Schumacher weight scare 'much ado about nothing'.

Confusion, speculation and rumour is often the staple diet of the Formula One circus and Friday afternoon at the A1-Ring was no different, with a story that turned out to be, in the words of William Shakespeare 'much ado about nothing'.

Every car that completes a flying lap in qualifying has to be checked by the scrutineers for conformity with the regulations. These checks include ensuring that the car weighs at least the minimum weight as demanded by the regulations. This year that figure is 605 kilos - five more than last year.

When Michael Schumacher drove his F2003-GA onto the scales in the pit-lane garage assigned to the FIA, it initially appeared that his car was under the weight limit, giving the media and rivals something to whisper about. However, although it has been known for cars to be underweight - deliberately or otherwise - it is not a common occurrence.

Therefore, in order to prove categorically whether or not Schumacher's mount had set its searing pace with less than the required ballast on board, the scales were checked - and found not to be 'zero-ing' correctly when the car was removed. Realising there was a problem, and not wanting to have a queue of cars in the pit-lane, Schumacher's car was put to one side and weighed again at the end of the session, when it was found to be legal in all respects.

This was obviously reassuring for the Scuderia, but perhaps a little disappointing for journalists who thought they had found their 'sensation' of the day!