The simple pleasures in life are sometimes the hardest to come by. Taking the time to smell the roses is easier said than done. So much so that the last time I remember doing so was in the year 2000. No, I’m not really that busy! I suppose I just have short-term memory loss. Anyway, this particular afternoon dating back almost a decade-and-a-half was a special one. I lived in LA at the time, and was browsing though the shelves at my favourite hangout on Santa Monica Boulevard – a bookstore connected to a classic car showroom. Of course, all the books were infused with petrol in some way shape or form – not making them more flammable than normal, but certainly more readable in my eyes than Shakespearean novels (much to the chagrin of my English professor in college). This is, of course, a time when books were still in print, as opposed to just being on the tablet of your choice. While seeking shelter from the strong California sun, the book that caught my attention was a biography on Michael Schumacher by Timothy Collins. The book was published in 1996, so it covered his Benetton days – when he became the youngest champion (double world champion, I should say) at the pinnacle of motorsport. It also covered Michael’s early years and provided a glimpse into his human side. I bought the book and headed to a bar down the street to garnish the book with a tall glass of beer and a double bacon cheeseburger. The book starts with Michael recollecting how he felt when he was offered a drive by Mercedes in Group C in 1991, when he was still in his early 20’s. He says it felt like “Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one.” And I have to say that I felt pretty good that afternoon myself. At 20, my prospects were never quite as good, but I was more than happy to uncover some insights into the life of this – even back then – racing legend. It’s well known that Michael went on to dominate the sport like never before in the years to come through a depth of talent that he was able to harness better than anyone around him – combined, of course, with a dogged determination to succeed. But my favourite stories from the book are of a young man trying to make it to the top of a ruthless world while balancing expectation, ambition, and conscience all at the same time. Of course, these were young men in fast cars, so there was fun to be had as well. There’s a funny story of a time when Michael and another Mercedes protégé – compatriot Heinz Harald Frentzen – were being primed for top-flight motorsport with lessons in health & fitness. On one occasion, Michael was driving Heinz Harald to a local clinic for a full physical check on snow covered mountain roads. He drove so hard and so fast that Frentzen almost failed the physical because his pulse was 120 following the drive. When he challenged the medical team to check Michael’s pulse, it was a perfectly normal 60 beats per minute. Michael had that famed self-control throughout his career, which put him on a different level to everyone else. David Coulthard, who didn’t always have a happy relationship with the German when they were competing against one-another, wrote a beautiful piece in The Telegraph a few days after Michael’s horrible accident at the end of last year. He went so far as to say that Michael effectively legitimised his own career – because, on the days that Coulthard could beat him, or match him, he knew he had performed as well as humanly possible. That’s the effect that Michael had on his opponents. The level at which he could perform day-in and day-out was the stuff of legend. But he still made mistakes – as evidenced by some horrible errors of judgement over the years. The fact that he was flawed merely proves that he was human after all. Underneath his cool exterior was a man who struggled with his conscience on many occasions. But there was one thing you could take for granted with Michael, and that was his self-belief and undying spirit. Both of which he’ll have to harness to the fullest to prevail in the fight that he’s facing today. Gian Luca Pellegrini, now the editor of Quattroruote, took on Michael in a Ferrari 360 Scuderia at Fiorano a few years ago. The team reminisces about that memorable day while performing a similar test in the 458 Speciale in this issue. I can only add my voice to their words: “The world is waiting for you Michael...”
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