Hockenheim (Germany), Aug 04: Ralf Schumacher was punished for his part in the opening lap crash in the German Grand Prix here yesterday and will lose 10 grid positions in the next race in Hungary - a move which could severely damage his World Championship hopes. Race stewards deemed that the Williams driver had caused an avoidable accident at the start of the race, which put McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen and Rubens Barrichello out of the race as well as the German himself.
A statement from the FIA said that Schumacher had "admitted to paying no attention to the position of other cars" and he will be put back 10 places on the grid at the Hungaroring in three weeks time. The FIA said, "Having heard the explanation of each driver and seen different camera views, the stewards concluded that Ralf Schumacher began to move to his left to obtain a better racing line for the first corner.”
"Ralf Schumacher admitted to paying no attention to the position of other cars during this manoeuevre. The stewards of the meeting impose on Ralf Schumacher a drop of 10 grid positions at the driver's next race," it added. The Williams team, who travelled back to England immediately after the race, said they plan to appeal the decision. Bureau Report