JANUARY 12, 1998

No case against Schumacher...

THERE was a brief flurry of activity in Germany last week following confirmation that German state prosecutors were investigating whether or not they could bring criminal charges against Michael Schumacher for his maneuver against Jacques Villeneuve at Jerez at the end of last season. The investigation followed a formal complaint by a member of the public in the Cologne area.

Under German law, prosecutors are obliged to investigate complaints from the public and although the crash happened in Spain and Schumacher lives in Switzerland, the driver is a German citizen and so comes under Cologne's jurisdiction. Later in the week Senior Prosecutor Hans Bernhard Jansen confirmed that the complaint had been investigated and that no criminal charges would be filed against the Ferrari driver.

Schumacher was deprived of his second place in the World Championship by the FIA but was allowed to keep all his wins and points. The punishment was widely criticized for being too lenient.