 July - The Cruellest Month for Schumacher Thursday July 19th, 2001 By Alan Baldwin
July has rarely been a great month for the German, on the race track anyway, and sometimes it has been downright disastrous. In fact, as the German's personal trainer Balbir Singh massages out his lingering aches and pains, Schumacher can reflect that this month has so far turned out to be one of his best Julys. He won the French Grand Prix on the first and finished runner-up at Silverstone last Sunday. Sixteen points out of a possible 20 is no mean haul. Schumacher, 37 points ahead of nearest rival David Coulthard, also stands to record a record-equalling 51st victory before tens of thousands of Schumi supporters at his home German Grand Prix at Hockenheim on July 29. If the 32-year-old does that, then he could wrap up his fourth Formula One title and break Alain Prost's record in Hungary in August when the holidays are over and racing resumes on the 19th. It has been six years since Schumacher celebrated two race wins in July - the last time was his Championship season of 1995 with Benetton. Since then, apart from his bizarre 1998 British win in the pit lane amid total confusion and heavy rain, July has more frequently shown itself to be a cruel month. Silverstone Crash In 1999, on July 11, Schumacher speared into a tyre wall after the race had already been flagged for a re-start and broke his leg in the high speed impact. That crash shattered his Championship chances and opened the door for teammate Eddie Irvine to have a go. His crash at Monza on Tuesday, at the second chicane where a marshal was killed during last year's Italian Grand Prix, briefly revived awful memories of Silverstone before the German clambered out of his car unscathed. The 1999 crash meant he went through July that year without scoring any points. And he did the same in 2000 after arriving at Magny Cours for the French Grand Prix on the back of a win in Canada - his fifth of the season - and with a 22 point lead. There then followed a nightmare run. Schumacher retired with engine problems at Magny Cours, collided with Brazilian Ricardo Zonta's BAR at the first corner in Austria and again at the first corner in Germany with Giancarlo Fisichella's Benetton. His lead was cut to just two points and he did not pick up again until September and closed out the season in October after four straight wins to take the title. On the basis of both points scored and wins, May is Schumacher's main month - nine wins in all and 133 points over the years - with June (eight and 102) next up. He has won five times in July since he arrived in Formula One in September 1991 but it is one of the months in which he has scored fewest points and where his form has dipped off. In 1997, Schumacher suffered his first mechanical failure of the season at the British Grand Prix. The previous year, his British Grand Prix lasted just three laps before the Ferrari's gearbox jammed and he finished fourth in Germany. In 1995, driving a Benetton in his second Championship year, he won at Magny-Cours and Hockenheim but collided with Damon Hill at Silverstone. In 1994, on July 10, Schumacher was black flagged at Silverstone for ignoring a stop-go penalty and was then forced to sit out two races as punishment. This year, the shock of Monza aside, Schumacher can at least rest easy knowing that he has the title within his grasp. Two more wins would put it beyond everyone's reach. Roll on August.
Published at 12:12:37 GMT
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Roll on August - the thought of many mechanics and team staff looking forward to a rare summer break from Formula One. But it is also one likely to be passing through Michael Schumacher's mind as Ferrari's triple champion recovers at home in Switzerland from his high-speed crash in testing at Monza this week.
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