Schumacher: A real shame

Sunday 25th March 2012

Schumacher: A real shame

Schumacher: A real shame

Michael Schumacher may have scored his first point of the season in Malaysia but the German admits it was not even close to what he was hoping for.

Starting third on the Sepang grid, his best qualifying performance since returning to Formula One with Mercedes, there was a great deal of anticipation surrounding Schumacher.

But, once again, it was not to be.

The German was spun around by Romain Grosjean in the tricky wet conditions and dropped well down the order. 56 laps later, he was P10 which earned him a single World Championship point.

"From where I started the race, it's a real shame to grab just one point at the end today, and of course I would have wished for a better finish for our team after their hard work," Schumacher said.

"However I was touched at the back soon after the start and the car spun which really decided my afternoon."

Schumacher said he supported FIA race director Charlie Whiting's decision to suspend the grand prix as the conditions were too dangerous. The race was red flagged for 51 minutes.

"During the first part of the race, I just tried to stay on track as you couldn't see anything, and it was the right decision to halt the race," he continued.

"After the re-start, the pace wasn't that far off but it was the same for a lot of teams so there was no way to gain positions."

Schumacher's single point on Sunday was in sharp contrast to his third place on the Sepang grid and brought into sharp relief the fact that Mercedes still have work to do to improve their long-distance showing.

"It's clear from today that there is still a lot of work for us to do to take our pace from qualifying into the race, and I am sure the guys are already thinking very hard about finding a solution.

"But this will not be done from one race to another, it will take some time, and we need to give it that time. Still it is a fact that we have improved, so I can fly home now being sure about this and looking forward to fighting in the races to come."

Related Links
Alonso Wins, Perez Oh So Very Close
The Malaysian GP In Pictures

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