Schumacher reprimanded for block

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An unhappy Rubens Barrichello said he was lucky to make it into Q3 after being held up by Michael Schumacher in the second part of qualifying:

I don’t want it to become personal. We’ve had some problems in the past and we’re having problems in some situations such as Hungary.

I’m a down-to-earth guy, I’m a very cool guy which means I have a lot of respect even for the slowest cars and to the quckest ones.

We all make mistakes and we are allowed to make a mistake and apologise. He just came to apologise, in a way, that the team didn’t tell him.

But I was on a fast lap, he has mirrors and you cannot blame everything on the team. I’m a little bit sad about the situation because I was only lucky that I passed on to qually three because he really slowed me down.
Rubens Barrichello

Footage from qualifying shows Barrichello spent several corner stuck behind Schumacher and had to abort his attempt at the lap. The Williams driver ended Q2 in tenth.

Update: The stewards reprimanded Schumacher for blocking Barrichello but did not impose any further penalty.

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    68 comments on “Schumacher reprimanded for block”

    1. It was quite confusing when apparently some other commentators across the globe were saying it was Seb who held him up. I thought there’d been two incidents.

      I think I’d give Schumi a penalty. I know Rubens still got through to q3 but what if he hadn’t? A block’s illegal whether it ruins someone’s chances or not and it was quite a long block so I felt so it wasn’t just one of those things.

      1. Exactly. A block is a block.

        The driver blocking broke the rule, whomever it is. And if a rule is broken a punishment needs to be imposed. If only to remind that driver (and his team) to be more careful in future.

        The fact that Barichello got through (whilst a happy ending) is irrelevant in this situation.

        1. I see where you’re coming from but actually I’m really pleased the stewards handled it this way. Flexibility is exactly what we need in penalties – no-one can ever forget Spa 2008 where the race winner was penalised for overtaking someone who retired from the race and the win was handed to the guy who dropped one place and did no overtaking at all in the entire race.

          Schumacher didn’t cause a crash and Rubens still went through. What’s the point of giving a penalty?

        2. The fact that Barichello got through (whilst a happy ending) is irrelevant in this situation.

          Yes, it is relevant. Handing out draconian penalties without any regard for the circumstances (like Hamilton’s win being handed over to Massa, Spa 08) is just ridiculous.

          1. You two are just butt-sore about your favourite driver, Hamilton, being rightfully penalised for a victory he had attempted to gain illegally (the overtake on Kimi).

            Remember Kubica vs Alonso at Silverstone? Going by your logic, they shouldn’t have given Alonso a penalty since Kubica retired anyway.

            To further use your warped logic, since Hamilton was champion in 08 anyway (happy ending) why NOT give the penalty?

            Stephen N. is right, the ending is irrelevant to the situation. The driver should be penalised for the infringement he committed, no matter whether he eventually retired from racing or became world champion at the end of the session.

            1. The ending is irrelevant…

              But if they give every minor incident a penalty it would do a lot to ruin a race…

            2. You two are just butt-sore about your favourite driver, Hamilton, being rightfully penalised for a victory he had attempted to gain illegally (the overtake on Kimi).

              Hamilton’s not my favourite driver. *facepalm*

              He was penalised for cutting a corner, handing the position back and then repassing Kimi. Only AFTER the penalty did the FIA clarify that you have to wait a corner before trying to repass.

              To further use your warped logic, since Hamilton was champion in 08 anyway (happy ending) why NOT give the penalty?

              Hamilton received his penalty way before the happy ending. In this case you want Schumacher to receive the penalty after we found out that Barrichello made it through. They weren’t going to let Hamilton get away with it then 2 months later study the evidence and give him the penalty so Massa gets closer in the standings.

              It is clearly you and Northcott who want penalties to be dished out like confetti, so instead of falsely accusing others of being “butt-sore”, you should evaluate your anti-racing values.

      2. It was quite confusing when apparently some other commentators across the globe were saying it was Seb who held him up

        It started with the Australians. Vettel is on pole, and Webber is second on the dirty line. The Australians will do or say anything to hand Webber the advantage.

        1. Thanks for the info but I wish they wouldn’t it was quite confusing! :P It’s not like they can change things by wishful thinking anyway.

