FORMULA ONE: Brotherly battle to continue in France
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
June 29, 2001MAGNY-COURS, France - The battle between Michael Schumacher in his Ferrari and Ralf Schumacher in his Williams-BMW continues at this weekend's French Grand Prix, round 10 of 17 in this year's FIA Formula One World Championship that includes the SAP United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis on Sept. 30.
And the battle for the World Championship between Michael Schumacher and West McLaren-Mercedes driver David Coulthard resumes, as well.
The Schumacher brothers raced nose-to-tail in the last two races, and Michael Schumacher predicts the duels will carry on.
"The battles certain will continue," he said. "Hopefully we will see more real overtaking on this circuit. I don't know when that will happen, but we have had very tough battles in the past, as we did at Nurburgring, and they will always be exciting."
Michael Schumacher has won the French Grand Prix four times while Ralf Schumacher's best finish so far has been a fourth in 1999.
"Magny-Cours is one of my favorite tracks," Ralf Schumacher said. "It has many fast corners, and the surface is very even. We had some very promising testing in Magny-Cours, so I think we should be fairly competitive here."
Both Schumachers are anxious to play down stories that Ralf Schumacher is upset by the way his brother cut him off at the start of the European Grand Prix last week. F1 etiquette allows a driver to make one main move to protect his position, and he may not weave back and forth.
"He wasn't too happy about what I did at the start," Michael Schumacher said. "I've been happy very unhappy with people who did the same to me and when you're behind, you're always the person who is unhappy. In front, you feel totally OK. That's the way it is.
"We don't have a particular problem with this. We talk about things, and perhaps they're pretty clear. We race, and we race for different companies, and we have to maximize the opportunities, and we have to use the rules in whatever way they allow us to until a certain point, obviously, and he's quite happy with that."
Ralf Schumacher said he would try the same move if he were in front.
"At the end of the day he was the leading car," Ralf Schumacher said. "He was in front and trying to defend his position. I think that is all right for me. I must say at all times I would try to do the same. I mean, we all try to do the best for our teams, to get the results in. And there's so much money and things are involved that we all try to do the same, and we are prepared to do the best for our teams."
While he will keep an eye out for the Williams-BMWs of Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, Michael Schumacher has not forgotten that Coulthard, in the West McLaren-Mercedes, is his main rival for the championship.
In nine starts this season, Michael Schumacher has failed to finish only once. In the other eight races, he has won five times and placed second three times for 68 points. Coulthard also has failed to finish only one race and scored points in the other eight. Two wins, two seconds, two thirds and two fifths have earned Coulthard a total of 44 points.
"There are still eight races to go, and David has the main opportunity for championship," Michael Schumacher said.
Coulthard won last year's French Grand Prix after an intense, wheel-banging duel with Michael Schumacher. "Over the course of the season we attend a number of test sessions at Magny-Cours, so we know the track pretty well," Coulthard said, "which is always an advantage, especially as race strategy can often be important to the outcome at this circuit. I am looking forward to the 2001 race and hopefully a repeat of last year's result."
The French Grand Prix has taken place at the Magny-Cours circuit, located near the city of Nevers, 155 miles (250 km) south of Paris, since 1992. This year's race provided a logistical challenge for the teams as it is scheduled the weekend after the European Grand Prix in Germany. Normally Grand Prix races are staged on alternating weekends.
Text provided by Paul Kelly
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