Confusion, speculation and rumour is often the staple diet of the Formula 1 media and this afternoon at the A1-Ring, they were well served 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 kilos more than last year.) When Michael Schumacher drove his F2003-GA onto the scales in the FIA garage in the pit lane, it appeared that his car was under the weight limit. Although it has been known to happen for cars to be underweight, it is not a common occurrence. Therefore the scales were checked and it was found that when the car was removed from them, the scales would not 'zero' correctly. 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.

Obviously reassuring for the Scuderia, but perhaps a bit disappointing for journalists who thought they had found their 'sensation' of the day!