Michael Schumacher is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. He started out his career with Jordan before moving to Benetton. There, Schumacher announced his arrival in the sport, in some fashion by winning back-to-back world titles. However, it was his move to Ferrari which changed his life and Formula 1 forever.
Schumacher won five world championships during his Ferrari stint which established his legacy as an all-time great. He was with the Maranello-based outfit until 2006 and had several great teammates alongside him till then including Rubens Barrichello and Eddie Irvine.
However, it seems that Schumacher did not have as positive an impact on anyone as he did on his final teammate at the Scuderia. During his last campaign with Ferrari in 2006, Schumacher’s teammate was none other than Felipe Massa.
Also read: Michael Schumacher Legacy in Germany Has Tumbled Down Claims Ex-Mercedes Boss
Felipe Massa reveals how close he was to Michael Schumacher
Massa was Schumacher’s teammate for only one season, but that was enough for him to get close to the German. Massa revealed that having Schumacher as a teammate was a great experience because he got to learn a lot from him.
“It was great,” said Massa as quoted by GP Fans. “I mean, it was a great experience. It was a great time to be able to be teammates with Michael Schumacher. I learned a lot from him. He was an amazing driver. The way he worked. We were very close as well. In the end, I was lucky to be part of that experience.”
Schumacher decided to leave Ferrari and F1 at the end of the 2006 season. His first retirement lasted merely three seasons as he made a return in 2010 with Mercedes. Massa meanwhile went on to become one of the most popular drivers for Ferrari, and heartbreakingly lost out on the 2008 World Championship in the final race.
Massa reveals who his most difficult teammate was
Between 2010 and 2013, Massa’s teammate at Ferrari was Fernando Alonso. He is a two-time World Champion and one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, but Massa labels him as being very difficult to work with.
The Brazilian praised Alonso for being a great driver, but insists that his presence divided the team into two. This hindered their performance, and ability to challenge for the Championship. He also added that because of Alonso, the people at Ferrari were reluctant to listen to him.
In spite of coming to Ferrari with immense racing pedigree, Alonso was unable to guide them to a Title finish. He left them for McLaren at the end of the 2014 F1 season.
