Schumacher would like to be remembered as a competitor
After 307 Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher is leaving the small world of Formula 1. Before returning to his ranch in Switzerland, the German granted an interview to Belgian television. Excerpts.
In Brazil, Michael Schumacher has definitively retired after more than 20 years of a career in Formula 1. A chapter in the history of the discipline closes. Already in 2006, the German had bid farewell to the paddock before returning behind the wheel in 2010 with Mercedes. This second career was not crowned with success on the track, but it undoubtedly allowed the seven-time world champion to present a more human image than during his first stint in the top category of motorsport.
When I am focused, I seem cold and absent, I am in a completely different state of mind. Even my brother complained about it. He once told me, “Why don’t you say hello to me anymore?” I replied, “But I always say hello to you.” “No, you passed me by 5 minutes ago without saying it.” I simply hadn’t seen him. I’m like that sometimes, I’m sorry, explains the young retiree to the microphone of RTBF, the French-speaking Belgian public television.
As in 2006, “Schumi” did not have an easy race in Brazil but still finished in the points, a fine way to end the Mercedes adventure. The one who holds many records in the discipline is now part of F1 history, and when Gaëtan Vigneron, a commentator for Belgian television, asks him how he would like to be remembered, Schumacher simply responds: « I think the five-letter English word is enough, “racer,” competitor. »
