Ferrari has made a statement about the ...

Published on 02 September 1998 by Verstappen Info Page

Ferrari has made a statement about the collision between Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard at the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend: "After some disconcerting interpretations of the dangerous accident with David Coulthard's McLaren, which led to the elimination of Michael Schumacher's Ferrari from the Belgian Grand Prix, Ferrari has once again examined all the various film and photographic evidence from the race, which shows unequivocally that:

1) For almost an entire lap, Coulthard ignored the blue flags and never allowed Schumacher to go by as required by the regulations, even though he had several opportunities to do so. 2) On several occasions Michael Schumacher moved off line to show Coulthard he was there, before maintaining the correct gap between them, as former Formula One driver Ivan Capelli pointed out in his race commentary, live on (Italian television station) RAI.

3) Coulthard's sudden slowing down, while on the racing line, was premature and unexpected. Given the poor visibility, the collision was inevitable, despite Schumacher making every effort to avoid it.

Ferrari concludes the statement with: "Ferrari will make no further statement about what happened and considers the incident closed. We now look forward to a return to a climate of clean and correct sporting rivalry."