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Ferrari's Michael Schumacher distanced himself on Thursday from a statement signed by 19 other Formula One drivers about safety at this month's U.S. Grand Prix. Only drivers from Michelin-equipped teams, none of whom started at Indianapolis due to concerns about their tyres, signed the document.
The seven-times world champion said he would not have done so anyway.
"As far as I understand, it was an initiative from Renault. I don't recall they called me, first of all," said the German, one of the leaders of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) and winner of the six-car race.
"I would have been surprised if they had anyway," added Schumacher, whose team use Bridgestone tyres and finished first and second.
"Just to make clear, this was not a GPDA thing. I think we just have different opinions about it, which is only natural, so I would not have signed it.
"There were certain points that were never really part of the discussion actually, so there was no point in signing it," he added.
The statement was presented to the International Automobile Federation (FIA)'s world motor sport council meeting in Paris to support the seven teams charged with bringing the sport into disrepute by their actions in not racing.
Copies were distributed to the media by championship leaders Renault, one of those teams.
In it the drivers dismissed as unworkable the FIA's suggestion that they race through the final banked turn at Indianapolis under speed restrictions that would apply only to the Michelin runners.
"It would have been unworkable, unpoliceable and above all unsafe," they said.
Toyota's Jarno Trulli, who took pole position at Indianapolis but did not race, contradicted Schumacher however by saying he believed the statement had been sanctioned by the drivers' body.
"I received the document direct from the GPDA and we all know how many people are in the GPDA and probably most of us here are GPDA members," he said.
"Nobody can say I didn't get the message. You can only say I didn't agree. That is my opinion."
The seven-times world champion said he would not have done so anyway.
"As far as I understand, it was an initiative from Renault. I don't recall they called me, first of all," said the German, one of the leaders of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) and winner of the six-car race.
"I would have been surprised if they had anyway," added Schumacher, whose team use Bridgestone tyres and finished first and second.
"Just to make clear, this was not a GPDA thing. I think we just have different opinions about it, which is only natural, so I would not have signed it.
"There were certain points that were never really part of the discussion actually, so there was no point in signing it," he added.
The statement was presented to the International Automobile Federation (FIA)'s world motor sport council meeting in Paris to support the seven teams charged with bringing the sport into disrepute by their actions in not racing.
Copies were distributed to the media by championship leaders Renault, one of those teams.
In it the drivers dismissed as unworkable the FIA's suggestion that they race through the final banked turn at Indianapolis under speed restrictions that would apply only to the Michelin runners.
"It would have been unworkable, unpoliceable and above all unsafe," they said.
Toyota's Jarno Trulli, who took pole position at Indianapolis but did not race, contradicted Schumacher however by saying he believed the statement had been sanctioned by the drivers' body.
"I received the document direct from the GPDA and we all know how many people are in the GPDA and probably most of us here are GPDA members," he said.
"Nobody can say I didn't get the message. You can only say I didn't agree. That is my opinion."
, i omiljen kod moje malenkosti 
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