Michael Schumacher ally adamant he didn't crash into his Formula 1 title rival on purpose

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Michael Schumacher’s former manager, Willi Weber, has claimed that the Formula 1 legend did not crash into his rival on purpose.

Schumacher, 57, is arguably the best driver in F1 history, having won seven titles during a career that spanned more than 15 years.

The German also broke countless records and raced for teams such as Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes.

Schumacher was at the peak of his powers when he drove for Ferrari, winning five consecutive titles from 2000 to 2004.

Willi Weber hits back at Jean Todt’s controversial claims

Speaking recently on the High Performance podcast, ex-Ferrari team boss Jean Todt claimed that Schumacher had crashed into Jacques Villeneuve on purpose during their 1997 title fight.

Todt said: “He crashed [into] him purposely, but he did it badly. He was going to lose the championship because he had to be in front of Villeneuve.

“He tried to avoid that, and he tried wrongly to do it. Michael did not know how to cheat; he did it, but he did it badly. It was a bad move, it was unnecessary.”

Photo by Martin Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images

However, Schumacher’s former manager, Weber, has rejected Todt’s claims.

He said to the Kolner Express: “It left me speechless. Why would he say something like that? And especially in Michael’s difficult situation.