualified fourth:

I am obviously disappointed about my qualifying. In certain areas I was just not quick enough, and at some corner exits I struggled a bit with rear-end grip. I haven’t really found the balance of the car all weekend.

It only got worse on race day. Starting from ninth, Michael pitted on the second lap for intermediate tyres at the first sign of rain. Others followed him a lap later, except for Rosberg and Button, who did what Michael would’ve done in 2006 by braving the rain on slicks until it poured. Remember Spa 1995, when Michael stayed on slicks defending Damon Hill on full-wet tyres?

Michael Schumacher changes to wet weather tyres in 2010 Chinese Grand Prix. (Photograph courtesy of f1fanatic)

Rain didn’t come down as quickly as Michael had hoped and his tyres started to deteriorate, forcing him to pit again for slicks. He later repented:

I thought we were quite clever at the beginning, as some others changed for intermediates, but it turned out to be the wrong decision. Those intermediates are slightly different to what I know them from the past, and you have to pace yourself dramatically in order to keep them alive for long enough.

His race started to turn around after more unpredictable rain helped Michael progress to fifth position with better pit stop strategies. But the safety car closed the gap between all cars, and Schumacher’s fifth position quickly came under threat. Hamilton charged from behind, attempting brave overtaking manoeuvres over three consecutive laps. It was a thrilling duel between the two, with both drivers showing their class in attack and defense. Schumacher defended brilliantly in wet over several laps, before succumbing to the faster McLaren on a long straight. This was to be Michael’s only highlight of the weekend.

Schumacher duels with Hamilton at the 2010 Chinese Grand Prix. (Photograph courtesy of Daily Mail)

Michael kept losing traction for the remainder of the race, slipping and sliding in wet corner exits unlike never before. After a hard fought battle with Hamilton, Vettel managed to passed him easily, as did Alonso’s Ferrari later on and then Petrov’s Renault. On the penultimate lap, the trailing Ferrari of Messa caught up with Michael, overtaking him easily as he went wide on turn 16. Sutil might’ve caught up too, had it not been for the final lap. Michael finished a disappointing tenth, clearly his worst drive and race result this season.

Today was one of those races that you do not want to remember, just like the whole weekend really. It was not good for me and not good from me. You have to take it as another experience and accept it even if it is frustrating that I was not able to get my tyres together better. My strategy in that respect was not very impressive as in the last 10 laps my tyres were just gone and seemed to be more slicks than intermediates. I was one of those drivers who had gone onto the last set quite early and we should have done that differently and positioned the tyres better. In general I had some good and tight fights which was fun but with my last stop being probably too early, in the end I just couldn’t do anything and my fights were quite hopeless then.

The media was critical of Schumacher’s performance in China, especially as he couldn’t capitalise on wet conditions which he used to dominate early on. Many cast doubts about his return and his ability to recover from this slump. Michael, however, remained resolute. His team rallied behind him, especially Norbert Haug:

He is an institution and will come back. The sport has so many positives from Michael and we want to give him some back. Give him a chance. I would not exclude that something is (mechanically) wrong with Michael’s car.

It was a depressing weekend for Michael and his fans. Trying times.

Malaysia — The First DNF

Everyone predicted a wet weekend in Malaysia and expectations were understandably high of the former Rain Master. But Schumacher looked surprisingly uncomfortable in wet than in dry, barely making it to Q3 and qualifying only eighth. Meanwhile, his team-mate revelled in heavy rain to qualify second. An uncharacteristically conservative wet weather setup cost Schumacher considerable time (he chose full-wet tyres, while Webber took pole in inters) and his wet tyres were all but gone for the final qualifying push.

The difference lay in managing one’s tyres: Rosberg took better care of them early on (he was slower than Michael in early runs) and Michel was too aggressive too early, which he acknowledged later:

On my last run in Q3, I wanted to secure a lap time and then go for the second lap but after I finished my first quick lap, the tyres were already gone so I could not go for it anymore.

