– At the Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari started with a livery designed to remind of Michael Schumacher. Sabine Kehm, who was the manager of the seven-time world champion for many years, explains that the relationship between Schumacher and the Scuderia was not a predetermined dream marriage.
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“At the beginning, it was indeed a difficult connection,” she said in an interview with RTL/NTV and Sky Sport. The “tradition-unaware German” and the “very emotional Italians” were anything but a perfect combination.
“Michael thought Ferrari was a great project, but this myth and everything Ferrari represents in Italy, he initially didn’t know that well and […] I think that really knocked him out at the beginning.”
1995 – Schumacher determines the driver market
In 1995, Michael Schumacher had the agony of choice: Benetton, Williams, McLaren-Mercedes, and Ferrari all vied for the favor of the reigning champion.
Although Schumacher was able to win the 1994 world championship with Benetton (now known as Alpine), the relationship between the world champion and team boss Flavio Briatore was quite tense. The dramatic 1994 season with all its controversies, especially around alleged driver aids in the B194, had left its marks.
Williams was at the time the undisputed top team, but it quickly became clear that Schumacher and the often stingy Frank Williams regarding driver salaries could not agree. Therefore, McLaren-Mercedes was considered the favorite in many places, especially due to Schumacher’s past with the Silver Arrows.
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But if you believe the stories of Willi Weber, then manager of the world champion, he and Ferrari advisor Niki Lauda wanted to draw Schumacher into the Scuderia’s orbit. Ultimately, after much persuasion, Schumacher decided against the offer from Woking and drove for Ferrari from 1996 after his second world championship.
“Maybe it was love at second sight,” Kehm explains in the interview. “But then it was all the greater.”
This close relationship between team and driver took some time to really mature. Where the racing team at the beginning of 1996 could hardly keep up with the top and was often considered a chaotic bunch, team boss Jean Todt formed an absolute dream team around Schumacher over the years. Consequently, Ferrari was able to win six constructors’ titles and five drivers’ world championships between 1996 and 2006.
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“Michael never set himself apart from this team,” Kehm explains about the personality of the long-time Ferrari driver. “He always wanted to be one of them. When he stopped at Ferrari, the mechanics gave him a large picture. Underneath it said: ‘You are one of us.’ That was exactly what Michael always wanted to be and what he really was during that time.”
From the outside, Schumacher was often seen as an aloof character. At the same time, former companions like Todt, Ross Brawn, Pat Symonds, or David Coulthard speak about his private openness and warmth. Fitting to this discrepancy, Kehm explains in the interview:
“This emotionality that the Italians, the fans, the employees showed to the team swept him along. That met the same passion and emotions that he has for this sport.”
“As you have always seen, how he celebrated every single victory like a little child. You could always see that he carried a lot of emotions inside him. And the Italians saw that very quickly and quickly took him to their hearts.”
Overall, Schumacher was able to win 72 races for the Scuderia. He celebrated his 71st precisely in Monza, on the very day he announced his provisional retirement. Almost exactly 20 years after this emotional weekend, Ferrari remembered its most successful driver to date.
“Ferrari, Michael, Monza: That is a triad that every Formula 1 enthusiast simply loves,” Kehm said about the racing team’s homage. “I am super grateful and think it is great that Ferrari is honoring Michael this way.”
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“I am sure he is very happy about it and very proud. And he always said and also lived it, especially in those phases when he was on the racetrack, that he wanted to bring joy to the people with it. And he did, even back then.”
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