On December 29, 2013, the world of Formula 1 came to a halt with Michael Schumacher's terrible accident, but today, ten years later, the Kaiser is even more present than ever.
I remember watching Michael Schumacher on TV when I was a child, I was about seven years old. Even though my eyes were always on Fernando Alonso with his blue and yellow colors, I couldn't help but pay attention to him. Dressed in red, a pilot with a serene expression but with eyes that exuded passion and concentration. His gaze reflected a serious person, aware of his value and his place in history, without a hint of arrogance. My father often said“it's a machine” (a Spanish expression for a person who is very good at something) and his fusion with the car was so perfect that you could almost say it was literally like that.
With over 25 years of racing, 7 world championships and 91 victories, Michael Schumacher left an indelible mark on the life and history of Formula 1, taking Ferrari to the highest levels and earning him the nickname "The Kaiser". He gave his passion to this sport, his home, which never expected anything in return, where speed and danger seemed to be his most faithful allies. On 29 December 2013, already far from the Formula 1 circuits, while he was enjoying a day of skiing in Meribel with his son Mick, then just fourteen years old, the risk, which had always been faithful to him on the circuits, triggered a fatal accident which changed forever the fate of the pilot.
The story of Michael Schumacher
Michael's life changed, but it never stopped completely. Schumi he knew perfectly well what it meant to fight until the last second, on and off the track, without ever giving up. That moment instead stopped our life, that of the fans and the world of motoring as a whole, as if someone had pressed the pause button. Since then, a fundamental piece has been missing, leaving unknowns, but above all silence. A silence that Michael's family has decided to maintain and that no one has broken, despite the fact that the world of Formula 1 continues to look for a glimpse of Michael at every moment, in every corner, in every record.
And like a déjà vu, see Mick behind the wheel of a Formula 1 it inevitably brought back memories of his father, along with the enormous responsibility of carrying the Schumacher name on his shoulders, which perhaps prevented him from showing his full potential in the right place but at the wrong time. The universe clings to Michael's presence and today, with the support and support of his family, perseveres in his fight stronger than ever.
Todt's words
“Michael is no longer the Schumacher we knew, he is different,” a phrase by Jean Todt, always alongside the driver during his glorious period at Ferrari, resonates deeply, evoking the complexity of his new reality. This year, in Monza, this sentence also made sense to me, but in a different way. On Sunday, before the race, in the stands of the straight before the Parabolica, a banner stood out among all the messages of support for the drivers and teams.
“Michael we always love you”
A simple, sober sign, with a certain melancholy, but written in the present tense. Because Formula 1 has never left or forgotten and today, ten years after his accident, Michael Schumacher is more present than ever.
