Reporter shares Schumacher anecdote
“Unfortunately he still owes me this to this day”
Updated June 2, 2026 – 4:51 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Michael Schumacher is considered one of the greatest racing drivers of all time. A companion remembers that, despite his status, the German was always up for fun.
Hardly any driver has influenced events in and around Formula 1 as much as Michael Schumacher. Between 1991 and 2012, the German broke records, became the record world champion and thrilled millions of fans. Reporter legend Roger Benoit, who has reported on Formula 1 for five decades, accompanied “Schumi” throughout his career and now remembered shared experiences.
“He once told me that I was too fat. I replied: ‘Wait until the next race in three weeks, then I’ll only weigh 80 kilos,'” the Swiss reported in an interview with Sport1. At the next Grand Prix he stepped on the Ferrari scales and even undercut the 80 kilograms by 200 grams.
- Over twelve years after the Schumi accident: Rescue helicopter pilot speaks
“Michael laughed and said he owed me dinner and a beer somewhere in the world,” Benoit recalled. “Unfortunately he still owes me that to this day, but he liked jokes like that.”
Embed
In general, the record world champion often showed himself to be humane after the work was done. “After the races he would often sit in Bernie Ecclestone’s motorhome, drink a beer and smoke a cigar – at least when he won,” said Benoit. “In such moments he seemed relaxed and relaxed.”
The Swiss also recalled that things between him and Schumacher “weren’t always easy because I was one of his biggest critics.” He coined the term “Schummel-Schumi” and initially had no contact with the German during his time at Mercedes. “Then, at a race in Japan, he suddenly ran past me, leaned down, tapped me on the knee and said, ‘Let’s start again. Let’s forget all this,'” Benoit recalled. Afterwards he spoke to the record world champion again.