Schumacher's request

[jmrutt]

It is rumoured that at this morning's Grand Prix Drivers Association race meeting that Michael Schumacher but forward the suggestion that all the drivers agree not to participate in the race today. As there was no agreement, the decision was made for all to participate in the Italian GP.

However it was agreed by all drivers apart from Jacques Villeneuve that there would be no overtaking attempts during the first two chicanes.

On the grid at the start of the race Michael Schumacher could clearly be seen talking to each driver individually. He appeared very concerned and was pushing cameras out of the way. Bernie Ecclestone was also seen speaking to some of the drivers

[jmrutt]

Sorry, got this from formula1.com

[eatapc]

The coverage on Speedvision here in the States mentioned that a rolling start was also requested. Interestingly, Jacques had previously stated that he was in favor of changing the rules and eliminating standing starts at all F1 races. (Which I think is a good idea.)

I didn't understand Jacques' resistance to Michael's ideas today, and chalked it up to personal animosity. Now that the race has progressed (as I write this there are 14 laps remaining) and it is clear that Villeneuve started with a heavy fuel load, his position strikes me as quite sporting. It would have been in JV's best interest to have the drivers agree to no passing at the start, as he knew that he was going to get passed immediately by cars on a 2-stop strategy. Good call, Jacques; you did the right thing.

[Maxmil]

I find this whole affair to be very strange, particularly the timing. Michael Schumacher is in a position from which he can speak with authority to Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosely on safety issues. Is he not the head of the F1 Drivers' Association? He could have brought this very legitimate point to their attendance at a much earlier point in time and provoked - if nothing else - a good thorough discussion of the subject, which it deserved. By waiting until the drivers meeting, he makes it look as if he is trying to organize a drivers' revolt at the last minute to put across the point. The particular chicane in question has seemed before to do more harm than good, and it probably should be eliminated. After this affair, the powers that be will no doubt retreat into their fortress and pull up the drawbridge.

[EERO]

I don't think schumacher waited till the last minute. The request by the drivers to use a rolling start was denied by the Organizers. Schumacher was looking for any way he could to avert a possible tragedy. When you are pushed to the wall as the GPDA has been, there is no other choice than to try to keep the channels to a safe and fair solution open. Bernie's threats of stripping Schuey of his crown are the the most cynical thing I have heard from that cynical man.

[Jay]

I am not a Michael Schumacher fan, but I would give him 100% of my support against Bernie. If he doesn't want to race, nobody should force him. I understand that F1 is a business, so maybe a dock of pay would be in order, but that is all. Michael won this championship fair and square, and nobody should be able to take it away.

[EERO]

As you all know, I'm not a Schumacher fan, but it took a lot of guts to stand up to Bernie. Off track, MS is a man of conviction and great compassion. He should be supported by ALL racing fans in this. If he doesn't think its safe, he's the best one to make the decison.

[Bononi]

That's what I watched shrtly before the race:

After the one silence minute, TGF talked to others drivers, about a "bad feeling" he had for the race. He asked for cancelling the race, and most of the drivers supported him, being Coulthard, RB and Ralfie the first ones... Minutes later TGF goes to the motorhome to discuss with Brawn and Todt. Bernie get to know about it and goes there too... soon after JV, goes in too. JV is the first to get out, and speaks to the reporters saying that TGF wanted to cancel the race but he didn't agree... soon Bernie gets out and say that the race will go on, TGF leaves but refuses to speak to the reporters. Rumours said that TGF will only make a lap and stop.

And about the agreement for the first chicaine, Alonso was the only driver that refused to support that.

[Sodemo]

Cancel the race, - Is he MAD? Why, what sane, rational reason could there have been for canceling the race I ask of you?

[eatapc]

Now that the race has been run safely and professionally, I would say that Michael's fears were unfounded. However, he was right to have been concerned if he felt that the drivers were simply too distracted to run a race.

I feel very strongly that there was no right or wrong thing to do here. I would have supported the canceling of the race, but in hindsight it is clear that Bernie made a good decision.

[Maxmil]

Originally posted by EERO
Bernie's threats of stripping Schuey of his crown are the the most cynical thing I have heard from that cynical man.

No question about that. I did not for a second intend to support them.

As for the rest of my post, I still feel that the issue of the safety of the chicanes - which is obviously a valid issue - should have been brought up and settled long before the race.

OK, I now see a major typo in my post above. "Attendance", should be "attention".

[EERO]

Well said, Mr Allman.

[BBKing]

Alan Jones said that the safety concern, if there was any, was related to logistic matters for the next GP that is completelly under FIA’s control. Since yesterday the F1 cars were not changed or discovered to have a deficiency that would make racing today particularly dangerous.

Looking at Zanardi’s accident there must have been a lot of concern to just imagine a fellow driver in such situation. That might have been a factor in today’s reaction from Schumacher.

