20 years ago, Schumacher won his last title, a look back at his glory years

This article can be found in our Collector Michael Schumacher. 132 pages retracing the career of the seven-time World Champion Formula 1, available in our online store.

The armor cracked and the mask fell off. This relentless winning machine that we thought was hermetic to the turpitudes of mere mortals, this face usually so cold with determination, this champion with ruthless driving and killer instinct, this consummate professional that some compared to a robot devoid of emotions: would he ultimately be just a man like the others? While he has just signed a capital victory on the lands of Ferrari, at the end of a race mourned by the death of a track marshal following a major accident on the first lap of this 2000 Italian Grand Prix (Paolo Gislimberti, fatally injured by a Heinz-Harald Frentzen wheel), Michael Schumacher presents himself at a press conference surrounded by his great rival Mika Häkkinen (McLaren) and his brother Ralf (Williams), who accompanied him on the podium. Asked whether he is delighted with the result after the rotten summer he has just endured on a sporting level, the winner of the day stammers that he has not “no words to express your feelings” and is said above all " exhausted ". Then the unthinkable happens.

Asked about the importance of this 41st career victory which allows him to equal the great Ayrton Senna in the list of winners, Schumacher can barely breathe a sigh of relief. “has great value in his eyes” before bowing his head and apologizing while trying to fight back the rising tears. But the wave is too strong and the dykes that are usually so strong are shattered. The German burst into tears, under the incredulous gaze of his comrades. A gentleman before the eternal, Häkkinen puts a comforting arm on Schumacher's shoulder and asks the conference moderator to question Ralf instead, who tries to put on a good face. Moved by the vulnerability of an opponent who is usually so tough, the impassive Finn also has a misty look in his eyes. The conference was quickly dispatched and it was to the cheers of the press room that Schumacher was welcomed a few moments later. In the meantime, the German champion has regained his calm, but refuses to return to the event and the comparison with Senna, whose tragic fate deprived Schumacher of a rival of his size at the time when the latter asserted himself among the leaders of the grid. “I think not all questions need to be asked, or some don't require an answer. I don't want to go into detail about it.", he sweeps. Michael had already become Schu again