When F1 royalty Michael Schumacher called Indy 500 “a step down”
Michael Schumacher retired from F1 in 2012 with nothing left to prove. With seven championships and 91 race wins, he rewrote the sport's history. But why did a racing driver of his caliber never participated in the iconic Indy 500?
Schumacher was the face of F1 since his consecutive championships with Benetton in 1994 and 1995. He dominated the pinnacle of motorsport. Although he didn't taste championship success with Ferrari from 1996 to 1999, he made up for it with five consecutive championships from 2000 to 2004.
In 2002, in the midst of this run, the German driver had become the world's highest-paid athlete. Naturally, global interest in his racing exploits peaked, and CBS invited him for an interview on '60 Minutes', where he made a controversial comment, comparing F1 and the Indy 500.
"First of all, it's a step down from Formula 1," Michael Schumacher said about the prestigious American race. "And second, it's too dangerous.
"The speed you do that close to the walls, if you have an accident, there is no way a chassis can survive a certain way of having a crash. That means your legs can be heavily damaged or even further. And I don't see any point in that. I have nothing to prove there."
He also took a shot at the Indy Car drivers:
"People who usually cannot survive in Formula 1, they go to Indy. People who come from Indy hardly survive in Formula 1."
Schumacher was known to make such unabashed comments throughout his F1 career. Many times, his wheel-to-wheel battles with rivals were dangerous, leading to allegations of dirty driving, but within his team, the Red Baron was a mastermind.
How Michael Schumacher's "rare talent" changed the face of Ferrari
There's a world of work going on behind the glitz and glamor of motorsport. Michael Schumacher was one of the special drivers who not only drove his team's car to perfection but also contributed heavily to building the team.
In July last year, former Ferrari manager Peter Windsor revealed how the seven-time champion was more interested in the people and the overall picture than just results.
"Schumacher (was) very, very good doing a Jackie Stewart, doing a Niki Lauda; getting very good people, getting the best from people around him as well, knowing all their names, really looking after the people, really getting the team to gel," said Windsor. "That’s what Michael also did incredibly well. And that’s a rare talent."
According to Windsor, Schumacher never let his fame get to his head:
"It’s very easy for racing drivers to become quite remote when they start earning a lot of money and a lot of fame. And Michael didn’t do that."
Michael Schumacher is recovering from a life-threatening accident in 2013 while skiing in the French Alps, but the details of his health have been kept under wraps by his family.