Schumacher Could have Won Monaco, Says Brawn

Michael Schumacher could have won last Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix had he not crashed in the tunnel, Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn said on Friday.

Schumacher's accident while leading behind the safety car, albeit with a pitstop still to make, dashed the World Champion's hopes of a record start to a Formula One season with a sixth win in six races.

Renault's Italian Jarno Trulli, the eventual winner, had already made his final pitstop and said afterwards that he would have won even if the German had remained in the race.

But Brawn told a news conference at the European Grand Prix that Schumacher had 17 laps worth of fuel left when he collided with the Williams of Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya.

He said his calculations showed that Schumacher, an acknowledged master on the unforgiving street circuit where he has won five times, might have been able to gain a second a lap on Trulli.

"He would have been six tenths of a second faster because he had less fuel," said Brawn.

"He did a lap which was four tenths of a second faster than Jarno at the end of his first stint so potentially the car was four tenths of a second faster, which is a total of one second per lap.

"That makes 17 seconds over 17 laps, the Monaco pitlane is 13 seconds long and we had a very short fuel stop which...makes 17 seconds, which means we had a chance of winning the race.

"That is why I was so frustrated because I thought we had a chance," he added. "It was a slim chance because everything had to go right, but if I was putting my money on someone, then Michael would be the guy."

Brawn criticised Montoya after the race and he explained on Friday that he had simply been frustrated by the stupidity of the accident.

"I think Jarno and Renault had done a fantastic job all weekend and they were probably the worthy race winners," he said. "But I think that last safety car opened a window for us that was at least worth having a go at."