New 'Schumi Chicane' Raises Ire at Nurburgring

A new Z-shaped chicane built into the Nurburgring's at the request of Michael Schumacher has applied a brake on speeds, but it sparked a lot of driver criticism at Friday's qualifying session.

Dubbed the "Schumi Chicane" by Germany's Bild newspaper, the circuit had its modifications pushed and partially financed by Formula One World Champion Schumacher, who grew up nearby.

"I preferred the old chicane as I think it was more exciting," said Juan Pablo Montoya of Williams, who finished third in Friday's first qualifying session for Sunday's European Grand Prix, just 0.025 seconds behind Schumacher.

"It's not a good solution," said Rubens Barrichello, Schumacher's Ferrari teammate.

But Schumacher, looking for his 69th career win this week, said changing the S-shaped chicane, that had allowed cars to rip through at high speeds into a sharp left turn and then a tight right turn that cuts speed, had been a great improvement.

"In my eyes, the changes are better," said Schumacher, shrugging off newspaper reports that other drivers were disparaging it as the "Schiki-Micki-Kurve".

"The modifications to the chicane seem to work well."

Schumacher's spokeswoman Sabine Kehm said the five-times World Champion had agreed to help finance the 200,000 euros ($228,200) needed to pay for the roadwork, but that he was not the only driver who wanted changes to the old S-curve.

"A lot of drivers complained for years about damage caused from driving over those kerbs," she said.

Chance Meeting

"When Michael had a chance meeting with the Nurburgring's operators, he asked them about it and they said they didn't have any money. They made him a deal to do a PR day to raise the money, and he agreed."

Schumacher, who grew up in a small town not far from the track, has agreed to help raise the money by donating his time for a "Michael Fan Day" at the track on September 7 - for which fans will be charged 29 euros.

"I've never seen such nonsense in my life," said Hans-Joachim Stuck, a former German Formula One driver and Bild columnist. "The changes are the most senseless changes to a circuit ever made. They kill the action."

McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen, who was first in Friday's qualifying, also expressed bewilderment.

"I certainly can think of better things to do in my free time than to sacrifice a day off to finance changes like that."

Friday's session was interrupted when Germany's Nick Heidfeld tore the front wing off his Sauber as he hit a kerb at the chicane and left debris across the track.

"It's not a very lovely sight to bang into the kerbs," Heidfeld said. "They should at least get rid of the kerbs. If it were up to me, I wouldn't have changed the course."

But Schumacher, who has won three Grands Prix at the Nurburgring's in his career, was unperturbed by the criticism.

"You can never make everyone happy," he said.