Schumacher Issued 20 Second Penalty for Alonso Move

Michael Schumacher has been issued a 20 second penalty, demoting him from sixth in Monaco, to 12th.

The Mercedes GP driver had been running seventh in today’s Monaco Grand Prix before passing Fernando Alonso in the last corner of the race for sixth, when the race was technically still under ‘safety car conditions’.

Although both Alonso and Schumacher had passed the safety car line meaning they could overtake once the safety car had returned to the pits, Schumacher was penalised for passing the Ferrari as the regulations state that “if the race ends while the safety car is deployed it will enter the pitlane at the end of the last lap, and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal, without overtaking.”

Schumacher’s penalty means Alonso receives eight points for sixth, and now has 75 championship points. Nico Rosberg receives six points for seventh, with 56 world championship points, while Adrian Sutil receives four points, Vitantonio Liuzzi, two, and Sebastien Buemi takes the last point in tenth.

Mercedes have said they will appeal the decision.