Ferrari and its fans, eleven cursed years of oblivion since Michael Schumacher had a horrendous skiing accident in Switzerland where he suffered a severe brain injury. A blade that pierces the heart of those who, like us, grew up witnessing the almost irrational feats Michael Schumacher displayed throughout his career. The respectful silence imposed by the family of the seven-time Formula 1 world champion, repeatedly threatened by cowardly attempts to reveal the current condition of the F1 legend, hurts, no use denying it. One of the greatest champions in the history of Formula 1 is too often forgotten by the media, who never tolerated his way of communicating.
Despite everything, Michael Schumacher, embracing the cause of the Prancing Horse, succeeded where everyone else failed. The ace from Kerpen left the team that was both drivers’ and constructors’ world champion, namely Benetton, in order to revive the fortunes of a squad left with little more than its name, unlike other great champions who have always and only desired to sit in the cockpit of the best car on the grid. Certainly, he didn’t come to Maranello for a pittance, as lawyer Gianni Agnelli once remarked. Michael was aware that there was a lot of work to be done at Ferrari to return to fighting for success.
The “Ferrari Renaissance” of the early millennium has a clear origin. The five consecutive world titles behind the wheel of Maranello’s cars were the logical consequence of a team restructuring process in every aspect. Not least, a marked change in mindset, aimed at continuous improvement despite already being the technical benchmark of the category. A mindset that cannot be bought at the market: it is a gift from Mother Nature, not something that can be constructed.
We are talking about a person capable of drawing charismatic figures to himself through a team spirit that goes beyond the rhetorical adage of winning and losing together. Thirty years ago, on November 16, 1995, Michael immediately took to the track at Fiorano, defying poor visibility on that gloomy day with overcast skies, where the glowing brake discs of the 412T2 could be clearly seen. That morning, we witnessed the last single-seater of the Scuderia powered by a twelve-cylinder engine from the historic Italian team.
Thirty years later, Maranello will welcome the driver who has broken many, if not all, of Michael’s records. This is not intended to compare the arrival of the German driver with that of Lewis Hamilton. There are simply too many different factors that make any kind of comparison impossible. Certainly, the arrival of both has generated and is producing an almost frenzied anticipation, though of a different nature, among the sea of Ferrari supporters. Michael Schumacher had to revive a team in intensive care, considering the competitive level of the historic Scuderia in the mid-nineties.
Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, is tasked with a different challenge. He must reaffirm his immense talent and prove that he can win anywhere, even in the team most exposed to every kind of media pressure, fueled by the sporting passion of a nation and its fans across the globe. In a sense, Lewis Hamilton could ignite a new “Red Renaissance,” whose torch might later be passed to Charles Leclerc, if only due to generational reasons.
It’s a story that closely resembles the 1984 Formula 1 season, when Niki Lauda clinched his third world title by beating Alain Prost by just half a point. The Austrian concluded his remarkable trajectory in the most important motorsport series, while Alain Prost in the following years became F1’s “Professor.” This, at least, is the hope of true fans of the Prancing Horse, who refuse to take sides in foolish factions that prioritize the driver currently in red over the good of the historic Italian team.
Yes, because, as a quick glance at social media reveals, in recent weeks there are those wishing for Lewis Hamilton’s failure for one clear reason: to safeguard Michael Schumacher’s record of world titles, ensuring it remains unbeaten for a few more years. We say this as Schumi devotees: Lewis Hamilton’s eighth crown would primarily be a great victory for Ferrari, and that alone would be more than enough to bring joy. We like to imagine that one day the German might see the Maranello team he restored to glory and pride return to the top of the world.
As he himself stated in one of his final interviews, in Formula 1, records are made to be broken. In a few years, in fact, it might be Max Verstappen or other extraordinary talents rewriting the same statistics. Within this reasoning, it must be remembered that Ferrari comes before any partisan loyalty, recognizing that Schumi’s contributions in red represent a formidable legacy to be embraced as soon as possible.
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