Schumacher “closed the door too much”

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Felipe Massa pointed the finger at former team mate Michael Schumacher for their collision in the Canadian Grand Prix.

Massa blamed Schumacher for breaking his Ferrari’s front wing during the race:

I was caught up in the accident at the first corner, sandwiched between Button and Liuzzi, which removed any chance of a clean race and a strong finish. I had a good start and was making up places on the way to the first corner, but then I had to pit for a new nose and that was it.

Even after that setback, I was heading for the points in the closing stages: I was tenth, but Michael (Schumacher) who was ahead of me was much slower, maybe three seconds and Buemi in front of him was also slow, so I was in with a chance of finishing eighth.

But then came the problem with Michael. He closed the door on me too much. He braked on the right and moved across to the left where I was. There was nothing I could do, as I was already on the limit of my braking and when he moved across even more, he broke my front wing.
Felipe Massa

After the race the stewards investigated the incident but took no action.

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    Keith Collantine
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    58 comments on “Schumacher “closed the door too much””

    1. Well, he knows MSC. He could also have waited to overtake him on the straight if he was that much faster, I think. I notice he does not say much about what happened with Button/Luizzi, maybe that is because he could have been a bit more careful there.

      Next time better, but Massa needs to keep things tidy and try to stay out of trouble a bit, that would bring him more than a fast race mixed with pit stops for new parts.

      1. I tend to agree. Four drivers tried to pass Schumacher, three of them succeeded, and none of those had a car as quick as Massa’s.

        1. Yep. I think Schumacher himself also was a bit too aggressive, considering he to conserve his tires. If he had let Kubica and also Massa past easier, he might have stood a change against the FI’s later.

          1. Well if he had made less of a tight fight with Kubica he would not have had the puncture that made him have to do so large a part of the race on super soft tyres.
            That might have enabled him to keep a lot closer to the front with Kubica and Rosberg and in front of Buemi.

        2. Everybody who tried to pass Schumacher got rammed at one stage. Massa was just unlucky that Schumacher hit him in the front wing.

          1. Is that you, M. Brundle? Everyone that passed Schumi got rammed? Lets see. Buemi – passed him okay. Kubica rammed into Michael, not the other way round. Liuzzi shoved Michael aside, not the other way round. Sutil got by okay. Enjoy your Michael hate, since the fact that he’s still got it at 41 to mix it with the guys in their “prime” and none of his achievements are ever going to go away. Enjoy :)

            1. I would hardly call it “mix it with guys in their prime”. He has half the points of his teammate, and lies 9th in the driver’s championship. He has made an ass of himself on track, and his winning at all costs attitude makes him look a desperate old man.

            2. Well, Schumacher still splits opinions on his driving style at 41. He drove desperately, but making “an ass of himself” is OTT.

      2. How could Massa have been more careful in the first corner? He was sandwiched between Button and a late braking Liuzzi.

        Liuzzi shouldn’t have come in so ridiculously late. He was never going to make that corner and the next corner is to the right anyway.

        1. Massa’s action was stupidity….Liuzzi had the line while going into the fisrt corner.massa had jenson on the other side so clearly should have backed off. If you see closely none got damaged in the first corner.. It was massa who got ouraged by the bump and took liuzzzi aggressively..and the judgement schumi did wat massa did to liuzzi.. It can be an racing incident by looking.. but it was massa’s over aggression

          1. “Liuzzi had the line while going into the fisrt corner.”

            But the key point here is that he was BEHIND going into the first corner. You can have the line, but that doesn’t mean you can dive up the inside and ram people if you’re too far behind.

            “massa had jenson on the other side so clearly should have backed off.”

            He did, but the difference is that they were alongside each other. Button had the inside and would have kept his race position. Massa made a bit of contact, but wouldn’t have done so significantly enough to spin him around and break his front wing. Not the same as Liuzzi’s over-optimism.

            “It can be an racing incident by looking.. but it was massa’s over aggression”

            Well, Massa wasn’t able to drive around Schumacher for some reason, so if anything, it was a lack of aggression that he showed. And i’m afraid Schumacher was to blame for the incident with him, if anyone is to be blamed at all.

            1. Button had the inside for the next corner, anyway.

            2. It is well possible that Liuzzi could have (and would have been wise to) backed off as well, and then they might have made it through that first corner without incident, to get a much better race.

              But that also goes for Massa. I am not saying that he did wrong, and I also have to agree with the stewards that Schumacher did much wrong.

