Formula 1: Schuey tells Frentzen to stop 'rumours'

Michael Schumacher has accused Heinz-Harald Frentzen of bringing Formula One into disrepute.

Schumacher hit back over Frentzen's comments after the Australian Grand Prix that Ferrari-powered Sauber could have been using a form of traction control.

Schumacher said the Jordan driver should concentrate on his own performance not criticise other teams because he could not overtake them.

The world champion's response comes after his fellow German followed up his original comments by saying it was 'beyond doubt' in his mind that Ferrari themselves had also used some form of the driver aid in the past.

Schumacher said: "I think he puts F1 into quite a lot of dispute. He makes the FIA a joke honestly, if he makes these kind of statements.

"The FIA are the top body to control the sport and if he feels there is something strange then he has the right to make a protest to clarify it.

"In this situation he has to do this, just to make the rumour brings the sport a lot of disrepute and bad criticism.

"I feel it is very much unnecessary and unfair when you have the big job and huge effort that everyone puts into this business.

"We invest millions of dollars into projects to get the best performance out of the car and just to make this stupid comment is completely unfair and he should really rethink what he is saying. "

Schumacher added: "I know he is not saying it is illegal, but then he has to say we are doing a good job.

"He should concentrate on his own car and look to his own performance and not say we are doing something wrong. "

Frentzen has said he did not know that 'traction control came as a factory option' with Ferrari engines after being unable to overtake the Saubers of Nick Heidfeld and Kimi Raikkonen in Melbourne.

Sauber, along with the Prost team, are using last year's Ferrari engines this season. Heidfeld and Raikkonen finished fourth and sixth in Australia with Frentzen fifth for Jordan.

Frentzen later said that nothing illegal had been done, but insisted that Sauber had been using some form of engine management system which allowed them to control excessive wheelspin.

He also added, though, that when trailing Ferrari-powered cars in the past, he had noticed their speed out of tight corners, coupled with the sound of engine misfire - a sign of traction control which cuts out power to wheels.

Traction control has been outlawed since the end of the 1993 season, but will be reintroduced from next month's Spanish grand prix - effectively because FIA, the sport's governing body, cannot police it.