Nothing from FIA on championship clashes

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Michael Schumacher said he “doesn’t want to think about” winning the championship if Fernando Alonso is unable to score points at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Felipe Massa insisted “I am going to be honest…. I am not going to be dirty” and Flavio Briatore has given his vote of confidence that he expects Ferrari to play it straight in the championship-deciding finale. Even F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said, “Michael will drive in the most correct manner he has ever driven.”

In fact it seems the only major party without an opinion on the fears that Schumacher (or one of his many allies) could help decide the title by taking out Alonso, is the FIA.

For all the rules tweaks and intervention we have grown accustomed to in recent years there is still nothing in the rule book which allows the governing body to strip a driver of his points should he deliberately take out another driver to win the championship.

No precedent was set in 1989 when Alain Prost did it to Ayrton Senna; nor in 1990 when Senna returned the favour. Schumacher was stripped of second place in the championship in 1997 – but what driver ever lost any sleep over not being second?

Would the FIA have the guts to strip Schumacher of an eighth and final title if he did win it by taking out Alonso?

Hopefully it won’t come to that. But given how much has been written about it, it seems few would be surprised if he tried it.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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2 comments on “Nothing from FIA on championship clashes”

  1. I wouldn’t be suprised if Schumacher tried something ‘in the heat of the moment’. Let’s face it, who wouldn’t? But, the circumstances have to be right for Schumacher to commit such an act. He has to be in the right place at the right time to it and for it to have an effect.

    It is his last race. Apparently, his last race, ever. Of all the people who need finish their last race on a level high, Schumacher is the man who needs it most (Monaco, ahem). And while I still squirm when I see the 1994 Australian Grand Prix footage, I do believe that Schumacher will play fair. He has so much to gain from not doing it than he seriously has to gain from doing it. Call me optimistic, but I think Schumacher will be a good boy come race day, and spray Mumm in Alonso’s eyes as every sore F1 loser does! ;)

    Here’s to fair, but nail-biting-Alonso’s engine-starts-smoking-on-the final-lap-with-Schumacher-in-second-place Brazilian Grand Prix!

  2. The problem tacking action in ’89 and ’90 with Prost/Senna was proof. Neither incident was clear-cut enough to justify docking points, even though we all know both incidents were intentional.
    Today, Schumacher’s got a bad enough reputation already. He will want to go out on a high and not as the driver who cheated in his last race. Expect a clean one, but don’t expect him or Massa to do the Renaults any favours whatsoever.

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