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GRAND PRIX: Europe: The Brothers Fall Out
24.6.01
Two weeks ago in Canada Ralf had triumphed and Michael, who finished second on that occasion, was the first to congratulate him.
But the Nurburgring race ended in recriminations and harsh words after the World Champion almost forced his younger brother into the pit wall as they streaked into the first corner. Schumacher veered across the track to the right to block the Williams of his younger brother. Ralf, who was forced to brake to avoid a collision, refused to comment about the incident after the race but interrupted the Ferrari driver's celebrations to confront him in the weigh-in garage.
"I do not want to say anything because I might regret it," said Ralf, who eventually finished fourth after incurring a 10-second stop-go penalty.
"I saw Ralf on the inside and obviously I was not sure of the strategy they (Williams) were on so I had to make sure I would be first in the first corner, otherwise I would be in trouble," said the older Schumacher. "I used the maximum that the rules allow you, to move over once, and tighten up the line. I think that's the way you have to work unfortunately. We drive as close to the edge as you have to. I would do this to anyone and Ralf doesn't give me presents. That's the way it is, but we leave room for the other one to survive ."
Michael take a stunning pole position on Saturday. On Sunday his car broke down on the parade lap, forcing him to borrow a scooter from one of the marshals to return to the pits. Then Ralf put him under severe pressure in the opening laps of the race. But the younger Schumacher's challenge was effectively ended when he was penalised 10 seconds after crossing the white line that borders the pit-lane exit. He dropped to fourth place behind his team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya, who eventually took second spot - his career best - and Coulthard.
Barrichello had another lacklustre weekend, and a one-stop strategy gave him a fuel-heavy car which was simply not able to keep up. Still, fifth place gave him a few more points and he keeps his third place in the driver's championship
"I am extremely disappointed about the outcome of the race as I had a chance to win in front of my home crowd," said Ralf Schumacher afterwards. "I was looking in my mirrors when I left the pits and obviously concentrated more on the traffic behind me than the line. I have to accept the penalty."
Coulthard, relieved to take third, believes McLaren cannot compete with Ferrari and Williams at the moment. "We weren't on the pace this weekend of the Ferraris or the Williams. We were using up our rear tyres a lot more than our rivals. I was absolutely on the ragged edge whereas Williams are able to run at that pace more easily on their tyres."
But the wait will be a short one with the French Grand Prix at Magny Cours this coming Sunday. It gives the Schumacher's six days to settle their differences. For McLaren that is unlikely to be enough time for it to solve its problems.
Jean Todt: “It really was a very tough race and I think it was the hardest fought win of the year, given that the three top teams got all their cars to the flag. The strategies planned for Michael and Rubens proved to be the right ones, given their start positions. The cars and the tyres worked well. We are now in the second half of the season and have increased our lead in both championships. However, we must continue to concentrate and keep our feet on the ground. The French Grand Prix is already upon us.”
Michael Schumacher: “I am delighted with this result, as there is nothing better than winning at home. It has been a superb weekend, taking pole and winning the race. I did not make a perfect start and lost a couple of metres. Then I saw Ralf up the inside of me and as I did not know what strategy he was on, I knew I had to be first into the first corner. So I did the maximum you are allowed to do within the rules to tighten the line. It was an entertaining and tough race, first with my brother, until his penalty and then with Juan Pablo, who was pushing hard at the end. I struggled with the balance of the car on my first set of tyres, but we made some changes at the pit stop and after that I was able to do quick times. In the morning, we had a problem with the spare car, so I took it for an installation lap before the race, but it stopped. It was worrying, because I was a long way from the pits and I did not know how much time I had to get back to take the race car. ”
Rubens Barrichello: “It was a rather boring race for me, apart from my spin near the end. I made a bad start and the launch control didn’t help me. Then, I was struggling in the early stages, lacking a bit of grip and I also had a lot of fuel on board as we had opted for a one stop strategy. I am not sure if this was the ideal choice, although starting with used front tyres was the right decision. This has definitely not been my best weekend, but at least I managed to bring home a couple of points, which has allowed me to maintain my third place in the championship.”
RACE RESULTS European GP Nurburgring, Germany; 67 laps. Weather:dry,warm. Classified: Pos Driver Team Time 1. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1h29:42.724 2. Montoya Williams BMW (M) + 0:04.217 3. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (B) + 0:11.934 4. R. Schumacher Williams BMW (M) + 0:33.345 5. Barrichello Ferrari (B) + 0:45.415 6. Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes (B) + 1:04.868 7. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) + 1:06.198 8. de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) + 1 Lap 9. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) + 1 Lap 10. Raikkonen Sauber Petronas (B) + 1 Lap 11. Fisichella Benetton Renault (M) + 1 Lap 12. Burti Prost Acer (M) + 2 Laps 13. Button Benetton Renault (M) + 2 Laps 14. Alonso Minardi European (M) + 2 Laps 15. Alesi Prost Acer (M) + 3 Laps World Championship Standing, Round 9: Drivers: Constructors: 1. M.Schumacher 68 1. Ferrari 94 2. Coulthard 44 2. McLaren 53 3 Barrichello 26 3. Williams 37 4. R.Schumacher 25 4. Sauber 15 5. Montoya 12 5. Jordan 13 6. Hakkinen 9 6. BAR 12 7. Heidfeld 8 7. Jaguar 5 8. Trulli 7 8. Prost 3 =. Raikkonen 7 9. Benetton 1 =. Villeneuve 7 =. Arrows 1 11. Frentzen 6 =. Minardi 1 12. Panis 5 13. Irvine 4 14. Alesi 3 15. Fisichella 1 =. de la Rosa 1 =. Verstappen 1
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