Top 5 controversies of Michael Schumacher

Modified Apr 03, 2019 08:56 GMT

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BELGIAN GRAND PRIX - 2000

In the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix, Hakkinen and Schumacher were battling it out for the Drivers' Championship. Hakkinen had won the title in 1998 and 1999, and had a searing Mclaren that was touted to beat the Ferrari for the third season in a row. Schumacher led the race from lap 13 to 34, but with his tyres degrading, Hakkinen was catching up on his Ferrari. On lap 40, Hakkinen tried to pass Schumacher for the lead on the approach to Les Combes, but the German blocked him to retain the lead. There was contact, and hakkinen received minor damage to his front wing. Hakkinen overtook Schumacher in the following lap to ultimately win the race, but Schumacher's staunch defence on the straight on lap 40 could have caused serious damage to Hakkinen, as his car was forced onto the grass at a speed of 300kph. After the race, Hakkinen approached Schumi to talk about how risky his defence was, and claimed he could have flew off track leading to a dangerous injury. But Schumacher replied, "What did I do wrong?". Hakkinen later recalled the incident, stating he admired Schumacher's passion and technical racing ability, and his career's highlight was his rivalry with the German.