              Still, both Schumacher (as Bas reminds, he gained a puncture from hitting Kubica) and Massa picked up problems from refusing to back off. Maybe it would have been wiser and, ultimately, more productive for both to back off a bit and continue unharmed.

          2. Really? So Massa should have just moved over and ran into Button instead? I was thrilled to see Liuzzi qualify so well but then he had to be stupid. So what you are saying is that it is perfectly acceptable for a driver to lunge inside of another driver’s line when he has no chance of making the pass, because it is exactly what Liuzzi did. And he nearly took Massa out of the race later on, only to let Shumacher effectively do so. Poor Felipe must have had a target on his back in Montreal, I hope he has a little more luck on his side come Valencia.

            1. what you give is what you take………eg: schumi..massa……hahahah

            2. @sennsfan- Sorry, but you’re just talking gibberish now to just not admit that you haven’t got a logical argument to use here.

      3. Massa would do well to have a good look especially at Liuzzi, he just waited with quite a bit of respect, until he was sure he could make a move that he could be almost cerain to make stick.

    2. The Schumi/Massa incident was similar to the Schumi/Frentzen incident from Montreal 98.

      1. Going slightly off topic … i seem to recall your avatar is of you next to oliver Pains? If that is correct, man you kook like a young vettel in that photo :) lol no offense, probably just me :)

    3. What I’m stunned by most of all is that the stewards didn’t investigate the numerous occasions in which Schumacher retained position by cutting chicanes, yet Petrov was penalised for wiping out de la Rosa in what was just a race incident.

      1. Perhaps Monaco rang bells with them,so they let it go.
        Makes me wonder how would Michael be doing by now if he had returned to Ferrari and not Brawn/Mercedes.BUT,that is the hundred dollar question :).

        1. He would be getting lapped by Alonso. :)

    4. Sorry Felipe, but if Schumacher is defending his position, he’s not going to open the door is he?

    5. “Enjoy your Michael hate, since the fact that he’s still got it at 41 to mix it with the guys in their “prime” and none of his achievements are ever going to go away.” – i’m not sure anyone is disputing schumi’s achievements, and yes he may well still have it at 41, although well hidden i might add, purely & simply during sundays race he seemed to treat it as touring car race. there are plenty of drivers on the grid currently that are more than capable of taking on MSC and quite comfortably beating him, even if that envolves abit of lawn mowing.

      1. I would definitely dispute schumis ‘achievments’ as all were attained with dodgy teams, with dodgy bosses, and a technical veto , on top of that, historically it will look good, but for me, his record is far from worthy….

        1. Agree with Achilles completely.

          There are very clear reasons why Schumacher doesn’t have the respect a 7 time WDC should have. Having said that, I am glad he is back. Schumacher fans can finally stop speculating on how he would fare against the drivers of today. Now they can see what the 7 time WDC is really made of.

          1. “There are very clear reasons why Schumacher doesn’t have the respect a 7 time WDC should have.”

            Yep, becuase his levels of success simply breed contempt. Prost won more titles than Senna, but you’d hardly know that from the number of people who worship the Brazilian would you? Fans of other drivers and teams would have been congratulatory of Schumacher’s achievements in 2000, but the more Schumacher dominated the other teams and drivers, the more hostile they got. Therefore people like Achilles and yourself begin to discredit his achievements. There’s no way anyone can delude themselves that he is still the best driver in F1, but his overall status quite simply, speaks for itself.

            1. Lets face it. If it wasn’t for Ferrari pulling political strings, Barichello being paid to finish behind Schumi, and a stunningly fast and reliable car for 5 straight years, Schumacher would not have had 7 WDCs. Honestly I do not even think he would have even 3 WDCs. Besides the driver, there are a lot of other important factors that go into winning a WDC, and honestly any above average driver should be able to capitalise on those opportunities. Schumacher did capitalise on them, and hats off to him for doing that.

              The point I’m trying to make is that in a relatively level playing field like this season, he seems to be getting outclassed by half the field. And what annoys me is Schumacher fans have excuses to explain every incident of poor driving – 3 years break… neck injuries.. broken chassis… old age..blah blah blah.

              Stop living in the past regarding his achievements, look at the present and the future.

            2. But that has a lot to do with two things:
              a) Senna did die in the seat, instead of owning a mediocre to bad team that fizzled out
              b) Sennas energetic style was much easier to see than Prosts quieter brilliance that allowed him to just be there at the end of the race, leading it.

