Schumi's toughest battle

By Simon Wright - Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

As fans of the legendary Italian car manufacturer Ferrari gather outside the Grenoble hospital in France to hold a silent vigil, the world of motorsport and particularly Grand Prix racing says a prayer, holds its breath and hopes that the greatest driver of his generation and possibly of all-time pulls through.

Friday, 3 January marked the 45^th birthday of the seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher but he would have known nothing about it. The former Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes GP driver has now been in an induced coma for a week after a skiing accident whilst on a family holiday in the French Alps.

Michael Schumacher faces his toughest battle - this one to survive

This isn’t going to be a piece about why the accident happened, or what might have saved Schumacher’s life, nor will it look into the consequences of skiing in the slopes. This will be looking at Michael Schumacher (pictured) the man, Michael Schumacher the racing driver and now the human being who is fighting for his life in a French hospital as we all hope he makes a complete recovery from the serious brain injuries suffered.

While my recent F1 2013 season review before Christmas was my last regular piece on the sport for this website, I felt this was something I wanted and needed to write about. There is no doubt that Schumacher has his millions of fans around the world and others who put him down as an arrogant, smut and petulant German who would win at all costs, even if that meant bending the rules to do so. However I’m sure we can all unite in saying that he needs to come through this barrier and that he is among the best that have ever driven a Grand Prix car.

The arguments will reign on to who is the greatest. Was it Juan Manuel Fangio at a time where drivers were racing with no safety restrictions and consequently, accidents were often fatal? Was it Ayrton Senna – the iconic Brazilian who showed the first signs of ruthlessness required to become a multiple world champion and died doing what he loved? Is it even Schumacher’s countryman Sebastian Vettel, who is sweeping all before him and could well surpass Michael’s records in the years to come? It is a debate that will rage on for years but Schumacher has to be placed among the best. The stats will back this up too. 91 wins, seven world championships, 68 pole positions, over 1500 points amassed and 308 Grand Prix starts.

As a racing driver, he was extremely competitive and hated losing but also loved a challenge. In 1995, he raced to a second successive title with the unheralded Benetton team, becoming the youngest back-to-back world champion until Vettel arrived. Rather than stick with the Enstone unit, he decided to turn his back on them and accept a new challenge. That was to lead the Prancing Horse of Ferrari back to the top. Ferrari had been in the doldrums for far too long when he arrived for 1996. They hadn’t won a constructors’ title for 13 years, a driver’s title for 17 years and there were tough times such as driveshafts snapping in the pitlane and engines blowing up on the formation lap. Not once did he criticise the team though and he moulded them into a winning breed once again. He deserves great credit for accepting a new challenge and building a team around him.

The near-misses were tough to take but the relief and the pride was always there. When he finally achieved his goal of becoming world champion for Ferrari after victory in a gripping wheel-to-wheel duel with Mika Hakkinen at the 2000 Japanese Grand Prix, the majority were delighted. Formula One is not the same without a winning Ferrari outfit. He then proceeded to crush the opposition for the next four seasons. He won the title in 2002 by late July, 2004 by late August – something that with the number of races nowadays is unlikely even for Vettel to achieve. Even when Ferrari didn’t have the best car in 2003, Schumacher put in some meteoritic performances when required to snare the titles away from McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen and the Williams BMW driver Juan Pablo Montoya.

Of course there were dark moments in his career where he had to win at all costs and I’m sure these are things the great man would regret. His move to take Damon Hill out of the 1994 title decider in Adelaide was a rash moment of desperation; the attempt to eliminate Jacques Villeneuve in Jerez at the 1997 finale was blatant and frankly disgusting – even his own tifosi support were incensed by that rash moment. There was also the worst parking offence of the 2006 season at La Rascasse during the dying moments of qualifying in Monte Carlo when he deliberately stopped his car to prevent other quicker cars stealing his pole position. The dark stains on his character are a real shame as it does taint a great champion.

However, I will remember him more for the epic drives he produced time and again. His drive from 16^th on the grid to win the 1995 Belgian Grand Prix for Benetton; his first win for Ferrari at a wet and soggy Barcelona in 1996 when he didn’t have the best car but won by a mile; the 1998 Hungarian Grand Prix on a qualifying style strategy when McLaren had the measure of his chassis; the classic race with Hakkinen in Japan 2000 and the cameo in his comeback in Canada 2011 when he rolled back some of his prime days with clever overtakes in a car that was well below the standard he normally had underneath his disposal. 

