On the surface it appeared a blatant transgression, a professional foul of the kind that once sullied a reputation as his generation's finest racing driver. In reality it was little more than ruthless opportunism, the kind of manoeuvre that separates the preternaturally gifted from those who are merely very good.
In the Monaco Grand Prix's immediate aftermath, Michael Schumacher found himself cast in a familiar role - that of pantomime villain. To recap, the closing stages of the race were neutralised following a collision between Jarno Trulli (Lotus) and Karun Chandhok (HRT-Cosworth). The safety car was still circulating at the start of the 78th and final lap, but it peeled into the pits shortly before the finish - and the circuit marshals waved green flags, traditionally a sign that racing may resume.
Schumacher might not yet have recaptured his old speed, but his racing instincts remain wholly intact and he dived past Fernando Alonso, the Ferrari driver, at the final turn to claim sixth place. He was the only driver to profit from the situation... and race stewards promptly summoned him for a chat. There is a widely held belief that Schumacher always used to escape censure for perceived misdemeanours - driving into Damon Hill at Adelaide in 1994, for instance, a move that secured the first of his seven world titles, or edging Alonso on to the grass at 300kph during the opening lap of the 2003 British GP at Silverstone - but the German has received his fair share of punishments and Sunday was no different.
It was too late to serve the customary drive-through, so instead he received a 20-second penalty for breaking rule 40.13, which states: "If the race ends while the safety car is deployed, it will enter the pit lane at the end of the last lap and cars will take the chequered flag as normal, without overtaking." It appears clear enough on first reading, but what it means - there should be no further overtaking if the final lap commences behind the safety car - is not actually what it says. The key word is "deployed": did that apply during the final 200 metres, once a "track clear" message had been shown on the timing monitors and marshals brandished green flags?
Mercedes GP initially appealed against the stewards' decision, but withdrew their complaint on Tuesday. In an official statement, the team said: "We were fully aware of article 40.13, but believed that the combination of race control messages and green flags indicated that the race was not finishing under the safety car. It was clear from our discussions with the stewards that they understood the reasons for our interpretation and acknowledged that this was a new and previously untested situation, but ultimately they disagreed with us."
The FIA, motorsport's governing body, has agreed to discuss the wording of article 40.13 - and its scale of penalties - at a future regulatory meeting. In the meantime, critics must accept that there was legitimate method in their anti-hero's moment of apparent madness. sports@thenational.ae
