“Took me a long time to realize I was World Champion”: When Michael Schumacher emotionally recalled his first Title win in 1994

Michael Schumacher is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. The German driver won seven World Championships during his time in F1, and his best stint was at Maranello, where he won five Titles with Ferrari. However, the first two Championship wins of his career were equally monumental, especially his first victory in 1994.

Schumacher’s first two Championship wins were with Benetton, a team that helped him kickstart his journey to legendary status in F1. In an interview, he recalled how emotional he was after winning it for the first time in 1994. That year’s season finale was in Adelaide, Australia, and turned out to be one of the most controversial endings to season ever.

‚It was horrible standing out there and having to wait. But it was amazing once it was certain. It took me a long time to realize that I am world champion.‘
13 November 1994. #OTD
Michael wins his first of 7 @f1 titles in Adelaide.
Text https://t.co/lw7MOGy5pK – Pics: AFP pic.twitter.com/BG6mAQRmvd

— Michael Schumacher (@schumacher) November 13, 2022

Schumacher took lead of the race at the beginning ahead of rival Damon Hill, but they soon found themselves racing wheel to wheel. Unfortunately for Hill, Schumacher collided with him which forced him to retire soon thereafter. The latter was immediately eliminated from the race, but the Championship ended up going in his favor. He had to wait for a long time before, him becoming World Champion became official.

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Michael Schumacher recalls amazing moments when he realized he was World Champion

After the 1994 Australian Grand Prix, plenty of people in the F1 community accused Schumacher of intentionally crashing into Hill. Race Control, however, saw it as a racing incident and Schumacher became Germany’s first ever World Champion.

Schumacher was extremely anxious while he had to wait for the official verdict to come out. He had to wait a while before the stewards made a decision on his actions. However, he admits that he was relieved and ecstatic to finally realize his lifelong dream once the results were declared.

Michael Schumacher: simply legendary. #LegendaryHeroes #KeepFightingMichael pic.twitter.com/Bm8TA7CvZ2

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) November 3, 2017

“It was horrible standing out there and having to wait,” he said. “But it was amazing once it was certain. It took me a long time to realize that I am world champion.”

Schumacher finished P1 in the 1994 Drivers’ Championship, just one point ahead of Hill. He went on to create even more history by winning six more Championships.

Also read: Red Bull only made $1.75 million in Max Verstappen’s first championship winning season

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• Benetton
• Damon Hill
• ferrari
• Michael Schumacher