DPA
Berlin
Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton paid a tribute to Michael Schumacher, saying the former German driver is a legend of the sport and an inspiration for young drivers.
“Michael is among the legends in our sport. When you grow up with passion for mortosport, you always look up at specific people, and without doubt Michael was a role model for young drivers,” Hamilton said in the foreword in a new book about Schumacher.
“His speed, his work morals, his determination and consistency - the length of his career and his top performance can only be admired.”
The “World Championship Cars – Michael Schumacher” celebrates the German’s first F1 title, which completes 30 years on Wednesday.
“When it comes to Michael’s legacy, however, I focus on him as a person rather than a competitor. It’s not about titles or trophies, but about the family that he and Corinna created together,” Hamilton wrote.
“Their greatness, their humility and their sincerity say much more about Michael’s values than I ever could,” he added.
First German F1 champion Then Benetton driver Schumacher crowned a highly emotional 1994 season, which included the tragic death of Ayrton Senna at Imola, in a dramatic fashion at the Australian Grand Prix.
Heading into the final race of the season, Schumacher led the championship by one point ahead of Williams’ Damon Hill.
The two crashed and Schumacher was eliminated on the spot, while Hill tried to continue, but eventually retired from the race. As neither driver scored, Schumacher took the title.
Schumacher, who was between spectators and the barriers, had the news whispered into his ear by a marshal.
“I knew absolutely nothing, I didn’t know whether I should be happy, all my feelings were completely mixed up,” Schumacher said later.
Schumacher became the first German champion in F1 and went on to win six more titles - one more with Benetton and five with Ferrari - and set a record in F1, which was then equalled by Hamilton when he won his seventh world championship in 2020.
“Nothing in the German motorsport world and partly in the entire German automotive world was the same after Michael’s first F1 title,” former Mercedes team principal Norbert Haug said.
Skiing accident Schumacher sustained a serious head injury in a skiing accident in 2013. Since then, there’s been little public information about his condition or recovery, with his family maintaining strict privacy.
In the Netflix documentary “Schumacher” released in 2021, his wife Corinna said: “Michael is here. Different, but he’s here, and that gives us strenght.
“We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond.”
