One woman, camped determinedly outside the Mercedes garage in unseasonably
cold weather with a banner bearing the legend “You Back We Back”, was found
not to have the correct pass and was dragged away in floods of tears, like a
teenager at a One Direction concert, just at the point the great man emerged.
Schumacher was a genuine great, though he may have pushed the rules too far on
occasion.
The no-holds-barred championship denouements with Damon Hill in 1994 and
Jacques Villeneuve in 1997 will forever taint his legacy in the minds of
some fans, while his throttling of David Coulthard at Spa in 1998, his
infamous display of ‘parking’ at Rascasse during qualifying at Monaco in
2006, and the brazen attempt to squeeze Rubens Barrichello at the
Hungaroring in 2010 revealed a ruthlessness and arrogance that many found
difficult to stomach.
No one, though, could deny his brilliance in the cockpit, his supreme
professionalism and dedication to his craft.
A dedicated athlete, Schumacher redefined what was possible in a Formula One
car, his metronomic consistency, lap after lap, confirming his status as one
of the great talents in F1 history. The boy from humble origins in Hurth,
North Rhine-Westphalia had phenomenal drive but never forgot his roots,
despite the ranch in Switzerland and the millions in the bank.
I well remember one trip to the legendary Kerpen kart track in 2011 to write a
background piece on Sebastian Vettel at the time of his second world title,
and finding Schumacher there on a rare weekend off, staying in a camper van
on site, passing almost incognito among the people with whom he grew up. He
even entered into a charity karting exhibition that day to raise funds for
charity. No press release was ever put out.
Schumacher’s need for speed and adrenalin was amply illustrated throughout his
career. An experienced skier, his commitment to the ‘just-for-fun’ slalom
races at Ferrari’s annual pre-season event in the Italian Dolomites used to
bring his team bosses out in cold sweats. It is ironic that he never
suffered any serious injuries during his trips to Madonna di Campiglio.
Schumacher was a lover of other high-octane sports, too. In February 2009 he
suffered head and neck injuries when he crashed a racing motorcycle. He
tried to fill in for Massa in the Ferrari in August that year after the
Brazilian suffered serious head injuries of his own at the Hungarian GP but
was unable to do so, admitting that his neck “could not stand the extreme
stresses caused by Formula One yet.”
Yet return he did, at the end of 2009, and while his first career saw him
hoover up every record available, his second proved he was human.
One pole and one podium place from three seasons in which he was
comprehensively outscored by his team-mate Nico Rosberg proved time waits
for no man. But it also showed a more human side to a man some considered an
automaton.
“If I look into my life’s rear-view mirror, I find myself happy and smiling,”
Schumacher said at his final race in Brazil at the end of 2012. “I’ve had
two distinct careers: one where I won everything, and a second one where I
discovered what losing means. Yes, I’ve learnt how to lose, but this has
made me more mature and more patient too, partly thanks to my age.”
Schumacher now needs to summon the old fighting qualities. As Martin Brundle,
his team-mate at Benetton in 1992 and 1993, wrote on Twitter last night:
“Come on Michael, give us one of those race stints at pure qualifying pace
to win through, like you used to. You can do it.” Few would bet against him
doing so.