            3. @Todfod-

              I’m also tired of the excuses levelled against Schumacher’s achievements. You say that Schumacher shouldn’t even have won 3 titles, yet I seem to remember even one M.Brundle once pointing out that with a little more luck, the German could have won at least 10 titles. He took three additional WDCs to the last round before losing out, and broke his leg while looking strong for another. I pointed that out not because he deserved 11 titles, but becasue it shows how the “could’ves” work both ways, making all excuses pretty irrelevant. All that really matters is what actually did happen- he won 7 WDCs.

              This season, I do not agree with some of the excuses like “neck injuries” or “broken chassis”, although there are some of his fans who do seem to use these like you said. I admit that he has simply had a generally poor season.

              @bosyber-

              Good points you made there.

            4. We want turbos
              21st June 2010, 0:59

              When Schumacher beat Hakkinen to the 2000 title I was impressed as that title was contested between 2 competative drivers in competative cars! however many of his other titles where virtually uncontested! Not saying he WASN’T an excellent driver but it was too easy for him! He farley had chance to prove his excellence! As with Prost Senna Piquet Mansell there where so many incredible drivers then in compareable cars that made a wdc win that little bit more special! This season is the best for me since the good old days! Alonso Hamilton Button Vettel Webber all excellent drivers with the chance of winning the WDC so whoever this years champion is winning this 1 tittle would mean more to me than 6 out of the 7 Schumacher won together! If that makes sence! In essence Schumacher came either 4 or 5 years too late or 7or 8 years too early!

            5. @We Want Turbos-

              Only two or three of his titles could be said to be “uncontested”- 2002 and 2004. His dominance of 2001 was similar to Mansell’s dominance of 1992, which no-one seemed to complain about.

          2. But instead of saying Ferrari “gave” Schumacher those titles by having a fast and reliable car, him being only a pretty good part of it, you should look at the broader picture there Todfod.

            The years before Schumacher went to Ferrari (and his first 2 years there) they did not have a particulary fast car and by no means a reliable car and the team organisation was far from the best.

            Schumacher came, with Ross Brawn and Byrne and a couple of other guys. This team led by Schumacher on track and Ross in the factory and on the pitwall built up a great organisation with a fast and reliable car.

            Ferrari aknowledges that, that is one of the reasons of choosing to get Alonso instead of Kimi.

            I think Schumacher would have won multiple WDC and WCC with any team he would have joined at that point and with the people he was taking with him.
            He will have had an advantage over other drivers on track, as he was clearly a more complete package. The others have learned and now are on a similar level and he cannot improve much on that.

            1. Exactly. Where he lost my respect is in using tricks while already having the edge.

              But after winning in a strong Benneton he went to Ferrari to rebuild that team and forge a winning combination, trading years where he otherwise could have kept winning for a rather slow and unreliable team and car, his first Ferrari WDC was a great and well deserved achievement by him and his team. They worked hard for that.

            2. Constantly reading Todfod criticising MSC makes me wonder if he ever saw MSC in action in his heyday? I think he probably is too young,and is only going on what he reads on Internet forums~~~ such an immature attitude is what you would expect and subsequently find from young inexperienced teenagers.

    6. Felipe must have forgotten Schumacher is a complete and utter ruthless !*!@!# on track. He will be when he’s 92 and Brawn (107?!) reckons he’s still got another championship in him. I know it’s fun to watch whether the grid will get past him safely or end up taking the scenic route, but it all seems slightly embarrassing when he’s fighting like that for 8th or 10th or 12th place…

      1. “it all seems slightly embarrassing when he’s fighting like that for 8th or 10th or 12th place…”

        Yep, because real racers give up when they’re not winning.

        1. Sure, even when their not actually good enough to be on the track anymore.

          1. He definitely seemed good enough in the three straight races before Montreal. His tyre strategy (caused by Kubica driving straight off the road) made him have to drive so many laps to the finish on his last set of tyres.

    7. Hmm, i think masa was a bit clumsy in that race. I notice he clearly blame schumi for their incident, but the earlier incident is just, well, an ‘incident’ – no mention of who was to blame.

      Masa should have used his head more and passed him on a better opportunity.

      1. “Yep, because real racers give up when they’re not winning.”

        Real racers play Burnout on the f1 track, like our old buddy Schumacher.

        1. He was forced to “play Burnout” becuase of his tyre strategy, which was forced by his lack of tyres, after Kubica refused to turn in, taking both of them off the track. When Schumacher had a decent car in the last few races, he didn’t need to be as desperate as he was on Sunday.

          1. I cant believe that you actually hold his tyre strategy responsible for his decision to knock other drivers off the track.

