Michael Schumacher revealed why he didn’t attend Ayrton Senna’s funeral

Samriddhi Jaiswal | 02/01/2023
Michael Schumacher revealed why he didn't attend Ayrton Senna's funeral

In his first few years in the sport, Michael Schumacher had a close rivalry with Ayrton Senna which on several occasions also led to crashes.

Senna was at the top of his game when Schumacher made his debut in F1. The Brazillian was a 3-time world champion and Schumacher, who had proved himself to be an amazing talent was threatening his position on the grid.

But over the period, Schumacher revealed that their relationship had gotten better in 1994. That was the season which brought the horrific San Marino Grand Prix where Senna saw an end to his life.

A huge funeral was held for the Brazilian star with the entire country flooding the streets in respect. Several high-profile personalities made their appearance to pay homage to Senna but Schumacher was nowhere to be seen.

Also Read: Before dwarfing Lewis Hamilton on podium Shaquille O’Neal lifted ex F1 driver winner as a trophy

Why didn’t Michael Schumacher attend Senna’s funeral?

Schumacher was distraught after Senna’s death. His perspective of racing had changed and he was left questioning his future as a racing driver.

Just a day before Senna’s crash, Roland Ratzenberger had passed away in yet another racing incident. Left with all these traumatic incidences happening to his peers, Schumacher even thought of quitting the sport.

Speaking to Forumula1.com, the German driver said that he intensely thought about the deaths of the drivers and he was questioning himself. He revealed that was one of the reasons he didn’t go to Senna’s funeral.

Also, he said that he didn’t want to mourn in public. “I visited Ayrton’s grave later with Corinna,” he added.

Schumacher broke down during a press conference

Even after 6 years of Senna’s death, Schumacher was not fully recovered from it. During the press conference of the 2000 Italian Grand Prix, Schumacher broke down crying at the mention of Senna’s name.

The 2000 championship season was quite a stressful one for the German driver. He was Ferrari’s top man and the team was banking on him to bring the victory home with a title for the first time in 21 years.

Schumacher did win the championship season that year but he also gave the world an infamous moment.

Winning at Monza in 2000, Schumacher had equalled Senna’s 41 wins and the reporter mentioned that to him asking if these records mean a lot to him.

The Ferrari driver replied, “Yes it does mean a lot to me” and broke down crying.

Also Read: Ayrton Senna was discussing a deal with Ferrari just 4 days before his tragic death, reveals former Ferrari boss

Post Edited By: Samriddhi Jaiswal
Ayrton Senna Michael Schumacher

About the author

Samriddhi Jaiswal

Samriddhi Jaiswal is an F1 editor and writer at The SportsRush. She started her career as a business journalist but soon found her calling in lights out here we go! Samriddhi has been a Ferrari fan even when her interaction with F1 was occasional. Her first real experience with the thrilling sport came when Charles Leclerc clinched his iconic victory in Spa and Monza and painted the track red. Now, a Tifosi, Samriddhi is a hardcore fan of the prancing horse and can relate to the chaos within the Italian camp and also admires Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Off the track, she finds her home in books and musical instruments.

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