          1. They certainly think they can. Adrian Sutil blocked Webber in Bahrain last year and Webber got knocked out early on. During the pre-race interview with Peter Windsor, one of the Australian commentators kept leading him, trying to get him to agree that Sutil should have had his Superlicence revoked for it and that the FIA was lookin into it.

            1. Hey come on mate I thought racism wasn’t allowed on this blog!!!

            2. It’s not racism, least of all because I’m Australian myself. This actually happens. You think James Allen and Jonathan Legard were/are bad? They’ve got nothing on our commentators, who will do or say anything if they think it will improve Webber chances. If that means attempting to entrap journalists into presenting their opinions as facts, they’ll do it. And this was not an isolated incident, either – they will do or say something at least once a race that makes you want to turn it off because they’re so damn insufferable.

            3. I guess I should have made some kind of indication that I too am Australian and my comment was more of a commentary as to the rules that govern this site. As much as I agree with your comments I would not have voiced them, for fear of being reprimanded. Funny that, since the subject herein is centered around inconsistency in administration of rules in F1! On a lighter note.

              Is it just me or is Rusty one of the ugliest commentators going around? His teeth could use some work and the ears, just plain weird. I cringe everytime his head comes on the screen and he talks. As they say he has a great look for radio!

              On the subject at hand. I can understand that people want to have consistency in F1 but I can’t help but think that it’s so difficult to determine the punishment, most of the time. What would people who want Schumacher punished say the penalty be? You could give him a penalty that effects his starting slot or you could make it monetary. I personally agree with the punishemnt or rather lack of, in this case. Mainly because the crime didn’t affect either driver i.e. RB still progressed and MSC didn’t gain any advantage. Call it gamesmanship. However if people believe a rule was broken and hence he deserves a penalty I can only agree with it being a fine at worst. I don’t agree with the idea that, for example in this case, blocking is blocking and hence the punishment should be the same regardless of the result of the indiscretion.

        2. I dont think so. I watched the russian coverage and following the talk between Vettel and Rubens they thought the same thing. It was logical.

        3. Cunning Stunt 8
          23rd October 2010, 9:40

          Well to be honest it did look like he was apologising for something at the scales.

        4. Yeah, not quite mate…..

          The BBC commentary team made the comment to begin with, and then followed it up in the post qualifying discussion in the driver weigh in.

          Also, it was quite clear that Vettel was apologising to Rubens about something, and he RAN to catch him to do so.

          Lets not get racial.

          1. PM lives in Asutralia so I doubt he was trying to be racist just I get the impression the commentary there is quite biased.

            1. It’s remarkably better than it was half a year ago, But the first I heard about Seb doing the blocking was from the Aus commentators…

              I think it was a simple mistake/confusion rather than favouritism to Webber…

            2. If it were a Toro Rosso that blocked Barrichello, I could understand the mistake. But a Red Bull looks nothing like a Mercedes – one is a very light-coloured car, the other a very dark one. If they could make a mistake like that, then they probably shouldn’t be commentating.

            3. If you think PM is massively biased against Webber, the two coverage hosts are the complete opposite, sickeningly biased towards him.

              I’m not biased against him. I was, but then Germany happened. Since Webber doesn’t drive for Ferrari, I can tolerate him winning. I will gladly put up with the commentators for a year if it means Alonso doesn’t win.

    2. Come on Rubens… stop crying. You were blocked in Q2, but you still made it to Q3. Why does he have to bring up his nice guy personality routine, and shout out for a sympathy vote every time he tangles up with Schumi. I’m not a fan of Schumi either, but nothing annoys me more than a whiner.

      1. Schumacher clearly blocked him unfairly, Many drivers have done this and I doubt it was with malicious intent, but Rubens has every right to be upset about it.

        1. He should be upset, and he should also make his official complaint to the authorities, but to say – “I’m a down-to-earth guy, I’m a very cool guy which means I have a lot of respect even for the slowest cars and to the quckest ones”

          That is just pathetic

          1. ….. I think that’s a bit harsh, Rubens and Schumacher have history, obviously. And for sure any problem between them from now on will be related back to the past…..