            1. Well, responsible. It put him further on the back-foot. And in such a situation he tends to become aggressive. In principle he could have avoided the Kubica fight, and then could probably have done more in the rest of the race. But that is not how he works.

            2. The tyres weren’t responsible Todfod, Schumacher was responsible for his driving. But as bosyber said, the tyres certainly didn’t help his cause. In Spain, when his car was slower than the Mclaren, but not ridiculously slow, hardly anyone on this website seemed to complain about his defending of track position against Button.

    8. It’s not all Schumacher’s doing, at this point. That Merc is simply not quick. Couple that with staying on soft tyres on an extremely abrasive track for more than 15 laps, and it’s a wonder he was able to keep traction out of corners, let alone even begin to try and defend his position. If he weren’t so good with an overtsteery car, it could have been worse. I do feel sorry for Massa (less so for Kubica after his move on Sutil), and felt that a penalty was probably deserving of Schuey’s driving (didn’t the sweep right make it two moves to defend?), nevertheless I always enjoy every fight I see between him and another car. You just know it’s not going to be an easy task to pass him, and if you don’t execute the move right, expect tears!

    9. Edit: I meant, the sweep left. Into Massa’s front wing.

    10. It’s clear to me that in comments sections there is no such thing as a racing incident. In the real world these things sometimes happen.

    11. Yehey, enjoy your hate on Michael. Its fantastic to watch a brilliant driver like him on the grid. Without him F1 is boring. yeheyyy.

    12. I liked the way Schumacher raced in Montreal. Yes, he defended aggressively, but why not? Nice to see a racer really go for it. I think it’s a shame there has been so much complaining about it. He wants to defend his position at all costs. This is how it should be. It certainly made for exciting viewing. And the stewards didn’t find reason to fine him. I thought what he did with Massa was perfectly acceptable. I thought so too about the Kubica incident, although he lost out. Too many drivers play it too safe, guarding their points. There isn’t enough risk-taking. That’s another reason why F1 races are not as exciting as they should be.

    13. After Schumi retired,people who followed Formula One had lost interest in the race,the organizers were loosing hundreds of millions of dollars in sponsorship fees so,schmi was persuaded to come out of retirement and make the Formula One look more interesting. And you people hate him so much?

      1. Your joking, right? F1 has totally gained in public interest and popularity since he went. Schumacher came in for the post-Hamilton ride. Ask Bernie, he’ll know.

        1. But German viewing figueres are up by about 2-5 million per race. Not too bad a job for Mercedes to attract attention.

          But it was always going to be a multi season run to be competative as Mercedes GP. It took him 2 years at Ferrari to seriously be on top and another 2 to win the WDC with them.

          I am not a fan (since late 94 and degrading afterwards), but i think it is OK for him to make a return and by the fighting mentality Schumacher is showing right now he might succeed with getting Mercedes on top as well as guiding Rosberg to endured stardom.

          1. I’d really nothing against him coming back either, despite not being a fan, as he does add an extra bit of excitement with his lack of compromise at least. But I’m not convinced that the Brawn car redesign this season wasn’t made at Rosberg’s expense – to save those German viewing figures maybe. At the very least it seemed to dent Rosberg’s confidence.

      2. Hate, no. Admire his driving, yes, but not my favourite by any means. Dislike his cynicism, totally.

      3. Well, I actually didn’t see much of his last few seasons, as I got bored of having him always being mentioned the most, even if other, more interesting things, were happening in the track.
        So I mostly missed Alonso winning two seasons (could not get many weekends to see it).
        And then 2007 made me stop looking for F1 news as well, didn’t care for the whole Spygate stuff.

        Luckily, 2008 was a great year to watch on the whole, and as I found more interesting sites lie f1fanatic I got very happy watching F1 in 2009 and 2010 with the computer next to the TV screen, as quite a lot was happening. But not thanks to MSC begin around (well, maybe apart from that weird Raikonen pit stop).

        So actually, internet/availability of great f1 sites made me rediscover F1 and then the racing did the rest.

    14. Schumacher is dirty. Hate to be Cliche, but he was in 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2006 and now 2010….and if you want me to explain WHY he was dirty in these years (as if you don’t know already…) then ask!

      1. Don’t think anyone’s doubting whether he’s had his fair share of on-track antics or not. But in 1995, I seem to remember a British driver crashing into Schumacher twice as rather weak revenge for the previous year. So nothing particularly wrong with 1995 from the German’s point of view.

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