Schumacher: I was pre-judged...

Ferrari's Michael Schumacher says that those who criticised him after his controversial qualifying incident already had a negative opinion of him, and that they didn't judge him on the facts of the case.

Schumacher admits he was frustrated by the scale of the penalty, and the fact that the team was not able to make an appeal and start from pole.

"It was pretty disappointing to have to go and not be able to do something," said the German. "Although there was plenty of evidence and we managed to provide very important information that it was not possible to see from the outside.

"But nevertheless at certain moments, certain situations are pre-judged and that's where you are. You have to pay for it. We paid for it, we did it in style, we raced as hard as we could, and we got some points. What is important now is that we've got to look forward from now on."

Schumacher denied suggestions that 'everybody' in the paddock shared the same opinion of his actions.

"When you say everybody it's everybody you want to talk to or you want to listen to. Because the other are either with us and they don't talk, because they don't see any reason to say anything. Others do. That makes the picture as I said pre-judged. You have your enemies, you know your enemies. But I think it's more important to know what I know what happened, what really happened. I don't see any reason to explain in detail.

"A lot of people they believe what they want to believe. You can give them whatever proof, and it doesn't really change, because that's what they want to believe. So you care more for the people that believe in you, and they don't need to have this explanation, because they believe in who or what you are. But there you go. I mean the world doesn't stop, you have to continue, and the way to continue is that there are 11 races to go.

"I can only apologise to Fernando [Alonso], who just honestly had the ideal lap together in this moment, but at no moment the intention, because I didn't even know where Fernando is at this moment, because here with the strategy you can stagger things. He could have been out in front of me, he could have finished his lap.

"I didn't know, I didn't really care, because I do my own job at this moment and I'm highly concentrated. So absolutely, at no moment was that the intention. As I said, if you know what we know, then you would understand.

"If you consider we not only had to start from the back, we even lost a lap due to the safety car situation, we like last year we had an extra difficulty. We're obviously pretty pleased to arrive into the points."