Michael Schumacher qualifying in a wet 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix. (Photograph by f1fantatic)

Race day fared better, for a while at least. It was a dry start and Schumacher immediately gained two places, moving to sixth position behind Adrian Sutil. He looked fast and aggressive enough to catch the front runners. There was hope for his best result yet — he has a great record in Malaysia after all. But on lap nine, Michael suddenly lost pace, pulling aside and retiring with a mechanical failure. A loose wheel nut was apparently to blame, but some suspected underlying mechanical problems for a failure of such nature in a modern F1 car.

Michael Schumacher retires from 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix with a rear wheel failure. (Photograph by Daily Mail)

I initially thought it was something to do with the suspension but after I stopped and had a look, it was evident that was a wheel nut missing. It is something very unusual to happen and in testing we never had problems so we have to look it. I would have obviously wanted to finish the race and I think it could have worked out quite reasonably well. But in the end that is motor racing, I remember that very well. It makes no sense to get angry about it, you have to accept it as part of the game and look ahead. At least Nico scored our first podium finish and I am happy for him and the team.

All in all, it was a poor qualifying show in rain, improved driving in dry on race day, and horrid luck just as he was starting to catch the leaders.

Zero points from Malaysia.

A Difference of Three Years

Michael took time out in Melbourne to explain the differences in driving today’s F1 car compared to his 2006 Ferrari:

The Second Race: A Fight from the Back

The seven time World Champion scored a single point in his second race. He fought from the back of the grid after a collision in the opening lap. The final result, tenth position, doesn’t show the full picture of his progress. Here’s how the eventful 2010 Melbourne Grand Prix unfolded.

Michael opened the weekend with composure and confidence. He reflected positively on his smooth drive in Bahrain, acknowledging it as a learning experience and intending to improve on his seventh position.

I have a lot of good memories from Melbourne. I am sure that Melbourne will help me to get into the rhythm even more.’

When practice started, Michael showed incredible speed, lapping faster than his team-mate in all three sessions (more than half a second quicker) and consistently exchanging fastest lap times with the top three. Qualifying started the same way, and he looked menacing in Q1. But it all went wrong in Q2 and Q3 with traffic and setup problems on his flying laps. He managed seventh fastest, barely one-tenth of a second behind his team-mate in sixth, and later explained his drop in pace from practice as a result of traffic obstruction on his flying lap.

Schumacher later confronted Alonso and Hamilton, questioning their qualifying strategies.

Basically on my last try, I was slowed down by Alonso. I asked him whether the team had told him [I was on a quick lap] and he said no. In a way it is difficult because he was on his in-lap, and he was worrying about other things than maybe watching the mirror. I had a similar issue with Lewis.

The race began in wet conditions and intermediate tyres. After a smooth start from seventh, Schumacher fell victim to a collision between Button and Alonso in the opening lap. A damaged front nose meant he had to pit for a replacement, thus pushing him right back in the field.

From last position, Schumacher slowly fought his way up the grid. He faced stiff resistance along the way, most notably a 30 lap duel with the young Jaime Alguersuari of Torro Rosso. Schumacher’s lap times were consistently on-par with the front runners, yet he couldn’t pass from behind the turbulent air of Alguersuari’s Torro Rosso. Alguersuari drove brilliantly to hold off the great champion for an extended period, but he finally succumbed after a minor driving error in the closing stages of the race. Schumacher made good of Alguersuari’s mistake and gained a further two places in the final two laps, finishing 10th and scoring a vital championship point for his team and himself.

Reflecting on his second race, Michael said:

I actually got a pretty good start — I guess I was about third in the first corner until I got bumped off. Had I gone through the corner, there was no reason not to expect maybe even to finish third because our pace was good, the car was handling good.

Going to Malaysia, we know that clearly we improved our pace since Bahrain, which is a good feeling. It was a lot of fun fighting in Melbourne, even if it was just for one point, and I will enjoy fighting again in Sepang.