            1. Todfod’s rightfully pointing out how desperate Barrichello is to bring up his “good guy”/”victim” image.

        2. @Mike.Come on be fair,as “someone” famously said, “there are drivers,and then there’s Rubens”!!!

          Rubens is a moaner of the first degree,he definitely is not as cool as he thinks he is.

          Rubens takes everything too far,him and Eddie Jordan must share the same star.

        3. Shumi beat him so badly before in thje same car. Now Ruben hood Barichelo is crying out loud. hahaha, like a baby!

      2. Well if Rubens keeps on whinning he will loose his fans, he has done things in the past,he is always moaning about Michael, but you never hear schumi complain.Rubens is a big pain in the **** and neck.

        1. To be honest with you I think you’re the pain in the ****.

          1. Rubens complains whenever anything even slightly goes against him, while trying to play the victim. He did it at Ferrari, he did it at Brawn, and he’s doing it now, trying to make it out that Schumacher blocked him deliberately. So yes, the “cool guy” is a pain in the ****.

        2. Your avatar suggests a truly objective opinion sir

          1. or madam even :)

    3. Couldn’t see the footage but I think they are cool as they seemed to be happy ( as far I saw on TV) while they were weighing & behind when they were relaxing.

      1. Are the FIA investigating the situation.

    4. come on cry baby. grow up. Alway blaming Schumacher.

      1. Have you seen what happened? It was a clear block, lasting several corners. Can’t expect any driver not to complain about that.

        1. Was it “several corners” or “several laps” (as in the last paragraph of the article)?

          1. It was corners – fixed the text, thanks.

            1. Personally, I’d have loved it if it were several laps ;)

              I can just imagine Schuey screaming inside his helmet YOU SHALL NOT PASS :D

    5. I watched this Q2 race and i didn’t see no block and i agree with Michael he wasn’t told on the radio, it seems like Rubens is whinging again, when is this guy going to grow up and get on with his business and stop yelling like a spoiled brat.

      1. He blocked him for a few corners at least. It wasn’t like he couldn’t see him like Petrov at Monza as it went on for so long.

      2. “i didn’t see no block” oh that must mean it didn’t happen then. Jeez.

        BBC showed in car footage from Rubens car with about 6 blue ‘flags’ ignored by Schumi. Why he wasn’t penalised is beyond me.

    6. I think the right decision has been made. A lot of people argue that a block is a block, and that Schumacher should get penalised.

      Well I think the end result matters in it all. Fact is Rubens did get another run, and got into Q3. Times are reset there, so no consequences there. If Rubens wouldn’t have qualified for Q3, a penalty would have been right.

      It’s a bit the case of the time fitting the crime. Take a look at Hungary this year where Schumacher squeezed Rubens against the pitwall. It was a bad move, unsporting behaviour and dangerous. Hence, penalty. If he would have crashed Rubens there, he would have got a more severe penalty for sure.

      But it wasn’t the case, so no “what could have been” penalty. Exactly like today. Rubens could have been out of Q3, but in the end made it.

    7. Plus, someone who calls himself a very cool guy is a moron…

    8. Rubens? Get over it!!

    9. I dont’ have any problems with a driver complaining about other blocking him, and he has the right to do it, but Barichello’s statement is just ridiculous, he suspects Schumi was blocking him on purpose ? That’s just silly, why Schumi would do that ? Rubens should take the apology and not say things like “he has mirrors and you cannot blame everything on the team”, first of all, what else was Schumi blaming the team for ? and in my opinion blaming the team hurts Schumi more than if he says it was his fault, cause the team is listening too and he is not on the best position to expect the team take the blame, if it wasn’t true Ross and the boys wouldn’t be happy with Schumi lying, blaming them to cover his mistakes. Rubens should think a bit more before commenting, not letting his passionate mind create conspirations theories about Schumi trying to sabotage his career.

      Another ridiculous theory would be that Rubens wants to catch Michael on the WDC and he is trying to get him penalized, I know is as silly as Rubens theory, but RB puts himself in this position when he tries to imply that Michael did it on purpose, and using the “I’m the good guy, cause everybody likes me” card every time, so people can hate MSC a bit more (no need, they already hate him).

