Schumacher calls for better flag procedures

   Copyright c 1998 Nando Media
   Copyright c 1998 Reuters

SPIELBERG, Austria (Jul 23, 1998 - 14:10 EDT) - Michael Schumacher
recommended on Thursday that the yellow-flag controversy which marred the
British Grand Prix two weeks be eliminated by introducing controlled light
systems.

As the teams gathered at the A1-Ring for Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix, the
German said a system of coloured lights which flash in the drivers'
cockpits, controlled by the race control tower, would end the disputes.

"The best solution is what we had at the beginning of the season, with
a display in the car which can be connected to the control tower," he
said.

"If there is a yellow flag at one corner, it will also come up in the
cockpit and you will have a better chance of seeing it. That is something
we need to stop these kind of problems.

"We had them at the begining of the season as a test, but we haven't
connected it to the control tower yet. I don't know how it has developed or
what the problem was with it."

At Silverstone, Schumacher was alleged to have overtaken Austrian Alexander
Wurz's Benetton when yellow flags, which signal caution, slow down and do
not overtake, were being waved.

His actions there prompted a sequence of events that led to a controversial
finish to the race, when mistakes by the stewards meant Schumacher went
unpunished.

The McLaren team have lodged an official appeal to motor racing's governing
body, the FIA, over the result.

But Schumacher, who could be stripped of victory if the FIA rule he should
have been punished, believes the appeal will focus more on how the
situation was handled.

"I am not worried about the appeal because it isn't against us, it is
against the way things happened," he explained. "We Ferrari
didn't do things wrong."

When Schumacher discovered that Wurz had also failed to see the yellow flag
in the treacherous wet conditions, he led his calls for a change in
procedures.

"The conditions were very bad at this point," he said. "When
you are following a car in spray you have no chance to see anything and you
are lucky if you see the spray in your face and the car in between. That is
all.

"If Alex struggled to see the yellow flag, then how could I see it? I
think something that should be considered for us drivers is to be able to
see a signal or there is a judge of facts that sees when there are chances
you may not be able to see it.

"What can you do? You should not penalise someone who has no chance to
see the flag."

Yellow flag controversies are nothing new to the sport. At the Austrian
Grand Prix last year Schumacher was hit with a 10-second stop-go penalty
for overtaking Heinz-Harald Frentzen under the yellow flags, and could only
finish sixth.

At the Japanese Grand Prix, a few races later, Jacques Villeneuve was
thrown out of the race after not slowing down under yellow flags during
free practice.

The FIA are still looking into the system of dashboard lights but are
believed to be unwilling to introduce them into Grand Prix racing until
they are completely trouble-free.

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