Schumacher penalized for blocking Barrichello in Korean Grand Prix qualifying

Schumacher penalized for blocking Barrichello

Michael Schumacher was given a reprimand by officials after blocking former teammate Rubens Barrichello during the qualifying race on Saturday for the Korean Grand Prix.

The seven-time champion was found guilty by race stewards of blocking his former Ferrari sidekick.

Mercedes GP and Schumacher said that Barrichello of the Williams team was not on a fast lap when the said block happened, but officials said “it is ultimately the driver’s responsibility to be conscious of closing cars via the use of mirrors and blue flags/lights.”

Schumacher denied that he blocked Barrichello and was surprised by the anger of his former teammate.

“If he was really on a quick lap and I blocked him, then I apologize,” Schumacher said. He added that Barrichello’s speed was four tenths of a second under flying lap speed.

“I don’t know how he can go on as badly as he did about this situation.”

Schumacher will start ninth and Barrichello tenth in Sunday’s Korean Grand Prix in Yeongnam.

The two drivers did not always get along during their stint at Ferrari, whose team focused more on Schumacher with regards to car setup and tactics than Barrichello.

The feud intensified during the Hungarian Grand Prix this year when the Brazilian overtook his former partner despite Schumacher almost forcing Barrichello into the concrete wall at high speed.

“I don’t want it to become very personal,” the Brazilian said after the incident. “We had problems in the past, we still have problems in some situations like in Hungary.”

Posted by Andre Monohan on Sunday October 24 2010, 9:29 AM EDT. Ref: AP. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0