Before going on to becoming Ferrari’s greatest driver ever, Michael Schumacher truly announced himself to the world of F1 with Benetton. However, he also had his fair share of controversial moments with the team, including the time when his jealousy towards his teammate made him pay a huge sum of amount, just to see his salary. According to The Race, he did get a massive return on his initial investment, but it created one of the most bizarre sagas in F1 history.
In 1993, Schumacher’s teammate at Benetton was Riccardo Patrese. Before Schumacher signed for Benetton, his contract stated that he had to be the better-earning driver in the team. This would be applicable unless Schumacher was paired with an iconic driver like Ayrton Senna or Alain Prost.
#PatreseF140 1992, Monaco GP: Riccardo leads Michael Schumacher out of St Devote in their battle for 3rd position #riccardopatrese #F1 pic.twitter.com/8W2YvkdLpf
— Riccardo Patrese (@PatreseOfficial) February 24, 2017
However, things behind the scenes at Benetton started to unravel when McLaren started stirring the pit. The Woking-based outfit wanted Schumacher on the team, so they leaked secrets about Patrese’s contract to the future seven-time world champion.
Michael Schumacher paid a million dollars just to see his teammate’s contract
As per The Race, Schumacher was earning $2,000,000 from Benetton in 1993. However, as per McLaren’s reports, Riccardo Patrese was earning $3,000,000. This angered Schumacher, and he became desperate to seek out the truth, for which he needed to have a look at this teammate’s contract.
Michael Schumacher’s team offered Patrese a sum of $1,000,000 to show them his contract with Benetton. The Italian driver’s relationship with Benetton was already irreparable, so he decided to cash out by bagging a million dollars.
Admittedly, Patrese’s earnings were more than Schumacher’s, and he reached the figure reported by McLaren mainly through personal deals and sponsorships. Still, Schumacher wasn’t happy about the fact that Benetton didn’t inform him about his teammate earning more. As far as he was concerned, it was a clear breach of contract on their part.
Michael Schumacher’s huge return on investment
Looking at the past now, one could state that Schumacher’s $1,000,000 payment was more of an ‘investment’. That is because it landed him a $20,000,000 deal instead. Benetton boss Flavio Briatore didn’t seem to have control of the situation and was worried he would lose Schumacher.
Hence, he decided to offer Schumacher a contract with a salary that was 10 times more than what he was earning in 1993.
Schumacher did decide to continue his journey with Briatore and Benetton and helped the team reach new heights by winning the 1994 and 1995 world championship titles. Ricciardo Patrese, meanwhile, took Schumacher’s $1,000,000 and decided to retire from Formula 1 at the end of the 1993 season.
