Recall how Sergio Perez crashed at the Portier last year and grabbed the pole at Monaco. Max Verstappen was furious with Sergio Perez to such an extent that it affected the relationship between the two. However, Checo wasn’t the first driver to crash at Monaco after setting the provisional pole lap. Even a 7X world champion Michael Schumacher almost put it in the wall at Rascasse and was then accused by a former F1 Champion of the same. But what happened?

The year was 2006 when Nico Rosberg made the debut. However it wasn’t the rookie who grabbed the headline at the Monaco GP but the 7X World Champion Michael Schumacher, who after getting the provisional pole, locked up going into Rascasse on his final lap and parked the car, hence stopping anyone else behind him from improving. Former F1 Champion and Nico Rosberg’s father Keke Rosberg accused Schumacher of his dirty antics. 

Keke Rosberg called Michael Schumacher a cheap cheat suggesting that the Monaco qualifying shenanigan was the dirtiest thing to ever happen in F1. According to the book Michael Schumacher: the Edge of Greatness, Keke Rosberg said, “Does he think we are all fools and idiots? It was the cheapest dirtiest thing I have ever seen in Formula 1. He should leave Formula 1 and go home. I hope he is man enough now to get out of the Grand Prix Drivers Association and never mention safety again in his life. He’s a cheap cheat.”

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However, it wasn’t the first time Michael Schumacher’s name was involved with a dirty tactic that gained him an advantage. Let’s see what some other instances were. 

Questionable moves made by Michael Schumacher 

We can go back to as early as the Formula 3 days when Michael Schumacher break-tested Mika Hakkinen in Macau. However, focusing on F1, one of the major controversies was when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill collided at the 1994 Australian GP. Both Hill and Schumacher retired and the German was crowned the World champion.

Even the incident with Jacques Villeneuve at the 1997 Jerez GP where Michael Schumacher, while trying to defend his lead turned into Villeneuve who tried overtaking the German on the inside. Only 1 point separated Schumacher and Villeneuve going into Jerez and whoever finished ahead of the other would’ve taken the championship. Schumacher’s attempt was futile for his own good as he ended up in the gravel. As a result of the collision, he eventually got disqualified from the championship & Villeneuve became champion in ’97.

What do you think about Keke Rosberg’s cheap cheat comment about Michael Schumacher?

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