As a man, Schumacher has great respect with the general public. He is a loving family man, who cares deeply about the achievements of his kids and his wife. He also spends a lot of time working for charities now his racing days are done and donating money to good causes. He gives a lot back to more unfortunate people who have suffered worst and that means he has my respect. While I admit that when he was winning all the time, it wasn’t great to watch – I appreciated the success and the ‘Dream Team’ at Ferrari more as history was being carved out, something we are witnessing again today with the Red Bull/Vettel combination.

The whole of the motorsport fraternity is thinking of Schumacher and his family at this horrible time. The tributes from former rivals, ex-team-mates and current competitors have been lovely to see. It shows that F1 and the sport in general is a family and we are all deeply affected when something terrible happens. Schumacher would know that from experience; shown when he broke down in floods of tears during a televised press conference after victory at Monza 2000 as he digested the news of a marshal being killed from injuries sustained in a multiple accident earlier in the race. I just hope Michael can pull through and will be able to see the general love, affection and respect that has been fully evident over the past week.

Ferrari fans show their support for their former hero outside hospital

Last Sunday, things didn’t look good whatsoever and I had almost given up hope with the way the reports were coming through of his injuries. Like the fighting desire he showed on the racing track time and again, the signs from Grenoble (Ferrari fans outside pictured) since 29 December have been slightly more positive. The situation is still critical and there is a long way back to recovery or even a stage where we can confidently say Schumacher is out of life danger. We will probably only know the severity more when the induced coma he is currently in is eased slowly by the hard-working and determined doctors over the next week. It would be a terrible irony that after 19 seasons driving around some of the hardest racing circuits at speeds upto 220mph relatively unscathed that this supremely fit human being succumbed to an impact that eyewitnesses have suggested was no more than 10mph.

My thoughts are with Michael Schumacher and the whole of his family. All we can do is keep our fingers crossed, say some prayers and hope that he comes back from the brink and makes a full recovery. This is his toughest battle yet but having seen him at his prime and peak, I know he can beat this, just like he did to all his rivals when he took the chequered flag in first place so often throughout his career.

Categories: Benetton, Charity, Controversy, Ferrari, France, Grenoble, Injury, Jordan, Michael Schumacher, Skiing

My favourite race: Spa 1998 - 15 years on

By Simon Wright - Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

Formula One has been on a much welcome summer break and it has been a refreshing pause in a championship that has failed to live up to its promised potential.

Next weekend, the paddock gathers at what is the favourite circuit with many of the drivers, and that is the daunting Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

It is my favourite track and favourite event too of the entire season.  You can forget your Monte Carlo, Silverstone and Monza spectaculars, Spa beats them all and a part of the sport is missing when the fraternity doesn’t travel there, like it did in 2003 and 2006.

The Belgian Grand Prix always produces drama and great quality, and none more so than 15 years ago on 30 August. 

The 1998 Belgian GP was one of the most dramatic, controversial and action-packed afternoons ever seen in the 53-year history of the world championship.  And it is my favourite Grand Prix of all-time.

It wasn’t an easy pick for me.  The overtaking fests of Suzuka 2005 and Shanghai 2011 were strong contenders, along with the gripping title deciders in Jerez 1997, and Interlagos 2008 and 2012.  However the Spa event of 1998 tops the list as it was sheer entertainment throughout.  It was a wet, filthy day in the Ardennes forest and it had a winner for Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

Eddie Jordan is sprayed with champagne by winning driver Damon Hill

After eight years of fruitless success, Eddie Jordan (pictured being sprayed in champagne) finally achieved his ambition of becoming a Grand Prix winner.  The colourful team principal saw his cars, driven by Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher finish an amazing 1-2, in a day where cars were destroyed, drivers walked away from massive shunts and Michael Schumacher tried a boxing career which was halted by some feisty mechanics from McLaren.  Yep, Spa 1998 had it all.

Background to the event

The 1998 season was turning into a grandstand finish.  McLaren started the campaign with a massive car advantage.  They lapped the entire field in Australia, and Mika Hakkinen won four of the first six races to build up a healthy championship advantage.

Ferrari, chasing their first drivers’ championship crown in 19 years, and a constructors’ prize for the first time since 1983 fought back.  Michael Schumacher won three races in a row in brilliant fashion during mid-season, and had just produced a storming performance to outfox McLaren on strategy and sheer speed to win the Hungarian Grand Prix.  The momentum was with the German, who was trailing Hakkinen by seven points with just four races to go in the campaign.

