And when the 76-year-old then talked about the first meeting with Schumacher before moving to Ferrari and how the pilot was “a little green behind the ears” at the time, Todt’s eyes seemed to flash. The former head of the international automobile association FIA looked almost with paternal pride at the upbringing that Schumacher and his wife Corinna gave their children Gina and Mick. “Sincerity, honesty, respect, loyalty, but also determination and reliability” were put into the cradle of the two.
In any case, the awarding of the state prize was less about Schumacher’s sporting merits than about his merits, his commitment away from the race track. The prize honors “a person who has a big heart and for whom it has always been important to think of others,” said NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst in his opening speech. The Kerpener always had an eye for those “who are not doing well. He helped them with extremely generous donations, mostly quietly. His family continues the charitable commitment.”
When the CDU politician came to talk about the role of Schumacher’s father Rolf, he waved him off in the front row and insisted that he had never owned the legendary go-kart track on which everything began, but only leased it from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. A laugh – and proof of Schumacher’s down-to-earthness.
The fascination with Michael Schumacher is unbroken
Wife Corinna fought back tears when the audience in Cologne-Ossendorf rose to standing ovations when the certificate was handed over, couldn’t control herself back in the front row, cried bitterly. Later, at the reception, right between all the Schumi souvenirs, the two stood together most of the time. Corinna, the wife, Todt, the close friend.
Mick, the so talented Formula 1 driver, who deals so aggressively with his father’s outsized successes and the incessant media comparisons between senior and junior, was absent with stomach problems. In the premier class, he has the abbreviation “MSC”, like the “big” Schumacher once did. He too is part of this phenomenon, this destiny, this fascination with Schumacher.
“I’m proud to call Michael my friend and I’m just as proud to have a very close friendship with his family,” said a clearly emotional Todt. “Through his victories and successes, he rose from a humble background to become a true citizen of the world, who worked closely with people from many different cultures. But he never forgot where his roots lay – about 30 kilometers from here as the crow flies – and he has a down-to-earth attitude never lost.” That’s why all the testimonies of his successes on site, authentic, within reach for everyone.
Maybe that’s the reason why the fascination with Michael Schumacher is still unbroken.