Vettel defends Schumi crash
2012-05-16 10:30
STRUGGLING IN F1: Formula 1 veteran Michael Schumacher has had an increasingly frustrating comeback, leaving many to question whether it's time for the seven times champion to retire for good.
Sebastian Vettel has defended his former mentor Michael Schumacher.
The seven time world champion has been criticised since Spanish Grand Prix, after crashing into Williams' Bruno Senna at the end of the Barcelona straight.
He called the Brazilian driver an "idiot" on the radio and later defended the outburst. The FIA did not agree, imposing a five-place qualifying penalty for Monte Carlo for causing a collision.
CRASH AFFECTED RIVALS
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: "For us, that manoeuvre of Michael's cost us a lot."
He said the debris from the crash not only damaged Vettel's front wing, but led to the reigning world champion being served a drive-through penalty due to activating his DRS wing in the yellow-flag zone.
Vettel, however, defended Schumacher: "In those situations we don't have much time of course and you can get very great speed differences (between the cars) on the straights.
"I think it should be classified simply in the category of racing accidents. Unfortunately it happens," said the reigning world champion. Of course you can always say what is what afterwards, just as you can say that it always takes two to tango," added Vettel.
Mercedes' Norbert Haug was less eager to comment, although he did tell Germany's Sport1 that the team "accepts the verdict of the race stewards".