McLaren were expected to set the pace in Spa, and did in qualifying with Hakkinen on pole position from team-mate David Coulthard.  Schumacher had to settle for fourth, behind an inspired Damon Hill in his Jordan Mugen Honda.  Meanwhile, reigning world champion Jacques Villeneuve did well to drag his horrible Williams machinery to sixth, considering he’d walked away from a scary 185mph bite with the Eau Rouge barriers during Friday practice.

Total carnage

Spa’s micro-climate has caused plenty of drama before, and it did so again on raceday, but this time, it was clearly going to be a wet race.  For Schumacher and Ferrari, this was good news as it negated McLaren’s car performance advantage around the longest circuit in Grand Prix racing.  Despite difficult visibility conditions, the race started under normal circumstances, only for the biggest multiple pile-up in the championship’s history to happen seconds into the race.

Hakkinen converted pole position into an instant lead, and Villeneuve made an unbelievable start to rocket into second place.  Schumacher was tardy away and slipped to sixth; whilst Hill bogged down badly and was passed by five cars before turn one.  

Spa 1998 witnessed one of the biggest first lap pile-ups ever seen

Accelerating away from the tricky La Source hairpin, Coulthard hit a slippery drain cover and lost control of his McLaren, smashing hard into the concrete wall.  The Scot was powerless to control his vehicle, as Schumacher, Hill and Heinz-Harald Frentzen slipped past.  The other Ferrari of Eddie Irvine wasn’t so lucky, as he was collected by Coulthard’s car, forcing Ralf Schumacher into the wall to take evasive action.  Alexander Wurz’s Benetton spun and was hit by the Prost of Jarno Trulli, while an errant wheel span Johnny Herbert’s Sauber down the road.  The back of the field had no chance, as with cars and debris all over the place, Arrows, Stewart and Tyrrell cars ploughed into the mayhem, making the track more look like a destructive derby.  Legendary commentator Murray Walker said: “This is the worst start to a Grand Prix I have ever seen in the whole of my life.”

When the accident stopped, Schumacher got his Jordan back to the pits, but no fewer than 13 of the 22 cars were terminally wounded.  Drivers started climbing out of their wrecked machinery, checking that their rivals were unhurt and started the climb back to the pits to jump into spare cars.  Amazingly despite the carnage, no drivers, marshals, photographers or spectators were injured, though a sore elbow did force Rubens Barrichello out of the restart.  With two badly mangled Arrows, Prost and Tyrrell cars caught up, Mika Salo, Olivier Panis and Ricardo Rosset were also forced to become bystanders for the rest of the afternoon.

Clashes between the rivals

It took a full hour for the track to be cleared before a fresh start could take place.  On the second start, Hill made a beautiful getaway and squeezed past Hakkinen to take the lead into La Source.  Schumacher went around the outside and made gentle contact with his championship rival, spinning Hakkinen around into the pack.  He was then hit by an out-of-control Herbert and it took both drivers out of the race.  The Safety Car was deployed to clear away the stranded McLaren.

Hill led the two Ferrari cars of Schumacher and Irvine, but only until lap eight when the German comfortably eased past the Jordan at the aptly titled Bus Stop chicane to take the lead of the event.  In typical Schumi style in these conditions, he started going several seconds quicker than the remaining runners.

Irvine disappeared from third place after damaging his front wing across the grass, and later spun off whilst recovering back up the order.  Villeneuve was another casualty, spinning off while on worn intermediate tyres.  The conditions had got worse as the afternoon progressed and Schumacher, with an advantage of some 45 seconds over Hill, came up to lap a struggling Coulthard.

DC had been hit by Wurz on the first lap of the new race and was clearly not comfortable with the handling of his car.  As TV viewers were told Jean Todt had requested McLaren’s permission for an easy pass to lap Coulthard, Schumacher was blinded by the dreadful visibility.

He ploughed straight into the back of the Scot, almost inexplicably, ripping off his front suspension and the McLaren’s rear wing.  It cost him victory and the chance of taking the world championship lead for the first time in 1998.  Absolutely furious and believing his safety was at risk, Schumacher threw his steering wheel out of his car in the garage, and charged down to the McLaren garage looking absolutely incensed.  What happened next has been debated by many since that day, but it is believed Schumacher remonstrated with Coulthard, accused him of trying to ‘####ing kill him’ and attempted to land a punch on Coulthard’s chin.  The McLaren mechanics and Todt managed to prevent this with some force, and dragged Schumacher away.  He looked furious, possibly regretting the thought that millions of TV viewers had seen him cracking under the pressure of the title battle.

