Michael Schumacher made a cameo on the British TV show Top Gear as ‘The Stig’ after the show received special instructions from Ferrari.
In 2009, Michael Schumacher made a special appearance on the British TV show Top Gear, which left everyone Buzzing. In Season 13’s Episode 1, Michael was unveiled as the ‘The Stig.’
‘The Stig’ is a mysterious test driver in the show whose identity has remained anonymous. Around the season premiere, host Jeremy Clarkson wrote in his newspaper column that they would reveal who Stig is.
In this episode, one of the cars reviewed was the Ferrari FXX. The Stig would test the supercar setting a record lap time of 1:10.7. After this, The Stig would walk into the studio.
Clarkson claimed the Stig was “fed up with newspapers speculating that he’s a photocopier salesman from Bolton. Or lives in a pebble-dashed house in Bristol.” He would welcome the driver to the couch.
Clarkson later asks the driver to reveal who he is by removing his white helmet. Stig is reluctant but later reveals himself while the crowd chants ”Off! Off!” in unison.
And to everyone’s surprise, Stig was none other than the 7-time World Champion Michael Schumacher. Schumacher had just retired from F1 at the end of the 2006 season.
However, the BBC later revealed that he was not the ‘Stig’, and this was merely a publicity stunt to boost the ratings of the show. Stig is just a character. “I don’t think Michael Schumacher is The Stig. I think we made it up,” clarified Clarkson.
Also Read: Seven-time World Champion stores collection of some of the best F1 and supercars around
Is Michael Schumacher ‘The Stig’?
Michael Schumacher’s appearance as ‘The Stig’ was just a performance. The character was played by Ben Collins, a former racing driver who revealed it in his autobiography, ‘The Man in the White Suit.’
But the reason why Schumacher was ‘revealed’ as the all-white driver runs beyond just a publicity stunt. And this includes special orders from Ferrari themselves.
One of the cars tested during the episode was a black Ferrari FXX. The Ferrari FXX is a high-performance race car produced by Ferrari in 2005.
Ferrari only built 30 of these exclusive cars, and one special car was gifted to 7-time World Champion Schumacher. Schumacher won 5 successive championship titles with Ferrari from 2000 to 2004.
And this 6.2-liter V-12 with 809 horsepower car was supposed to be a token of appreciation for his achievements. It is the only all-black FXX and has been specially made for the German race driver.
It has red trimmed wheels, matte exhaust tips and his personal logo stitched on the racing seats. The car can go from 0-100km/h in 2.7 seconds and has a top speed of 345 km/h.
When BBC approached Ferrari to test their supercar in Top Gear, the Italians rejected it. However, rumour goes that Schumacher was invited to the show to drive his FXX.
Ferrari allowed Schumi to drive the car. But because he was the car’s owner, Ferrari wouldn’t allow anyone but him to drive the car. And Top Gear, therefore, framed the show.
Following the stunt, Michael sat down with the show’s host Jeremy Clarkson for an interview. But this will forever be one of the greatest PR stunts in Television history.
Also Read: Michael Schumacher race-winning Ferrari F300 sells for $6.2 Million
