Ferrari’s Ross Brawn has hit out at stewards’ inconsistency after Michael Schumacher was handed a wounding two-second penalty for knockout qualifying in Hungary.
The Italian team’s technical director said he was ‘frustrated’ that the FIA representatives slapped his German driver, who overtook two cars under red flags on Saturday morning, with the same penalty as was given to championship rival Fernando Alonso a day earlier.
”He made an unnecessary error,” Brawn acknowledged, ”but I ask myself whether the penalty is really fair. I don’t know if it is appropriate.
”Fernando committed several rule offences, Michael (committed) only one. I say no more.”
Schumacher, who basically ruled out even reaching the podium from eleventh on the grid, told ‘RTL’ television in Germany that he was ‘incredibly angry’ about the situation, but blamed himself for the mistake.
Brawn’s disappointment no doubt also related to the fact that, despite operating the dominant package so far at the Hungaroring, Felipe Massa was pipped to pole by Kimi Raikkonen, in a McLaren.
He said: ”We have a very fast car. Felipe did not get an ideal lap with his last set of tyres, so (the result) could have been better.”
Brawn predictably explained that the priority for Schumacher’s race on Sunday is to ‘beat Fernando’.
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