Schumacher calls for no action to be taken against F1 teams

Jun 25, 2005, 12:46 GMT

Hamburg - Ferrari's Michael Schumacher said in an interview published Saturday that the seven teams that refused to start last Sunday's United States Formula One Grand Prix out of safety concerns should not be punished for their actions.

"I think the others have been punished enough," Bild quoted Schumacher, who won a six-car race boycotted by the Renault, McLaren- Mercedes, BMW-Williams, Red-Bull-Racing, BAR-Honda, Toyota and Sauber teams, which were running on Michelin tyres.

The seven teams decided not to race after Michelin told them that their tyres would be unsafe for the race after failing to determine the reason for two tyre failures which led to crashes during practise on the Indianapolis track's banking curve.

The three teams that did compete - Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi - all had Bridgestone tyres.

The non-participating teams have to appear before motorsport's governing body FIA on Wednesday, and face the possibility of a significant fine or having points docked, which would benefit seven- time champion Schumacher.

Renault's Fernando Alonso currently leads the drivers' standings with 59 points from nine races, followed by McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen on 37 with Ferrari's Schumacher now third on 34 points after his win in Indianapolis.