“He will not be at those races,” the Ferrari spokesman was quoted as saying by German newspaper Sport Bil.
The 40-year old German faced immense criticism from both the Italian and German media following the “tire incident” in the Malaysian Grand Prix last weekend. According to several reports – none of whom were official – Schumacher was the man responsible for Kimi Raikkonen's disastrous tire choice during the Sepang race.
When pitting for the first time during the Malaysian GP, the Fin's car was fitted with wet tires, despite the fact that the entire track was still dry. Ferrari were trying to look ahead, expecting the rain to start any minute. However, the tires were ruined after a couple of laps so, when the rain finally started pouring, Kimi had to make another pit stop to re-change the tires. It eventually cost him a points finish in Malaysia.
Shortly after the accusations on Schumacher arose, the German's manager Willi Weber insisted it was not his client who decided the tire strategy for the aforementioned race, but the Ferrari team. He insisted Schu's role with the Scuderia is purely complementary, as he is not part of the decision-making process within the team.
Schumacher was not convoked by Ferrari CEO Luca di Montezemolo to the “crisis meeting” held by the Scuderia shortly after the Malaysian Grand Prix. The main topic was team's disastrous start of the season.
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