Jim Russell Racing School: Michael Schumacher was left raging against the driving etiquette of newbie pilot, Jaime Alguerasari in the Australian Grand Prix thanks to the Spanish driver’s inability to hustle the 7-times champ into the boondocks, writes our driver fracas correspondent, Constance Threadhandy.
Following the Melbourne race in which the 41 year old German eventully finished 10th, the multiple champ raged against what he feels are falling standards amongst his fellow competitors whom he last raced some 3 years ago.
“Alguerasari’s driving was a complete disgrace”, the Mercedes driver began, “I followed him for more than 20 laps and he didn’t once brake test me, swerve at my car from the middle of the track or gradually edge me into the gravel trap whilst we were heading into the braking area.”
Alguerasari driving not up to Schuey standards, says ex-champ
“Honestly, if this is the standard of driving I have to expect for the rest of the second half of my career I might as well remove my detachable steering wheel for good. And set fire to it. And throw it in a deep lake. And depth charge it. Anyway: stop is what I’m trying to say”, he added.
Schumacher’s comments came as a shock to the 20 year old Torro Rosso driver however, who felt his actions were completely defensible.
“I don’t know what Michael is talking about”, the young Spaniard countered, “I deliberately braked dangerously early more than once and was all over the place in the fast sweepers round the back of the circuit. I’m not what else I could have done to have driven menacingly without being penalised by the circuit officials”, he protested.
7-time champion worried his glittering legacy may be getting forgotten about
“I’m really cut up about what he (Schumacher) has said: I grew up watching Schuey and couldn’t believe I’d get the opportunity to show him how much I’d learnt through dangerous acts of intimidation, gamesmanship and wholesale blatant cheating. I had even dreamt of going head to head with him for a world title so I could achieve my dream of controversially driving him off the track to settle it, but today that dream has died”, he finished, all dewy eyed.
The handful of laps Michael completed in Malaysia meanwhile means it is unclear whether the German has revised his opinion regarding his fellow drivers’ capacity for cynical skulduggery and outright bullying though it is thought he was impressed by Hamilton and Mclaren’s actions in blocking Petrov; the former for his impression of a drunk driver trying to swat a bee out of his window and his team for insisting it was all perfectly acceptable behaviour afterwards.
