Michael Schumacher of Ferrari and Mika Hakkinen of McLaren have been fighting for the Formula One motor racing championship all season. With only four races left in the season, we found Hakkinen leading by seven points, going into The Belgium Grand Prix at Spa Franchorchamp. The excitement of this race was marred by what I consider the most unethical conduct a race driver can do, the intentional crash!

Mika Hakkinen had retired and Michael Schumacher was very comfortably in first place by over thirty seconds, an eternity in racing. Schumacher seemed to be cruising to a three point lead in the champsionship, as he and his car were far faster than anyone else. Enter, David Coulthard, Mika Hakkinen's team-mate at McLaren.

Schumacher had caught up to and was about to put Coulthard a lap down by passing him. The stewards were waving the blue flags at Coulthard ( the official sign to let a faster car pass ), but Coulthard was driving all over the track, not allowing Schumacher to pass. Fearing an accident with the slower car and knowing that Coulthard was Hakkinen's team-mate, Schumacher wisely stayed behind the slower McLaren, and didn't try to pass ( Coulthard had already crashed once before earlier in the race ). Suddenly, in a very fast part of the circuit and with Schumacher directly behind him, Coulthard quickly slowed down and caused the Ferrari of Schumacher to crash into him. This certainly seemed like a calculated act to take Schumacher out, so that Hakkinen ( remember Coulthard is his team-mate, completely out of any chance for a finish in the points, and driving a backup car after his earlier crash ) would retain his points lead. This will forever be a black mark on David Coulthard! From my point of view, there is no doubt what so ever, that this was a cruel and unethical act, by an inferior driver.

Jean Todt of Ferrari said this after the race, "The deceleration was violent and in the wet conditions the impact was inevitable. The consequences of this incident could have been much more serious."

I saw it that way. When allowing a faster car to pass, you pull over glently; you don't stay in the way and slam on the brakes ( though I couldn't see the brake lights on Coulthard's car from my angle ). This situation is made harder to take, as all of Schumacher's last year finishes were taken away from him by the governing body FIA and Bernie Ecclestone because of an intentional bumping incident. One would sure hope to see them do the same to Coulthard, for a much more serious and obvious offense.

Michael Schumacher had to be restrained from a cowering Coulthard, and said this after the race, " Obviously lifting on the straight like he did when I hit him is very dangerous. He has the experience to know that you do not slow down on a straight like that without giving any warning. So one could think he did it deliberately. "

No one can give Schumacher the points he was about to get at Spa, before the intervention of Coulthard. We can only hope that the remaining races are free of conduct that can only detract from racing, by unethical and disgraceful drivers like David Coulthard of McLaren.

The sanctioning body, the FIA must take swift disciplinary action against Coulthard! This is so much worse than what they penalized Schumacher for last year, that he must be suspended for the rest of the season.

Coulthard had this to say after the race, " At the exit of turn nine I kept right to let him go and the next thing I know he is running into the back of me ". You wouldn't expect a hatchet man like Coulthard to say anything else. This is pure fiction, I saw what happened, myself!

I was routing for Mika, at the begining of the season, but now I hope Hakkinen, Coulthard, and McLaren never win another race! Cheating, is not an honorable way to win and intentionally causing an accident at 200 kph, could result in death or injury.

Only Coulthard himself knows what he did and why. He will have to live the rest of his life, knowing what he did. I am only reporting what I saw and how I saw it.

August 30, 1998 was a dark day for Coulthard, McLaren, and Formula One!

- Bongo ( The stock market wasn't the only thing crashing last week. )