The Schumacher name is synonymous with F1. Michael Schumacher still signifies success benchmarks in the pinnacle of motorsport. However, it is not only him from his family that has raced in the sport. In recent times, Michael’s son, Mick, has competed in the sport. Moreover, Michael’s brother, Ralf Schumacher, was also on the grid when the former Ferrari driver was dominating F1. They are the only duo of brothers who have won races in F1. However, despite all their combined success, Michael and Ralf never got to be teammates. The latter has reasoned on why it never happened.
Appearing on the Formula for Success podcast, Ralf was asked about whether he ever thought of teaming up with his brother. He replied, “It would have been amazing but on the other hand, the problem was always, there was never really an opportunity.”
The former Williams driver then also revealed some of the risks that a teammate pairing with his brother would have posed. He added, “Second, one of us would have always lost and I don’t know whether that would have been good from a marketing point of view or from a relation point of view between brothers.”
Ralf felt their brothers’ bond was better since they were never teammates. On top of that, even Ferrari’s dominance always put Michael in a better car than Ralf. So, their on-track battle had little chance of getting feisty or crossing the line.
The 48-year-old still loved to fathom the possibility of sharing a season with Michael. There were many potential challenges and joys a teammate pairing of the Schumacher brothers could have thrown up.
Regardless, Ralf feels satisfied with the camaraderie he shared with the seven-time champion on the F1 grid. He cited how there was always trust and communication between them about everything. While Michael had a challenging personality as a teammate and a competitor, his brother never got the sour taste of that hyper-competitiveness.
How did Ralf Schumacher feel about Michael Schumacher dominating F1 and being more successful?
Ralf Schumacher’s career overlapped with Michael Schumacher for a decade and at the latter’s peak form. Michael was at Ferrari when his brother debuted with his former team, Jordan, in 1997. Since then, till the 55-year-old’s first retirement in 2006, the brothers’ duo competed beside each other on track several times.
While there was no elaborate rivalry between the two, they often were in the mix for podiums and wins against each other. In fact, Ralf even admitted that Michael was the better driver owing to him being a seven-time champion. Contrastingly, the six-time Grand Prix winner never won a championship in his career.
Ralf then also reflected on why he did not achieve the kind of success the Ferrari legend did. He alluded to the lack of a good car, and a bit of bad luck at times.
However, he did not shy away from praising Michael while citing these factors. Ralf said, “Michael especially understood how to be in the right place at the right time, and due to his success, he also had the opportunity to make decisions about who was around him, who led the team”.
The former Toyota driver also highlighted his brother’s strategic prowess that guided his career better. The turnaround that Michael Schumacher brought at Ferrari was nothing short of a miracle due to this strategic ability of key decision-making.
Ralf always has taken pride in Michael’s achievements, not keeping any sense of bitterness or jealousy. He believes all the success his elder brother had is “earned in life”.
