Ralf Supports Stewards Decision

Ralf Schumacher has backed race director Charlie Whiting for his decision not to stop Sunday's Australian Grand Prix after a dramatic first corner accident.

Schumacher hit the rear of Rubens Barrichello's Ferrari and eight cars were taken out in the ensuing mayhem.

Debris was strewn all over the track and cars littered the section, but Whiting decided the mess could be cleared up without stopping the race. And Schumacher praised Whiting's move, despite the fact that it left the Williams man unable to return to the race.

"Charlie Whiting took the right decision by not stopping the race," said a disappointed Schumacher. "He had made it quite clear to us that he would not stop a race unless it was for safety reasons and that wasn't the case."

Schumacher laid the blame for the accident at Brazilian Barrichello's door, claiming that the Ferrari man has changed direction more than the single time that is allowed in the rules. The German driver's car took to the air and almost flipped over in the crash, and he admitted that he was lucky to come out of the incident unscathed.

"I felt like a passenger on an aeroplane," he said. "The accident was a shame and I was really lucky because I ran off in the right area."