Motor Racing: Benetton under fire from No 1

GERMANY'S embattled world championship leader, Michael Schumacher, suspended for the next two grands prix, has launched a sharp attack on Benetton, issuing a veiled threat to quit the Formula One team.

In an interview with a German publication, Welt-am-Sonntag, the team's No 1 driver said they had failed to look after his interests and his public image had suffered as a result.

'If it is established that the team have been doing things behind my back which are forbidden by the rules, I would not accept that,' he said. 'By that I mean I could move to another team.' He did not rule out staying with the team if 'those responsible for wrongdoing' were replaced.