Sato Not Taking Blame for Schumacher Crash

Takuma Sato refused to take the blame for a heart-stopping collision that saw World Champion Michael Schumacher losing his front wing during the Japanese Grand Prix.

The German made contact with the rear of the BAR driven by Sato on lap seven of the race and was forced to make a pitstop for repairs to a mangled front wing on his Ferrari. Schumacher, who clinched his sixth title today, blamed the Japanese driver for the incidents.

"In Formula One, you accept that if somebody leaves the door open like he did you are allowed to go through," said Schumacher. "But obviously (Sato) saw it differently and decided at the last moment to slam the door shut on me. It was hard to avoid him and I lost my nose."

Sato, racing in his first Grand Prix this year after replacing Jacques Villeneuve at BAR, had his own assessment of the run-in, which happened on entry to the chicane.

"It was not the right distance for Michael to overtake me perfectly, so I just took my usual line," said Sato. "He was probably a bit optimistic about coming around me and unfortunately we made contact.

"At the end of the day I just want to congratulate him on his sixth World Championship. That was really superb, mega."