Alan Jones mentioned as well that Briatore and Arrows’ boss interfered in the drivers meeting about the rolling starts and/or the no overtaking in the first lap issue. Strangely enough Button did a kamikaze dive into the first corner.

Little bro closed the door on his brother in the first lap. It was fair but it shows even the brothers were not in total agreement about the way to go.

At Imola 94 Senna campaigned for safety in regards the pace care. He was very concerned about running behind a slow car and then let them go without warming their tires to the minimum ideal temperature. Both Max and Bernie told him to “shut up”. You cannot say that caused the accident but is ultimately the drivers who should decide if they want to race or not. Forcing them to do it might endanger those who really want to go at it.

[Gt_R]

I think its a big misunderstanding.

Michael's point is clearly to informally ban overtaking at the chicanes for the FIRST lap. After witnessing what happened last year in Monza as well as Zinardi's accident, Michael was really depressed throughout the whole race weekend. He see it within his responsibility together with DC to avoid any potential fatal or dangerous accidents. He and DC did not ask for a drivers revolt, but for cautiou actions, and race to carry on afterwards. Today Michael showed he was clearly not the driver he was, and really the only time i saw him demotivated for a race... Even his attempts to overtake JPM seem half hearted.

Remember...Alex Zinardi was on the lead when he made a pit stop, and nobody expected that the lead turned to disaster in a matter of half a minute..prevention is more vital.

As you see, an Id**T like Button, under the orders of an equally id***Tic Flavio, had shown what chaos means with the first chicane mayhem... imagine if everyone just threw cautions to the wind.

I support Michael and DC's decision on this one, hindsight or not. Its better to be safe than sorry, and i think the Jacques, if his motive of insisting all out racing is just to go against Michael, is plain childish. i dont see anything wrong with the decision made by at least 15 drivers on the grid...and i applaud their sense of safety.

[ozywoodwards]

I don't understand how you can support this. These are racing drivers being paid a lot of money to entertain the public, and to do the best that they can. They should not agree to not overtake for safety in a sport which has and always will be dangerous. It is the nature of the beast. I was frankly disgusted by this informal decision, and if I was a paying spectator I would have been very disapointed that my heroes were to scared to race each other in a motor RACE.

And also regarding their emotions, motor sport has always carried on after major incidents, e.g. a GP has never been stopped because of a fatality, e.g. Imola 94, which must surely affect drivers concentrations more than an incident which in all probablility did not personally affect any of the drivers.

[ljakse]

Originally posted by ozywoodwards
I don't understand how you can support this. These are racing drivers being paid a lot of money to entertain the public, and to do the best that they can. They should not agree to not overtake for safety in a sport which has and always will be dangerous. It is the nature of the beast. I was frankly disgusted by this informal decision, and if I was a paying spectator I would have been very disapointed that my heroes were to scared to race each other in a motor RACE.

And also regarding their emotions, motor sport has always carried on after major incidents, e.g. a GP has never been stopped because of a fatality, e.g. Imola 94, which must surely affect drivers concentrations more than an incident which in all probablility did not personally affect any of the drivers.

Couldn't agree more!

[eatapc]

What I'm about to say is not a criticism of Michael Schumacher; he did what he thought he had to do, and he did it sincerely. However, as Sam Posey pointed out on Speedvision, what Michael was doing was a great distraction to other drivers in the minutes leading up to the start of the race. Michael's attempted insurrection, and his going around from car to car on the grid, could have added to the problem Michael was trying to avoid. He was very steamed up, pushing away cameramen, and that's not good. I don't know what MS said to the other drivers as they waited on the grid. I hope it was something like, "Everything's OK. Let's concentrate. Let's have a safe race."

A few selected quotes. MS: "After what happened last year, we had a meeting this morning and it was decided after the start that there would be no overtaking over the first two chicanes." Jacques Villeneuve: "I'm a racing driver and I'm going to race." Mike Gascoyne, technical director of Renault/Benetton: "We are here to race, we are a racing team. If we have safety issues we have flags to deal with that. We have come to this circuit, we are a professional team here to do a professional job and that is what we have informed our drivers. We will race the cars." Jenson Button: "I made a great start, but at the first corner I think I had strayed too far to the inside, where it was quite dirty and oily, perhaps from the Porsche race earlier on today. I braked at the same time as everyone else, but I couldn't stop in time to avoid Trulli."

My comments: Yes, Jenson, you braked at the same time as everyone else, but you were going FASTER than everyone else. Don't you see the problem there? Of course Gascoyne wanted passing at the first corner; his cars get away from the start faster than everyone else. As for Villeneuve, he has my complete respect. He was on a heavier fuel load than many of the cars, and would have benefited from the "no passing" agreement. He's a racing driver and a sportsman.