    10. But I was on a fast lap, he has mirrors

      Oh, yeah, just like how Alonso should have seen Rubens driving like a lunatic at Spa and magically moved out of the way.

    11. It does not matter in the end if Rubens make into Q3 or not when he can’t even get his car properly started at the beginning of a race.
      He should go to retirement soon and spare us from the continuous whining of a falied pilot who was on a championship wininng car for six years (Ferrari and Brawn)and barely managed to get ten victories or so (half of them handed by Schumacher himself after his titles).

      1. … That’s just wrong in so many ways…

      2. There’s no need for that…really?

        Stuff like this happens in qualifying, and it wasn’t any different today. Just happens to be BAR/MSC.

    12. I can’t be the only one who thinks that putting Schumacher and Barrichello in a shared flat and making a sitcom out of it would make for an award-winning prime time show, can I? That would be entertainment as I like it. We only need a theme music…

      1. Hahaha! Seconded!!!

        How bout the old “grand prix” tune?

        1. I would pay to watch them compete in ordinary, yet competitive, household chores.

    13. Oh Barrichello cry baby!!! when would you grow up???

      1. When people start seeing straight through his “poor me” facade.

    14. Ruebens if you are reading this. Stop Whining. You are a nice guy. A very nice guy. Nice guys finish last and that is exactly what you can do. You should have retired from the sport the day you could not win the world championship with an awesome car and not so great team mate like Button. You have missed the bus my friend. Please walk out.

      1. You hit the nail on the head Ajit, though I do not think Barichello should leave the sport. He simply has to stop thinking that all the others respect him more than everyone else.

        Also Rubens whines particularly over Schumacher as if Schumi owes him something (Maybe he does I am not to judge that). He just has to stop thinking that because once pitied he should always have his way.

    15. It’s so simple, Schumacher should stop racing right now, enough with him >:^(

      1. Enough with Barrichello’s whingeing more like.

      2. @Azwris………Why should MSC stop racing,because Rubens is blaming him for his F1 grid places.
        There are more Worldwide fans with MSC (including Bernie Ecclestone :) than against.
        Just because you don’t like a driver doesn’t give you the right to say this should finish.

    16. I’ve never really liked the idea of handing out penalties for “blocking.” For me, it should be the responsibility of the person behind to find enough space for a clear run. Usually when a penalty is given, it is just because the person being penalised happens to have a slower car than the one behind him.

      But it has to be said, Schumacher has been pushing the bounds of acceptability with his driving a lot this year. Clearly the penalties he has received haven’t been successful in bringing him down a peg or two…so what to do?

      1. What to do…I say not punish him for costing Barrichello nothing, when it’s his responsibility to find enough space anyway.

      2. Well, not really. Unless you have a delta minimum time in qualifying. Otherwise, you can back up a rival intentionally by slowing down.

        There’s nothing wrong with how things are at the moment. They just need one rule and one consequence alone if someone on a flyer is blocked by a car on an out/in lap. Simple.

        1. It’s not simple… For your example to work, you must clearly define what a block actually is.

      3. “Usually when a penalty is given, it is just because the person being penalised happens to have a slower car than the one behind him.”

        That’s just not the case. It’s always either shown to be an out or in lap by the blocker, and a flyer for the blockee.

        1. For instance, remember the McLarens on the racing line in Sepang 2008? Is that just ok then because the other guys ‘didn’t find enough space.’

          I’m sorry, but a penalty is the only way to handle this.

          1. That was in Q3, though, and that directly affected their grid spots. So a penalty was definitely needed there.

            As things stand, it was in Q2, and it didn’t affect Rubens’ Q3 run in any significant way. So no penalty.

    17. South African Fan
      25th October 2010, 9:09

      When somebody says “I am going to be honest” you know they are gonna bulls**t you…..have a lsiten WHENEVER Rubens gets interviewed, if I had a horsepower for every time RB says *To be honest” I would be faster than a Mercedes …..
      He was four tenths down in the first sector so maybe MS’s team did not deem it necessary to tell him to move over…? However, ignoring blue flags, not a smart thing to do…

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