Michael Schumacher may have hung up his gloves at the age of 43, but the racing driver within him never called it quits with F1. Despite age catching up to him, the 91-time Grand Prix winner was quick in an F1 car, and in 2012, former Mercedes CEO Norbert Haug saw glimpses of a prime Schumacher as the German driver took off his helmet in Monaco.
Only 3 drivers have completed every lap in an F1 season: 1. Michael Schumacher, 2002, Ferrari / 2.Lewis Hamilton, 2019, Mercedes / 3. Max Verstappen, 2023, Red Bull. And elite club.#f1 #formulaone #formula1 #maxverstappen #lewishamilton #michaelschumacher #formulauno pic.twitter.com/seSlIdNe0E
— Formula One History (@history_of_f1) December 3, 2023
Despite wanting to leave the sport earlier, Schumacher could not step away from F1 completely. Hence, in 2010, he signed a two-year deal with Mercedes. In his final year, people started believing that German did not have much pace left in him, but a pole position in the Monaco GP Qualifying proved otherwise. Addressing the same, Haug admits to witnessing the Michael Schumacher of old, as quoted by F1 Maximaal.
“Whoever manages to take pole has clearly not lost his skills. I’ve heard a lot of people say he wasn’t the same Michael anymore, but he was. I’m sure.”
While the German driver registered the final pole position of his career, he could not start the race at the front of the grid owing to a five-place grid penalty for an incident in the previous race. Starting the race from P6, Schumacher could not complete the race as a fuel pressure problem forced him to.
Michael Schumacher might have been a good manager too
Almost exactly a year after retiring from F1, Schumacher suffered a near-fatal accident when he went skiing with his family. The German driver experienced a severe head injury and was put into a medically induced coma. However, the 54-year-old now lives with his family and hasn’t made a public appearance in around a decade. However, had things been normal, Haug believes Schumacher could have become a good manager for Mercedes.
Michael Schumacher – Mercedes pic.twitter.com/ouNzP8Fg4u
— Formula 1 1950-2023 (@F1RetroOldie) December 2, 2023
The former Mercedes CEO claimed Schumacher knew how to have fun off the track but was also precise with his on-track decisions. Furthermore, the experience of winning 91 races and 7 Grands Prix was more than enough for any team to pounce upon an opportunity to sign the German up as an advisor, a mentor, or a manager.
