Michael Schumacher’s got up an official statement following the Monaco Grand Prix and his last-lap penalty, and while I’m not saying it adds much to the conversation, it probably is the most we’re going to get from him. So, if it is worth parsing, here it is:
“My race today would have been pretty normal without the decisions of the stewards afterwards. The start was interesting, it actually went according to plan. I managed to have a good pull-away but then I was a bit stuck and got caught by Rubens. So I had to wait for the opportunity to overtake, and the team played it brilliantly. The crew was fantastic and thus the pitstop got me in front of him. The result in the very end today, which put me back to position 12 for now, was obviously disappointing for me, and I can fully understand we are appealing the decision. Our understanding was that the “safety car in, track clear” message means back to race – so I went for it and overtook Fernando.”
Having listened to the 5 Live guys on my drive to work this morning, I’m probably back in a gray area regarding who is right and who is wrong. It’s clear what the regulations say, but the fact that the green flags were out does, I think, give Mercedes some support for their argument.
At the least, I can see why they are appealing the decision. And I think I can understand why Michael made his move in the first place.
