When we talk about Scuderia Ferrari, the first driver that comes to mind is Michael Schumacher. A love story that tied the German to the Prancing Horse from 1996 to 2006.
Schumi’s name is part of modern Formula 1 history: the Maranello team was a protagonist in a golden era of absolute dominance from 2000 to 2004. During those five years, the German won just as many championships with Ferrari.
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo vividly recalls the charismatic personality of one of the strongest Formula 1 drivers of all time. In a lengthy interview with AutoMoto.it, he reveals the other side of the seven-time Formula 1 world champion:
“In reality, I must say he was a less strong person than he later appeared to be. He was fast, courageous, and on the track, I believe that very few could consistently lap as relentlessly as he did.” – he explained
A team player, as Luca di Montezemolo emphasizes, Schumi had another quality: his willingness. The entrepreneur shares an anecdote. It was 2009, Felipe Massa had that frightening accident in Hungary and couldn’t race in the following events.
The former Ferrari president was looking for a replacement and called Schumacher himself. “Michael came to my office, and I asked him to come back and race temporarily.”
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What was the German’s response? After listing a series of reasons why he couldn’t race for Ferrari again, he eventually relented: “I can’t not help you. I’m here.”
Subsequently, Michael Schumacher did some tests at Mugello with the previous year’s car. Everything was going well, but the unexpected was around the corner. “When he hit the curbs, he had neck pain,” Luca di Montezemolo continues, recalling the incident that caused vertebral problems for the German – “He got checked, and he called me crying: he didn’t get medical clearance to race; the vertebra wasn’t fully healed.”
Michael Schumacher didn’t race for Ferrari that year, but someone else took advantage of it. “That clever Ross Brawn, when he recovered, convinced him to go to Mercedes.”
Despite everything, Luca di Montezemolo has fond memories of Michael Schumacher and his time at Ferrari: “He worked like Niki Laura. In symbiosis with engineers and mechanics. There has never been a driver like him in Ferrari’s history.”
Source: f1ingenerale
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