Ten years have passed since the serious skiing accident which left Michael Schumacher in a condition the nature of which is still kept secret to this day. A look back at the career of the man who was, and will remain, one of the greatest champions in the history of Formula 1…

On December 29, 2013, Michael Schumacher was skiing in an off-piste area of ​​Méribel, in the French Alps where he owns a chalet, when he fell heavily. He was wearing a helmet, but his head hit a rock. He was in a coma for several months.

Since then, the ex-Ferrari driver has never been seen in public again, and news about him is rare. In recent days, his younger brother Ralf answered some questions from the German press, always emphasizing the family’s desire not to reveal the nature of his brother’s state of health.

“Michael has been lucky a lot in his life, and then there was this accident. Fortunately, modern medical means have made it possible to do a lot of things. But despite this, nothing is the same as before,” Ralf Schumacher told the daily Bild.

“Michael’s accident represents a very difficult and dramatic moment for me too,” he also said. Of course, it was even more so for his children. I also think of poor Mick [Michael Schumacher’s son], who was just a boy at the time. »

In a documentary released on Netflix in 2021, Schumacher’s wife Corinna claimed that “Everyone misses Michael, but he is still there – different, but still there. And in my opinion, it makes us all stronger.”

“We are trying to preserve the family unit that Michael loved so much and still loves. And we continue to live our lives. Private life remains private, as he liked to say, she added. […] Michael has always watched over us, it is now up to us to watch over him. »

This sad anniversary is an opportunity to look back on the career of the man who left his mark on sport like few have done. To talk about it, La Presse contacted Pierre Houde, Formula 1 describer at the Sports Network (RDS) for many years.

From the outset, Mr. Houde returns to one of his most distant memories of the German: his debut in F1, in 1991. While the Belgian driver Bertrand Gachot found himself in prison after an incident with a driver taxi, Schumacher had been called as a replacement within the Jordan team. He was driving a green car, in the colors of 7Up.

Result: an eighth place in qualifying, behind the Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Gerhard Berger, Jean Alesi and Nelson Piquet of this world.

“In one breath, we saw the genius of this young man who didn’t know the car, who had never driven a Formula 1.”

Immediately, the Benetton team came to an understanding with the young prodigy, who officially made the jump to F1 during the following race. A few years later, in 1994 to be precise, said prodigy won the first of two championships with Benetton. And the first of seven in his career, including five with Ferrari.

Pierre Houde has done a few interviews with Michael Schumacher over the years. To this day, he only has “good memories”.

“When he saw you come prepared and your questions were in the sports direction, when you had done your homework and you didn’t waste his time by asking him what cereal he eats in the morning, what coffee he drinks in the evening, he was excellent in interviews. Not warm because he never really was. »

The fact remains that Schumacher, on the track, had an “absolutely detestable” side, the describer recalls.

“There were a lot of penalties against him in his first year because he was doing things on the borderline. His attitude was also more than cold when it needed to be cold. He has learned over the years to become a little looser in front of the public, we have seen him smile a little more. »

On the other hand, Schumacher was a very “professionally committed” driver off the track. At the time, there were no restrictions on free practice; Ferrari, for example, did private testing between races.

“Michael wanted to be involved in all the tests,” says Mr. Houde. He was sickly. There was no question of there being a third driver touching the car. »

The years have passed, Schumacher was the victim of a tragic accident, but he remains to this day one of the greatest drivers to have driven on the F1 circuits.

“Was Michael Schumacher better than Senna? Was Senna himself better than Jackie Stewart? Was Jackie Stewart better than [Juan Manuel] Fangio? Was Michael Schumacher better than Lewis Hamilton? Then we go towards [Max] Verstappen.

“What we are starting to notice is that there have been great eras which have celebrated great champions. Personally, I would never try to decide between that because, unfortunately, there are some who died too young. »

What we can say, however, is that Michael Schumacher “was a dominant player worthy of the four or five greatest in the history of F1,” concludes Pierre Houde.