Formula One: Schuey in the Dock

Michael Schumacher may have felt that he had atoned for his Monaco grand prix misdemeanour by producing a brilliant drive through the field to finish fifth through the sun-drenched streets of the principality but it became clear yesterday that his fellow competitors are not prepared for the issue to be swept under the carpet so easily.

The seven-times world champion has been summoned to explain himself to his peers next weekend at Silverstone following his behaviour during the qualifying session at Monaco, where he was sent to the back of the grid after being found guilty of deliberately stopping his car on the circuit to impede Fernando Alonso's bid for pole position.

Members of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, of which the Schumacher is president, want to hear first-hand from him what really happened during that fraught final minute of Monaco qualifying when his Ferrari skidded to a standstill at the Rascasse hairpin with a stalled engine. Some competitors are uneasy about the safety implications of Schumacher's actions and are believed to feel unhappy that the GPDA's responsibility when it comes to lobbying for improved safety may be compromised by being represented by a driver who put other drivers' safety at risk by what is increasingly perceived as not only a selfish, but also a dangerous, manoeuvre.

That said, nobody is denying that Schumacher has been a tireless worker for improved track and car safety in his role as GPDA president and the organisation has clearly benefited from his high-profile and influential position. The GPDA has no authority to impose any formal sanction on any of its members but the members clearly feel that Schumacher owes them an explanation.