Schumi's Pole Taken Away By FIA

The stewards of the Monaco Grand Prix have deleted all of Michael Schumacher's qualifying times, sending him to the back of the grid for Sunday's race. In a statement the stewards said that Schumacher had deliberately stopped his car on the track in the closing seconds of qualifying, preventing rivals from setting a faster time.

The stewards considered data evidence produced to them by both Ferrari and the FIA, viewed video evidence, and compared data evidence from Schumacher's previous laps in qualifying. Their findings were, as they mentioned in their statement: "having set a fast time in sector one, the driver lost time in sector two, arrived at Turn 18 at a speed little, if any, different from his previous fastest lap, and braked with such force that his front wheels locked up, requiring the driver to regain control of the car."

"The driver ultimately did so without hitting the barrier on the outside of Turn 18. The engine of the car subsequently stalled, with the result of the car partially blocked the track."

"Having compared all relevant data, the stewards can find no justifiable reason for the driver to have braked with such undue, excessive and unusual pressure at this part of the circuit, and are therefore left with no alternatives but to conclude that the driver deliberately stopped his car on the circuit in the last few minutes of qualifying, at a time at which he had thus far set the fastest laptime."

The Stewards penalised Schumacher under Article 112 of the FIA Sporting Regulations, which makes it impossible for Ferrari to appeal.

"Article 112 enables the stewards to delete any number of a driver's qualifying times for a driving infringement, which decision is not susceptible to appeal," the Statement said. "The stewards accordingly direct that the qualifying times of Michael Schumacher, the driver of car number five, be deleted. The effect of this is that...the driver will start the race from the back of the grid."