Head against Ralf Schumacher's penalty

By Andrew Hooper
August 5 2003

 

 

  
Head disagrees with penalty
 
As was previously reported BMW WilliamsF1 driver Ralf Schumacher had a penalty imposed against him for his part in the first corner accident at the German Grand Prix, which would see both Rubens Barrichello and Kimi Raikkonen eliminated from the race. The penalty imposed on Ralf was for causing an avoidable accident, and will see Ralf lose ten places on the grid for the next race in Hungary.

One person who does not agree with the penalty is WilliamsF1 Technical Director Patrick Head. 

Patrick HeadHead said: "I do not consider that Ralf caused an avoidable collision. These matters are subject to an appeal, so it is not appropriate for me to comment further."

Another person to question the penalty imposed was WilliamsF1 team boss Frank Williams. Williams added: "The stewards decided Ralf had not paid due attention to the cars on his left and we fully respect the authority of the FIA, and acknowledge their responsibility to protect the safety of those involved in the sport.

"However, we are using the appeal process provided for by the FIA to clarify all of the circumstances surrounding the incident, and the suitability of the penalty imposed."

Sam Michael, WilliamsF1 Chief Operations engineer, also supported the view that the decision to impose the penalty should be looked at beyond what was first made on the Sunday of the race.

In a report in Autosport magazine Michael said: "We fully respect the race stewards' approach to safety and the many issues arising from that. But we think that there are some issues that need to be clarified. We want the incident looked at in greater detail, with more information that was available on Sunday evening."
 
 
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