• Malaysian Grand Prix

Spin decides Schumacher's afternoon

Michael Schumacher said visibility was very poor at the start of the race © Getty Images

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• Race:
• Malaysian Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Michael Schumacher

• Teams:
• Mercedes

Michael Schumacher says his race was decided by a first-lap spin as he finished tenth in the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Having qualified in third place Schumacher was optimistic of a good race, but lost out to Romain Grosjean off the line. Though the main straight was dry, by the time the field reached turn four the track was wet and although Schumacher had got back ahead of the Lotus Grosjean then proceeded to tap both of them in to a spin.

Schumacher admitted that tenth was a disappointing result but said there was little he could do to recover from the spin in the conditions.

"From where I started the race, it's a real shame to grab just one point at the end today, and of course I would have wished for a better finish for our team after their hard work," Schumacher said. "However I was touched at the back soon after the start and the car spun which really decided my afternoon. During the first part of the race, I just tried to stay on track as you couldn't see anything, and it was the right decision to halt the race."

Schumacher added that he felt the team had made progress but still wasn't replicating its full one-lap potential in to the race.

"After the re-start, the pace wasn't that far off but it was the same for a lot of teams so there was no way to gain positions. It's clear from today that there is still a lot of work for us to do to take our pace from qualifying into the race, and I am sure the guys are already thinking very hard about finding a solution. But this will not be done from one race to another, it will take some time, and we need to give it that time. Still it is a fact that we have improved, so I can fly home now being sure about this and looking forward to fighting in the races to come."

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