(Motorsport-Total.com) – Former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt has rejected the widespread assessment that Michael Schumacher appeared arrogant or overbearing during his Formula 1 career. This image of the record world champion is “completely wrong,” the Frenchman emphasizes.
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In fact, self-doubt played a central role in Schumacher’s successes. Todt recalls the time they spent together from 1996 to 2006 in the High Performance Podcast and describes the German as surprisingly introverted.
“Michael is a fairly sensitive person,” says the Frenchman. And Schumacher was “not a typical tough leader who thinks he knows better than everyone else,” finds the former Ferrari team principal, who remembers a special episode after a world championship title.
Michael Schumacher doubted his abilities
“After his world championship title, before the start of the new season, he asked me to go with him to a private race track in Fiorano. He said: ‘Could you give me half a day so I can do some tests to make sure I’m still good?'”
“I think it’s a great strength not to be sure that you’re good,” says Todt, who rejects the accusation of arrogance as “completely wrong.” “Michael is a rather shy, generous guy. But he hides his shyness behind an arrogant facade.”
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This appearance was not a calculated behavior, but part of his personality: “I don’t think you do that consciously to gain advantages,” the long-time Ferrari team principal is convinced. “I think that’s in the character, in the genes, that’s just how you are.”
Professional relationship becomes almost a family
Over time, the relationship between Schumacher and Todt changed significantly, from purely professional contact to an almost familial bond: “Very quickly, because we had to fight back in 1997,” says Todt. “He realized he was being protected, he realized he was being loved, so it’s mutual.”
“So our professional relationship gradually developed into a friendly and familial relationship.” Jean Todt remains one of the few people allowed to visit Michael Schumacher after his serious skiing accident in December 2013.
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