Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda are two of Ferrari’s biggest legends over. Even though they raced in very different eras in F1, ex-Ferrari boss Luca Di Montezemolo insists that they are extremely similar in several aspects, which made them so good.
Lauda won two of his three world titles with Ferrari, and Schumacher added five to his name during his time in Maranello. Both of them led Ferrari to multiple title wins in different successful eras, but Montezemolo feels that they have common traits that made them a perfect fit. In fact, he first got in touch with Michael Schumacher through Lauda’s agent.
Lauda who is a great friend of Montezemolo, helped the latter settle into Ferrari during his appointment as the team’s boss at a relatively young age. In the book Ferrari: From Inside and Outside, Montezemolo revealed that Lauda’s ability to understand and interpret situations in a race was what made him stand out. Schumacher on the other hand, had a very emotional approach to racing, which resonated well with Ferrari’s culture.
Similarities between Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda
According to Montezemolo, Lauda and Schumacher had two things in common. Firstly, both drivers knew how to work well with the team. They joined the Scuderia when they were struggling, but worked hard to make them better, and etched their names in the history books in the process.
Montezemolo pointed out an example from the British GP in 1999, which was the only accident Schumacher had in a Ferrari. The entire blame lay with Ferrari, but Schumacher, being the team player he was, didn’t criticize them whatsoever.
Niki Lauda e Michael Schumacher. pic.twitter.com/XyIVDYq3OW
— Demetriou Neto 🏁 (@NetoDemetriou) June 19, 2021
The second thing which Lauda and Schumacher had in common was their ‘attention to detail’. “To win, you need a driver who is continually testing and preparing for the race with a lot of concentration and attention to the small details,” he said.
These are the two things which Montezemolo felt made Lauda and Schumacher better than anyone else in their respective eras of dominance.
Schumacher was a better fighter than Lauda
Even though Lauda and Schumacher both tasted championship glory with Ferrari, there was one thing which made the latter better. According to Montezemolo, Schumacher was the better fighter among the two.
With Corinna Schumacher, Luca di Montezemolo & @ScuderiaFerrari at @FOSGoodwood to pay tribute to Michael @schumacher, @F1’s greatest record-breaker pic.twitter.com/SZL2ZyieXq
— Jean Todt (@JeanTodt) July 7, 2019
“Michael was a driver who was able to drive from the first to the last lap like a qualifying lap,” he said. “Michael was maybe the first driver to introduce high level physical preparation; he was very fit, very strong.”
Schumacher’s incredible level of consistency and dominance did see him become a legend, not just in Ferrari, but in F1 as a whole. He joined the Maranello-based outfit after winning two titles already with Benetton, but became a seven-time champion after adding to his glittering collection in Italy.
