Schumacher vs Montaya accident

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Montoya and Schumacher cleared
Following Monaco collision
Michael Schumacher leaves Monaco most unhappy

Juan Pablo Montoya was cleared of deliberately causing an accident with Michael Schumacher in the Monaco Grand Prix here Sunday after the world champion's unbeaten start to the campaign ended in dramatic fashion.

Schumacher had been searching for a record sixth successive victory at the start of a season, but he exited the race in bizarre fashion when he braked behind the safety car and Montoya nudged him into the wall in the tunnel.

The pair were summoned to see stewards after the race but the sport's governing body the FIA said in a statement that no further action would be taken.

Ferrari's Schumacher was running third overall but was at the head of the field with Jarno Trulli and Jenson Button both having made their second pit-stops.

He was attempting to warm his brakes up with the safety car due to return to the pit-lane when Montoya's Williams collided with him. Montoya said: "Michael brakes very hard as he was warming up his brakes and I moved to the right side of the track to avoid him. But the gap narrowed and we touched."

Williams Technical Director Patrick Head denied that Montoya, who has not always seen eye-to-eye with Schumacher, had deliberately rammed the German off.



"No matter what Michael or Ross (Brawn) might think, Juan is not a dirty driver. He knows what respecting a fellow driver is and there were no dirty tricks," Head said.

"Juan has said that Michael put the brakes on hard and I don't think that is a wise thing to do in a dark tunnel."

Ferrari's technical director Ross Brawn believed Schumacher had an outside chance of snatching victory from Renault's Trulli after strategy had got the world champion up to third behind Button.

Brawn said: "It was very unfortunate. You don't want to go out of a race for that reason. We were informed that the safety car was coming in and it is normal to warm your brakes up."

"Juan Pablo hit the back of him. We had a chance of winning the race, not a great one but a chance. We had a lot of fuel left in the car and it may have been possible. It is very frustrating to go out like that."