Formula 1 news

I probably would have won anyway - Schumacher

Michael Schumacher feels he probably would have won the US Grand Prix even if the seven Michelin teams had raced. The German reflected on the farcical event and his victory as he left the Indianapolis circuit and the mass of furious fans. 

"This was a strange race, there's no question about it, and it's a bit of a shame that my first win came about this way. Especially because I think that we would have had good chances of winning even under regular circumstances, and would have liked to have shown that," he said. "But it wasn't our fault that the circumstances were the way they were. I know that many people are trying to put the blame on Ferrari, but we did nothing wrong. We are not the point of reference in regard to this issue, and as of my understanding some of the other drivers said an extra chicane would not have helped matters, anyway."

"I can understand that the fans were disappointed, but on the other hand a lot of them stayed and were happy for us," he added. "You have to acknowledge that, too. I think it was not an especially memorable race, but we will see good races here in future regardless of that. I always look forward to coming to the USA, and Sunday surely hasn't changed that."

The fact that the title-holder has moved up to position 3 in the drivers' championship as a result of this win is something he doesn't want to overrate. ''That's something that's not so important right now. Sure, you could say the championship battle is closer now - but it's not really close just yet. I'll just keep on doing what I've been doing all along, and that means work, stay focused and fight my way ahead step by step."

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