http://f1.racing-liv...706152433.shtmlJaguar driver Eddie Irvine has admitted that when his Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher broke his leg in a crash at the 1999 British Grand Prix, it was the happiest moment of his life! The controversial Ulsterman claimed any other driver would have replicated his reaction as it opened the way for him to challenge for the title with the championship winning driver out of the way.
"Michael Schumacher claims the Silverstone crash which broke his leg still haunts him... for me it was the happiest moment of my career," he told the Sun. "Once the team had told me he was okay I remember sitting in the car trying to contain my joy at his misfortune because it meant I would be able to challenge for the world crown (he went on to finish runner-up to Mika Hakkinen).”
Irvine, who is now with the struggling Jaguar outfit, even claimed that Schumacher had only himself to blame for the crash….
"There's little doubt that had Michael not had his crash he would have won the title that year - but he only has himself to blame. Everybody thinks that brake failure was responsible for the incident but I would like to put the record straight and record how the scenario really unfolded. I was really energised for the race because the car was doing great but I was also really hacked off with Michael.”
"He had been quoted as saying that I had only helped him a couple of times when the truth was that I had moved over for him several times without the team even asking me. I felt his comments were ungracious so when I flew past him at the start I decided to brake so late going into the corner that there would be no way he could come by me without sliding wide. He braked, locked up, came off the brakes and then tried to sweep by me.”
"But then he had to brake again when he realised he wasn't going to make it and that's when a nipple in the brakes snapped and sent him straight into the tyre wall."
However Irvine said his attitude was no different to those of the other drivers on the circuit if they had had a shout at the title should their senior teammate have suffered an accident.
"Before anyone accuses me of being callous let's put something straight. There is not a driver in the pit lane who wouldn't rejoice at someone else's grief if it was going to benefit them. Formula One racers are all totally selfish because if they didn't think me, me, me they would just be trodden into the ground. I have always said that Formula One is a war and it really is."
Irvine said his claims were supported by what happened after the Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna - who had punched the Ulsterman after the 1993 Japanese Grand Prix because he felt Irvine had been disrespectful in not moving over to let him through - was killed at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994.
"Take Ayrton Senna's tragic death in 1994. It was a frightening reminder what can happen to even the finest driver in the world. But it didn't stop several racers from phoning Frank Williams (for whom Senna was driving) the following day asking for the chance to take Ayrton's place in the team. There's a fine line between showing respect for such an appalling incident or missing a golden opportunity for a top drive."
However Irvine does admit that despite feeling at Silverstone that Schumacher's misfortune had given him a clear shot at the title he also lost it there the same day.
"I overshot the mark when I made my first pit stop and that allowed David Coulthard to win the race while I had to settle for second. So you could say Silverstone was the place where I had the chance of winning the championship - and also the arena where I lost it."
I'm speechless. I think Eddie has just gone beyond the limit of what is tasteful and what should and shouldn't be said to the press. I wonder what Michael thinks of this, and how Ferrari are reacting to his comments. : I think it's time Eddie just packs up and goes for his own good.