Five years later, Coulthard admitted he was to blame for the unfortunate shunt.  He said at the 2003 French Grand Prix: “When Michael ran into the back of me, his reaction was that I’d brake tested him or tried to kill him.  The stewards looked at the data and I hadn’t braked, so it was just all brushed under the carpet.  The reality is that I lifted to let him pass me, but I lifted in heavy spray on the racing line.  You should never do that.  The minute I knew he was there, and I was told by the team that he was and was trying to allow him to pass me, I should have made a smarter decision.”

Fisichella’s torpedo

There was another dramatic incident moments later as Giancarlo Fisichella’s Benetton crashed heavily on the entry to the pitlane, smacking cones all over the place and spilling oil from his crushed Playlife engine onto the track.  Replays later showed an even worse impact than the one between Schumacher and Coulthard.

Totally unsighted by the trees and the glum lack of sight, the Italian ploughed his car straight into the back of innocent backmarker Shinji Nakano, driving a Minardi.  Once again, the driver was so lucky to escape injury as his car more looked like a torpedo after battle.

The Safety Car came out again and closed up the field.  Schumacher’s demise had gifted Hill the lead again, though he was being caught by his faster team-mate Ralf Schumacher.  Schumacher was widely believed to be leaving Jordan at the end of the season for Williams, and discussions began over how the Irish team should deal with this tricky situation.

Hill insisted over the team radio that the decision was upto to his team boss.  He said as revealed in a 1999 TV documentary: “I’m going to put something to you here, and I think you’d better listen to this.  If we race, if we two race, we could end up with nothing, so it’s up to Eddie.  If we don’t race each other, we’ve got an opportunity to get a first and second, it’s your choice.”

Call off the fight and a historic 1-2 was on the cards, but battle for the position and it could all go disastrously wrong.  EJ reluctantly agreed with his supposed number one driver and issued a controversial team order which destroyed Ralf, as he believed he could win.  Race engineer Sam Michael was forced to give his driver the bad news, and Ralf reluctantly accepted the instruction, but he clearly was not amused.  They had to keep pushing though, as rainmaster Jean Alesi was driving an absolute stormer for Sauber and heading for a shock podium.

With the instruction in place, Hill reeled off the remaining laps to take the chequered flag for the 22^nd and final time in his career.  It was his first Grand Prix victory since being dumped by Williams after his world championship success two years earlier.  Schumacher was second, ahead of Alesi, a very quiet Frentzen, Pedro Diniz’s Arrows and the Prost of Trulli.  Only six cars finished the race properly, though both Coulthard and Nakano also crossed the line after extensive repairs in the pits following their incidents.

Celebrations and aftermath

It was a day of celebration for the Jordan team who had battled so hard through the past seven years, and achieved only meagre results, yet had a lot of fun along the way.  It was the final glory day for Hill, who drifted into retirement a year later after a disappointing 1999 campaign.  

Sadly, Jordan went the same way after running into financial trouble as the major manufacturers such as BMW, Honda and Renault came into the sport and pushed EJ’s team down the grid.

Eddie sold up to Russian group Midland F1 in February 2005, and the team formerly known as Jordan is still going today under the guidance of Vijay Mallya and Force India.

Schumacher and Coulthard made their peace at the next event at Monza.  Despite winning the Italian race, he came up 14 points short in the 1998 title battle, as Hakkinen drove brilliantly to win the Luxembourg Grand Prix at the Nurburgring in Germany!  At Suzuka five weeks later, Schumacher stalled on the grid and another Hakkinen win wrapped up the first of his two world championships.  The Flying Finn walked away from the sport in 2001 and despite being briefly tempted to return at the end of 2004, wisely stayed away to keep his legendary status intact. 

The 1998 Belgian Grand Prix had it all when staying on track was a notable achievement.  It was a day where the fun and loving underdog conquered all and the 1998 event is still remembered as one of the most iconic events in Grand Prix racing’s proud history.  It is my favourite race of all-time, and I have the privilege of having the event on my laptop if I ever want to reminisce and watch it again. 

Fingers crossed that 15 years on, the 2013 event reminds everyone why Spa is such a great circuit and why Formula One isn’t all about dominant German racing drivers!

Categories: 1998, Belgium, Damon Hill, Jordan, Michael Schumacher