Schumacher apologises to Barrichello

Michael Schumacher issued a rare apology, but it seemed less than wholehearted as he said sorry to former team-mate Rubens Barrichello for almost putting him in the wall in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Schumacher yesterday accepted his defensive move was "too severe", but the less than effusive wording of the statement on his website was unlikely to satisfy an irate Barrichello, who claimed he was lucky to be alive after the incident.

Barrichello slated former Ferrari team-mate Schumacher after coming within millimetres of crashing into the pit wall as he attempted to pass the German in Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix.

Mercedes star Schumacher deliberately moved across to his right to block Barrichello, almost pushing him into the concrete, only for the Williams driver to squeeze past with a hair's breadth to spare.

After being hit with a 10-place grid penalty for the Belgian Grand Prix on August 29, Schumacher admitted he was at fault, but stopped short of a full apology.

"Yesterday, straight after the race, I was still in the heat of the moment, but after seeing the scene against Rubens again, I have got to say that the stewards are right with their judgment: the manoeuvre against him was too severe," he said.

"I obviously wanted to make it difficult for him to overtake me and I also showed him clearly that I did not want to let him past, but obviously I did not want to endanger him with my manoeuvre. If he feels this way, then sorry, that was not my intention."

Following the race Barrichello, who spent six years in Schumacher's shadow at Ferrari, was far from amused, claiming the 41-year-old had resorted to "a go-kart manoeuvre".

A fuming Barrichello added: "If he wants to go to heaven - in the event he is going to heaven - I don't want to go before him."

Schumacher finished 11th in the race, the latest disappointing result in his underwhelming comeback season.

The seven-time world champion has had two fourth-place finishes this season, in Barcelona and Istanbul, but has never been in contention for a race win, and is ninth in the drivers' standings.

Mercedes boss Ross Brawn defended Schumacher for his driving, and claimed the grid penalty was "pretty tough".

"I don't think for a moment Michael was trying to put Rubens in the wall," said Brawn.

"He was trying to discourage him from coming down the inside as he thought that was where he would be vulnerable.

"So he moved across to the inside to try to encourage Rubens to go around the outside.

"At the end of the day he gave him enough space. You can argue it was marginal, but it was tough racing.

"F1 is a tough business and these things happen in a fraction of a second."

Asked whether the history between them had a bearing, Brawn added: "Certainly not from Michael's perspective.

"Michael didn't comment on that. I know Rubens has commented on the history between them, but Michael hasn't at all.

"It is obviously something that is paramount in Rubens' mind."