Schu blames 'backmarker'

Schumacher has defended accusations that he was irresponsible to warm his brakes in the darkness of the tunnel, saying he was following normal procedure before a restart.

"When the accident with Montoya happened I was leading the race," said Schumacher. "So the situation is that the race leader was knocked out of the race after being hit by a backmarker. I am sure there was no deliberate intention on his part and I accept the steward's decision. I was accelerating and braking just as we do when we go to the grid and in the standard way when running behind the safety car.

"The tunnel was not even the first place I had done it as I had used the same procedure earlier in the lap. A bit of smoke off the wheels is quite normal in these situations as you try to get heat into the front tyres and the brakes. After not the most successful weekend for us, I am really looking forward to next weekend when we will already be at the Nurburgring for one of my home races."