Mick was 13 years old when he saw his father, Michael Schumacher, cross the finish line of the 2012 GP Brazil in seventh on TV in his last race in F1.
Briton Jenson Button won that race, the last of the season, and Sebastian Vettel ended up as world champion, but he was the most celebrated German driver on the Interlagos circuit, where he lived great moments of his career and will now welcome his son for the first time, on Sunday (14), in the renamed GP of São Paulo.
“It will be special to race in Brazil. I’m looking forward to it, the crowd is always so much fun. I’ve only seen it on TV, but I’m really looking forward to experiencing that feeling and I hope to hear some cheers for myself,” says Mick in an interview with sheet.
Whenever he raced across the country, Michael Schumacher felt at home. He is the second driver who has won the Brazilian stage the most, with four victories, behind Frenchman Alain Prost, who won six times.
It was also in Brazil that the German raced for the last time aboard Ferrari, the team for which he won five of his seven world titles.
He finished off the podium, in a result that prevented him from winning the championship for the eighth time — the German was runner-up, while Fernando Alonso secured the second title. But that didn’t overshadow the great display he had again on the Brazilian circuit.
After starting tenth, in a few laps he reached fifth position, but ended up with a flat tire after passing Italian Giancarlo Fisichella. The pit stop made him fall all the way to last place.
With a drive at the height of his 91 F1 victories, he climbed the grid and managed to finish fourth. On the penultimate lap, he still had the best time of the race, with 1min12s162.
For Mick, who was 7 at the time, it was one of his father’s most amazing races. “Seeing him move from the back to the front of the grid was very special. I understand now, much more than I did then, what it all meant,” said the 22-year-old.
Schumacher, the father, did not live only on glory in Interlagos. There were also controversies, such as the discussion with Ayrton Senna, in 1992.
That year, the German was irritated by the Brazilian’s posture during the race. In yet another stage of the season in which the Williams were left on the grid –Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese drove calmly in first and second position, respectively–, what was left in the dispute was the fight for third place.
Schumacher was the only one who showed enough speed to challenge the pair that day. But he lost a lot of time in the race during laps where he fought a battle with Senna.
The Brazilian was having problems with his car, but that didn’t mean he decided to hand over his position to his rival with ease. Without leaving the track, he tried to solve his engine failures by doing some maneuvers that irritated the German.
“I was faster than him, and he was playing a kind of game, which surprised me. I didn’t expect this style of riding from a three-time champion,” Schumacher said at the time. “When he eventually allowed me to overtake him, he surprised me and overtook me [de novo]. I did not like that.”
Senna blamed the flaws in his McLaren for what happened. “[O problema] it was serious and intermittent. The effect of this was totally unpredictable. […] From time to time, the problem was so big that it felt like I had put my foot on the brake,” explained the Brazilian, who abandoned the race.
Schumacher was third, but finished the race one lap behind the Williams pair. It was one more fact that contributed to fuel the rivalry that Senna and he cultivated in the German’s first years in F1 — in 1992, he was only in his second season.
Born on March 22, 1999, Mick only knew this and other stories from his father only through videos and reports. It was enough to inspire him to want to be a pilot too.
The young man’s rise to F1, unfortunately, cannot be closely followed by his biggest idol. Since December 2013, Michael is recovering from a very serious accident suffered while skiing in the French Alps. Almost nothing is officially known about their health status, as the family hardly issues any statements on the subject.
Even without his father around, he has enjoyed his first season in the division. “We’re almost at the end of the season and it feels like we’ve started a few weeks ago. I feel like I’m comfortable in the car, I’m comfortable with the team and all these things will help me next year,” he said.
Haas, however, does not have a car capable of allowing him to fight for points. Mick and his teammate, Russian Nikita Mazepin, are the only regular drivers who have yet to score in the championship.
The son of the seven-time champion hopes that in the near future he can have a more competitive car. “I hope it doesn’t take too long. I’m here because I want to fight for victories and titles. All the experience I’m getting now will help me become the driver capable of fighting for my goals.”
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