Reckless Schumacher urged to give up Formula 1

The German racing driver Michael Schumacher has already been penalised by Formula 1 authorities for forcing Rubens Barrichello off the track in Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix. Now there are calls for him to retire gracefully before he kills someone.

The incident occurred when Schumacher and Barrichello were duelling for tenth place. Barrichello was clearly faster than the German and on the 68th lap made a move to overtake.

But as he came alongside Schumacher, the seven-times world champion veered into him, forcing the Brazilian off the track. Barrichello was lucky: he missed hitting a concrete wall by millimetres. But everyone who saw it agreed that he might easily have been killed in a 180mph wipeout.

Immediately after the incident Barrichello said over the team radio: "That was horrible." He later told the BBC: "It was the most dangerous manoeuvre against me in my career."

Schumacher, then driving for Ferrari, retired in 2006 after winning the world title seven times. Unable to bear life in the slow lane, he has come out of retirement to drive for Mercedes.

Such is the strength of feeling about his reckless and unsporting move against Barrichello that the Times has even devoted an editorial to why he should pack it in.
 
"Unshakeable self-belief is a central characteristic of great sportsmen," reads the editorial. "They do not believe they will succeed: they know it.

"But there comes a moment in every career when the self-belief no longer matches reality. Self-belief, previously the sportsman's strongest suit, becomes a form of madness from which he needs to be protected."

Mentioning the boxer Muhammad Ali as a previous example, the Times concludes: "Schumacher's comeback belongs to that sad tradition of men who do not know when to stop. But there is one difference. A punch-drunk boxer risks only his own life. A racing driver, as Barrichello will attest, also risks the lives of others."

Tom Cary of the Daily Telegraph argued that Schumacher should "walk away" from Formula One. "He¹s no longer fast enough and his overbearing arrogance can no longer be excused as that of a ruthless winning machine.²
 
Criticism is not confined to the British media. In Italy, the Gazzetta dello Sport said the German finally went too far. "The arrogant Schumacher showed no remorse but is the same as ever; never his fault."

Spain's sports newspaper Marca concluded: "Schumacher's return to Formula One is one of the darkest chapters in the history of the sport." ·