McLaren points out Schumacher’s rough defense

If the FIA only gave a very mild warning to Michael Schumacher for his fierce defense in his duel with Lewis Hamilton, the McLaren team, for its part, believes that the tactic used by the Mercedes driver was too aggressive.

Martin Whitmarsh particularly criticized the German for his maneuver on the 16th lap when he forced Lewis Hamilton to put two wheels on the grass inside the Curva Grande, a very fast curve before the second chicane of the circuit: « He had already accumulated a great deal of provocation and frustration in this race and I think someone sent him off the track at one point ».

« [Schumacher’s defensive maneuvers were] quite hard. I’m not the least impartial, but the fact is he was warned twice during the race, so they probably saw that as too harsh. I think the one where Lewis drove onto the grass was scary as hell ». Perhaps a slightly optimistic attempt from the 2008 world champion and perhaps a slightly conservative defense from the seven-time world champion that could have ended very badly, with a collision at that spot being destined for a very violent off-track incident.

Hamilton, involved in a few incidents this season, therefore had to ease off and wait 27 laps before finally being able to gain an advantage over the Silver Arrow driver, who was very fast in a straight line during this Grand Prix, while his teammate, Jenson Button, managed to do so in less than one lap: « Lewis complained several times but in a very calm manner. His job is to do that in case the stewards don’t see it. And I think he was cordial, sincere, and reasonable ».

Visibly annoyed after the race, Lewis Hamilton did not wish to elaborate too much on this phase of the race. When asked how much time he lost behind Schumacher, the Brit replied: A lot; on whether the German’s maneuvers were fair play: It makes no difference. We had a good race and scored good points for the team. Finally, when a journalist asked if he wanted to express himself further, Hamilton clearly replied No.

He was nonetheless more talkative in another interview: « It was interesting to be behind him. It was a real challenge to overtake him. He was incredibly fast, and I was just a bit slower on the straights, so I couldn’t pass him. He was faster on the straight, even when I used my DRS (drag reduction system) ». On the very fast Monza circuit, the advantage of the movable wing wasn’t as significant as elsewhere, with the wings already as thin as possible to reduce aerodynamic drag and allow the cars to have a higher top speed on the straights. « To be honest, it’s not a great result. We started second and lost two places, so I definitely can’t be happy ».

On the Mercedes side, Ross Brawn stated that he saw a vintage Michael Schumacher during those defensive laps. The Star team’s director obviously did not see any reprehensible maneuvers from his driver, indicating that the FIA had asked them to be careful but highlighting the fact that the stewards did not find it necessary to summon the Red Baron.

Finally, Lewis Hamilton finished in fourth position ahead of Michael Schumacher. A result that, coupled with Sebastian Vettel’s new victory, pushes Hamilton even further away from title hopes (126 points behind, equivalent to five wins and a tenth place, with only six races remaining).