Ferrari on Monday defended Michael Schumacher from charges that he threw away a golden opportunity to give his championship bid a crucial boost in Hungary this weekend.
Three laps from the end of a thrilling Hungarian GP, the German tried to defend his third place by blocking an overtaking manoeuvre by Nick Heidfeld of BMW. But his action led to a sideways contact which damaged his own car.
Schumacher was forced to retire, losing precious points which would have brought him much closer to rival Fernando Alonso in the championship standings.
The Spaniard had already retired after a wheel nut flew off, leaving his car undrivable.
The Italian press was quick to note on Monday that if the German had simply let Heidfeld pass and accepted fourth place, he would have picked up five points and cut Alonso's lead to six.
Schumacher Wastes His Chance, said Gazzetta dello Sport on its front page, adding on an inside page that the German had been "too aggressive".
In the end, Schumacher won a single point for the eighth place that was awarded him when another driver was disqualified. With five races left in the season, he is still 10 points behind.
Looking back at the race on Monday, Ferrari team chief Jean Todt agreed that objectively it might have been better for Schumacher to relax a little at the end of the race. But he said it would have been like asking a leopard to change its spots.
"We could have told him to stop pushing. Perhaps we should have done. But if you want to win a lot, like Michael has done, you have to be a fighter. His career speaks for itself".
Todt admitted to being a little disappointed over the missed opportunity but refused to say he regretted anything. "Anyone who knows the racing world has to be prepare for this sort of situation," he said. The 'situation' is that Schumacher will probably have to do better than Alonso in all five remaining races if he is to snatch his eighth world title at the age of 37.
Italian pundits are sure the German has a fighting chance of doing this. For one thing, teams are banned from testingnew technology and set-ups until the end of the month. This should preserve the advantage that Ferrari has had in dry weather recently at least until the Turkish Grand Prix on August 27.
After that comes the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, just down the road from Ferrari's headquarters. The race has always tended to see Ferrari shine. Then there will be three more races in which Renault are expected to come back strongly.
Alonso has said he is sure the title is his. But if the Ferrari ace were to continue making up points at the same rate as he has in the last four races he should over take the Spaniard by the season end.
