Michael Schumacher reality check from ex-F1 star – ‘When I speak it’s always a problem’

EXCLUSIVE: ‘When I speak about Michael, it’s always a problem.’

Michael Schumacher was not always popular among his F1 rivals (Image: Getty)

Michael Schumacher is revered by millions worldwide for his Formula 1 success, though one insider has revealed the German had only “a limited love affair” with his rivals. Former F1 racer and long-time TV analyst Christian Danner told Express Sport that “everybody in Germany would like to see Schumacher as a shining superhero without any faults,” but that would gloss over the way in which he would race to win at times.

He rarely shied away from pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable in his quest to win. One obvious example is his 1994 world championship success, the first of his seven title wins, which was secured in highly controversial circumstances when he collided with rival Damon Hill at the last race of the year in Adelaide. Schumacher denied it was intentional, though few believed him.

More controversy would follow in the late-1990s when Mika Hakkinen won back-to-back titles driving for McLaren and competing against Schumacher for glory. The Finn has spoken in the past of the mind-games and aggressive driving the German would often employ in the pursuit of victory and Danner defers to Hakkinen when it comes to what the seven-time champion’s contemporary rivals really thought of him.

Speaking to Express Sport via Gambling.com who rank and compare licensed UK casinos, Danner said: “When I speak about Michael, it’s always a problem… Personally, when I follow Mika Hakkinen, I have to say that Mika has expressed himself quite clearly on Michael’s character on the track, on his fairness or unfairness about his approach.

“I think Mika has more credibility than me to actually say how he was like, and he did in so many interviews, and the outcome of these interviews was very clear. He was not a particularly fair driver, as Mika expressed himself very clearly there. That led to a limited love affair between the rest of the field and Michael.

“On top of that, someone who is so incredibly successful usually creates a lot of disbelief and a lot of skepticism about how he got there, because at the end of the day, all of the drivers in Formula 1 believed that they could actually do the same. They weren’t happy to accept that he got it all and they didn’t get it. So this is probably on top of the way of driving which led to this situation.”

The aggressive label has also been given to Max Verstappen at times, with the Dutchman having also been accused of driving over the limit in the pursuit of victory, particularly in 2024 up against Lando Norris. However, Danner sees a clear difference between the two and added: “Max is a lot more eloquent and a lot more open about these things. He explains them, and he plays it by the rulebook.

“If you remember the overtaking maneuvers in Texas with Lando, Max played it by the rulebook and that was extremely clever. It wasn’t particularly nice, but do you have to expect your opponent to be nice to you? No. He doesn’t have any reason to be nice. Max knows what he’s doing, and he knows it to an extent where you just watch it and you can’t believe it. He’s really brilliant, exceptional and unique.”