F1 has had the honor of witnessing many generational talents gracing its track. From Fangio and Senna to Schumacher and Hamilton and now Verstappen; there has been a continuous flow of greatness in the sport. However, two names never fail to make it to the discussion- the 7-time champions Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. So when the former’s nephew picked Hamilton as his idol, there was some fairly unnecessary commotion about it.
German media site InTouch had penned a piece regarding David Schumacher’s love for Lewis Hamilton, naming him his racing idol. The DTM racer had mentioned in the interview, “I have to say that I followed Formula 1 quite late, but at that time was the dominance of Mercedes. And then I looked up to Lewis Hamilton.”
Schumacher further stated, “[the] performance he shows when he is 100 percent of the head. Especially the qualifying performance is always surprising.”
While his candid statements were harmless, the narrative created around the quotes did not sit right with David’s father and Michael Schumacher’s brother, Ralf.
Unwarranted drama created around Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton
Ralf Schumacher shared a snap of the article on his social media sites, calling them out for twisting the words of his son. The headline read: “Michael Schumacher: Surprising statement! His nephew is causing a sensation”
A snippet from the article also read, “For many, Michael Schumacher is the very big idol when it comes to Formula 1. But his nephew, of all people, has a completely different role model…”
The article further stated that Mick Schumacher had diligently followed his father’s footsteps, while his cousin snubbed his father and uncle for the likes of Lewis Hamilton. With F1 drivers running in the family, David’s fascination with Hamilton was taken out of context as a part of a larger storyline.
Ralf Schumacher responds
Standing up for his son, Ralf Schumacher, a decorated F1 driver himself, did not like what the article insinuated. Publicly clearing the air around his son’s interview, he shared his disappointment with the article.
His Instagram post read, “What [is] the point of such stupid articles?! Everyone is allowed to decide for themselves what they want!!” Infuriated, he continued, “It’s bullsh*t to build something like that.”
The former Williams driver also stood up for the man his son looked up to. “Lewis Hamilton is rightly a role model for many young people.”
Hamilton has broken the mold in every aspect, causing many young drivers, some of whom race against him, to idolize him. However, Michael Schumacher has done the same as well. It would be unfair to pit the two great drivers against each other as they have set the bar high in their own special and unique ways. Thus, paving the path for many while being heroes to the rest.
