|
PHIL AGIUS |
Weblog: Sports editor's view
It's good to have Schu back - but please don't start cheating just yet
STORIES we didn't expect to be talking about this summer - Sven-Goran Eriksson at Notts County, England holding all the cards in the Ashes and Michael Schumacher returning to F1.
Schuemi's return should, of course, have meant the intriguing prospect of four world champions lining up of the grid for the European Grand Prix at Valencia, but that's not currently going to happen seeing as one of the former champs, Fernando Alonso, is set to be banned from the race.
More thoughts on the suspension of Renault later, but what even the cheesiest of Hollywood scrptwriters might not have dared to put before a director would be the news that Schumi would be accused of attempted cheating less than 24 hours after it was confirmed he would return to an F1 track.
That's right, the Red Baron, who barged Damon Hill off the track in Australia to secure a world title, failed to take out Jacques Villeneuve to seal another and even more cunningly once 'accidentally' parked his Ferrari across the final corner at Monaco to stop Alonso denying him pole, is already attempting to challenge the definitions of the rules.
You may recall that at the last race in Hungary, the sport's youngest driver, Jaime Alguersuari, was considered a potential hazard by some rivals before the race as the in-season testing ban meant that he had not been able to drive an F1 car around a corner before he left the pit-lane for Friday practice at the Hungaroring.
Rules are rules, though, so out he went and what a good job did as he got to grips with his Toro Rosso and ran at a decent pace, evenbeating team-mate Seb Buemi in the race.
But while a green rookie can manage to get up to speed with the minimum preparation, Ferrari decided that a seven-time world champion would need a little more time to get ready.
First they circumvented the testing ban by acquiring a 2007 Ferrari for Schumi to test at their private track, helping to assess whether he was physically up to it after a motorbike crash earler in the year.
But then they had the cheek to request that Schumi be allowed to test this year's car - exactly the experience no one had dared to even suggest might be afforded to Alguersuari.
Ferrari say it's necessary as the sport's most successful driver hs no experience in this year's car. But it's their choice for him to drive rather than reserve drivers Marc Gene or Luca Badoer, who have sat in the 2009 car before.
Current reports suggest that the other seven Fota teams have oddly agreed to the plan, albeit with conditions attached, but don't be surprised if it's scuppered by one of the non-Fota teams. Williams would be the obvious candidates.
Sir Frank Williams is a racing man through and through who would no doubt enjoy the boost to the sport of Schumacher's return, but probably not at the expense of points that could be earned by his own team in the constructors championship.
Williams and Ferrari are very much on a par in terms of performance at present and it's hard to see why the British team would give Schumi a helpful extra chance to get to grips with operating Kers etc in order for him to beat them in Valencia.
Ah yes, Valencia, where (until they win their appeal) Renault won't be racing, leaving Alguersuari as the only Spaniard on the grid.
I'd normally be one of the last in the queue to defend Renault and Senor Alonso, but you have to feel some sympathy for them over the harshness of the penalty for their loose wheel problem in Hungary.
Is there anyone out there who thinks they'd have got a race ban for that incident if there hadn't been two serious debris-related accidents (to Henry Surtees and Felipe Massa) in the previous week?
If the issue of potential debris was so important to race stewards, one wonders why Kimi Raikkonen was happily allowed to continue circulating with an exhaut pipe swishing behind his car last season.
Hopefully common sense will prevail and Renault's punishment will be reduced to something such as a grid penalty or allowing them to race for only driver points in Valencia.
Then we'll have a race and a half - Schumacher v Raikkonen - the last two Ferrari world champions - racing in equal machinery?
Lewis Hamilton taking on the great German for the first time?
Alonso renewing acquaintances with his old rival on home turf?
Plus 2009 stars Button, Vettel and Webber.
Even on the most dreadfully boring circuit on the calendar, that's got to be something to look forward to, however sad the circumstances that brought it about.
Comments