Schumacher Takes Issue with Benetton's Briatore

Michael Schumacher questioned on Friday whether Benetton's Flavio Briatore and some other Formula One team bosses should tell drivers how to drive.

The World Champion, speaking at the US Grand Prix, was referring to events in Italy two weeks ago, where some team principals warned their drivers off an agreement not to overtake through the first two chicanes. The Ferrari driver had led the action at Monza on safety grounds but in the end the attempt failed, as several teams told their men to race normally.

Briatore, Schumacher's boss when he won the WC in 1994 and 1995, was singled out for condemnation afterwards by French veteran Jean Alesi, who also used to be at Benetton.

Schumacher was asked about the events at Monza, as he sat alongside Briatore at a news conference at Indianapolis after free practice.

"I don't agree with what Flavio has done to his drivers or some other team principals to basically tell the drivers what to do," he said. "The drivers are there to drive, they know how to do this job. I guess Flavio has never sat in a racing car so far, he does not know what it feels like.

"Therefore it is a little bit inappropriate to tell the drivers what to do. But that's his decision and not my decision. But what is obviously not so good is that you use the weakness of some drivers and simply tell them what to do and you know they can't do anything against that."

Briatore defended himself, pointing out that British American Racing's Craig Pollock and Arrows's Tom Walkinshaw had agreed with his view. "Different head, different idea," he replied.

"For me, it was the approach of the drivers that was wrong," he said. "It is not true that all the drivers were together because (Benetton's Giancarlo) Fisichella basically told me 'I want to start normally but Schumacher decided for everybody'," he added.

"Everybody now is with Michael. (Jenson) Button was not so strong as well. Michael is in the position of driver but sometimes he is the team manager as well, he makes the decision for both. I am only the team manager and I try to do the best for my drivers and for the team."

Briatore said Fisichella had expressed strong reservations about starting under a yellow flag and also suggested the drivers' timing was wrong. "I believe it was the approach: if the drivers came to us on Thursday nicely talking, maybe we would have found a solution," he said. "Not Sunday midday before the race."