Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher were in an intense title fight for the championship in 2006. Everything was at stake for both sides and when an F1 season is deemed to go till the end of the wire, things are expected to get ugly. And that is what happened when Alonso accused his idol Schumacher of being the most anti-sporting driver.
Alonso started in F1 after a decade when Schumacher made his debut. And at that time, the German race driver was at the pinnacle of the sport. So, it was apparent that Alonso looked up to him. The Spaniard has even confessed such things recently. But when it comes to title rivalry, even the best of terms can get spoiled.
In 2006, both drivers were vying for the championship. Alonso, who was defending his title, wanted to bolster his claim as the new king of F1, while Schumacher, as the old guard, wanted to affirm that he was still the biggest thing in the sport. And amidst all of this, they had an ugly turn.
#OnThisDay in 2006 Fernando Alonso totally dominated the #BritishGP – winning from pole position, driving fastest lap, & leading all but one of the 60 laps. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) was 2nd & Kimi Räikkönen (McLaren) 3rd. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/17mMV2tkG1
— Matt Bishop 🏳️🌈 🏁 (@TheBishF1) June 11, 2023
Fernando Alonso calls Michael Schumacher a cheat
In one of the most dramatic moments of their rivalry, during the qualifying in Monza, Alonso was penalized with a 10-place penalty for impeding Ferrari’s Felipe Masa. This decision was a title-affecting penalty and totally irked the Spaniard. He even claimed F1 was not to be a real sport and even called Schumacher the least sporting driver.
“Michael Schumacher is the driver with the most sanctions, and the most unsporting driver in the history of Formula 1. No one will believe the penalty I was given for a long time,” lashed out Alonso after the penalty, as revealed in Schumahcer’s biography by James Allen called The Edge of Greatness.
In Monza, Schumacher managed to secure the win, and with that result, he was only two points away from the title leader Alonso with only three races remaining. However, the retirement fiasco in Ferrari soon diverted Schumacher’s attention, and Alonso went on to have a comprehensive title win.
The sudden demise of the rivalry
The 2006 F1 season went on to be the final season for Schumacher. The seven-time world champion wanted to go out with a title win and declare his retirement in the most decorated way.
But that year, he failed to overcome the superiority of Alonso’s Renault. On the other hand, Schumacher wanted to announce his retirement in his own time across the media. But Ferrari chairman Luca Di Montezemelo declared who’ll be driving for Ferrari in 2007 soon after the Italian Grand Prix, and certainly, Schumacher wasn’t on the list.
So, in a way, Schumacher had to accept his fate publicly sooner than expected. This resulted in a sudden end to the duo’s rivalry. Though, the seven-time world champion indeed returned to the sport after four years, with Mercedes, which was far from attaining its superiority.
