No Anti-Schumacher Conspiracy, Says Manager

Michael Schumacher's manager Willi Weber dismissed reports saying the Ferrari driver who crashed on the opening lap of Sunday's German Grand Prix was the victim of a conspiracy.

"I don't share that analysis," Weber told German daily Aachener Zeitung in an interview released on Tuesday. "It was definitely not the case."

The German double world champion had been criticised by several of his rivals before the race for his aggressive driving style.

Schumacher blamed Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, who hit the rear of his car, for the crash which left the German with four non-finishes in the last five races.

Briton David Coulthard, starting on pole position, swerved across the track when the lights went out in what could have been interpreted as a payback for Schumacher's controversial starts in previous races.

But Schumacher made it clear the McLaren driver, who came third behind team mate Mika Hakkinen in a race won by Brazilian Rubens Barrichello in a Ferrari, had done nothing wrong.

"It's just a run of bad luck," Weber said of Schumacher's recent misfortunes, which left him just two points ahead of the two McLaren drivers in the championship standings.

"First there was a technical fault, then two crashes at the start," Schumacher's manager added. "On Sunday there was also a mistake from another driver (Fisichella).

"The discussion about Schumacher's starts is a matter for the race stewards and so far they have said nothing against the way he starts races," he added.

Weber said he was confident Schumacher would bounce back in the following race in Budapest.

"He quickly forgets things like this to concentrate on the next race," he said. "Michael has already survived that sort of situation several times in his career."

Barrichello's victory, Weber added, proved that the Ferrari was competitive.