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Crash at Imola a mystery for Schumacher: I don't really know what happened

Crash at Imola a mystery for Schumacher: "I don't really know what happened"

21-04-2021 18:24 Last update: 18:40
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GPblog.com

Mick Schumacher made quite a blunder during the Emilia-Romagna GP by crashing behind the safety car. While zig-zagging to get his tyres up to temperature the German lost control and hit the wall. An impact that costs him the nose of his car.

Safety Car

As if it wasn't bad enough the son of Michael Schumacher had to do an extra lap without a nose, because the pitlane was closed by race control due to all the debris that was lying around. Speaking to Formel1.de, the Haas driver admitted to still searching for answers himself: "I don't really know what happened. The car broke loose suddenly. I thought I would catch it, but I lost it."

Schumacher revealed he wanted to warm up his tyres extra well for the following reason: "I knew my biggest chance was just after the safety car period, because that was the wettest part of the whole race." Unfortunately, in this case it had the opposite effect, as the German returned to the back of the track after his pit stop. Incidentally, George Russell made exactly the same mistake at Imola last year.

Satisfied

In his own words, the German still has a lot to learn when it comes to the tires and temperatures. "It's hard to explain to people what effect it has on grip. It's like being in a car on the road and you're driving in the heat and then suddenly you're driving on ice. There's just no grip." Still, Schumacher is not dissatisfied with his race in Imola. "There are now 63 laps in the book again. My goal was to see the checkered flag. It was a difficult day, but I'm happy with our performance."