We are not too far away and I am quite confident there will be more to come.”

Photos courtesy of BBC and itv-f1.com.

The First Race

Qualified 7th, finished 6th, behind his team-mate, admitted feeling rusty, cynics writing him off already. Memories of his first season with Ferrari, clearly behind, under pressure, huge expectations to deliver. He drove smoothly, flawlessly, lacking pace only. A dull race for all concerned: no overtaking, no incidents, no change in weather conditions, nothing.

To sum up the first race in his own words:

It’s as good as it could’ve been. It’s a start. You have to go your own pace and not do any mistakes. We’ll work to catchup with the rest.

Photos courtesy of BBC.

Final Preparations for the First Race

Michael reflected on the final week of testing at Barcelona:

It is always difficult to predict the form in pre-season testing, this year more than ever, but the final test in Barcelona proved to us that we should be competitive. We know that we will have more new parts in Bahrain which should bring extra performance to the car. It’s important to be in the leading group from the start of the season and I am confident that we will be there.

Ross Brawn explained the slower lap times in testing:

Michael hasn’t carried out a proper low-fuel qualifying run, but Nico (Rosberg) had a go with lower fuel and it was definitely not bad. Michael works very hard with the engineers and technicians and is giving us great input. We have an update for Bahrain. We decided not to bring it to Barcelona but leave it until the last moment. We’ve learnt to assess and run pieces without testing them.

Norbert Haug, President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, summed it all up:

In preparation for our first season (as Mercedes GP), we have covered over 6300 kilometres during 15 test days from 1st to 28th February. Judging our competitiveness for the first couple of races, my impression is that we are not quite where we want to be, and I would not see our team in the role of favourites. Having said that, I am fully convinced that the whole team, and our drivers Nico and Michael, are fully prepared to get on top of our job and fulfil our targets, which are winning races and fighting for world championships.

Source: Mercedes GP News.

Three Weeks of Testing

Week 1: Valencia

On a Monday of the first week of February, Mercedes unveiled their 2010 Challenger, the MGP W01. Michael stepped in for the first time, completed 40 quick laps, and posted the third quickest time of 1:12.947, ahead of his team-mate, Rosberg.

It wasn’t until Wednesday that Schumacher returned for a full day of testing, posting the third quickest time yet again with a 1:12.438 flying lap.

I’m very happy to have been back in a Formula One car this week. We had a short run on Monday and then almost a full day today which has been good. The experience has been very positive and the car is running smoothly.

Week 2: Jerez

After Rosberg topped the lap times on a rainy Day One at Jerez, Schumacher took over testing on Day Two, completing 124 laps while evaluating tyre compounds and chassis setup. He finished sixth fastest (1:21.083) but didn’t seem concerned with lap times - the team’s focus was on reliability, he said.

I managed to complete a lot of laps which is very precious to me. A new car, a new team and new conditions, therefore our first goal has to be to make the car reliable.

Week 3: Jerez, Again

The weather was really changing all the time today which made it difficult to follow our planned programme and to have a clear picture of everyone’s performance.

From the laps that we achieved, we have again confirmed the reliability of the car, and from the impressions and data gathered, we can say that the pace and performance looks very good.

In Mercedes Colours

Mercedes unveiled their 2010 Livery on this day and Michael spoke of its significance:

Mercedes financed and initiated my Formula 1 debut. And now, I’m able to return something to Mercedes, which I believe is going to be of great moments.

A lot of effort went into this design. Mercedes has tried to create a lot of memory from the past in order to represent what is The Silver Arrow.

I’m really excited to be a part of this family again. There’s a lot of memories from the past, and I hope even better ones for the future.

This year’s certainly different. We don’t have refuelling, just tyre changes. But, at the end of the day, the driver still has to drive and has to cope with whatever is at hand.

With this great combination of Ross Brawn, Mercedes and my experience, we can only aim for one target: winning the championship. It’s very easy to say this, but very hard to do. That’s why we have three years in front of us, and our target is to achieve.