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“Rocky was preparing for an entry into F1″– Throwback to when Michael Schumacher came across his lookalike and Hollywood superstar

Samriddhi Jaiswal
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"Rocky was preparing for an entry into F1"– Throwback to when Michael Schumacher came across his lookalike and Hollywood superstar

Hollywood superstar Sylvester Stallone, known for his famous movie series Rocky, came to Ferrari’s garage to meet Michael Schumacher in 1998.

In 1998 Michael Schumacher rode Ferrari and was a legend in the making. He was considered the best driver to end Ferrari’s dry spell that dated back to 1983.

One such day, Sylvester Stallone visited the German F1 legend in the making at the Ferrari garage. It was reported that Stallone came to do some research for his upcoming film ‘Driven’.

Stallone visited many races at the time. He even stayed back after the race to chat with the drivers. Even though the movie turned out to be a critical and commercially failure, there were some reports that the Hollywood legend was preparing for an entry into F1.

As tough as it sounds, it could have happened. Several Hollywood actors have driven race cars before as well. Two of the biggest names in Hollywood to be associated with racing are Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. Recently, Michael Fassbender also races in the LeMans with Porsche.

While the movie did not bring glory to Stallone, Schumacher in Ferrari was not what we remember him as today.

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Michael Schumacher became the torchbearer of F1

In 1998, the German racing driver had already driven Ferrari for two seasons. The Italians had welcomed him aboard the team with the hope of ending their 15 years of a nightmare of title drought.

Schumacher came in as the right choice to bring Ferrari’s glory. He had won two championships with Benetton and had established himself as the torchbearer of F1 after Ayrton Senna.

The German driver brought Ferrari to second place in the championship in his first year. He came close to a title in the next few years, but he struggled.

In 1998, along with a struggling F1 team, Schumacher found the biggest rival of his career – Mika Hakkinen. With a faster car, Hakkinen defeated Schumacher in the battle that year.

However, 1998 was the last season of Schumacher’s struggles at Ferrari. He helped Ferrari win the constructor’s title in 1999. And from 2000, well, the F1 world knows how Schumacher became the legend and changed history.

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About the author

Samriddhi Jaiswal

Samriddhi Jaiswal

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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.

Read more from Samriddhi Jaiswal

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