Norbert Haug told Bild magazine what kind of person Michael Schumacher was outside the F1 tracks.
Former Mersu boss Norbert Haug was often Michael Schumacher an enemy in the F1 races, but outside the skabos, the men got along well with each other.
Haug is still incredibly saddened by Schumacher’s skiing accident, which completely changed the life of the F1 legend and his inner circle in 2013.
On racetracks, Schumacher was sometimes even known as a ruthless driver who did not shy away from risks. Haug revealed to the Bild newspaper that on the ski slope he was, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, a completely different man.
– I can swear that Michael did not take risks as a skier. He was especially careful when skiing, and I think he was very good at it, Haug said.
Still, Schumacher’s life took a new direction right on the slopes in the French Alps.
– It was a real misfortune. It was unfortunate, says Haug.
According to the Mersu boss, he has a lot of common experiences with the seven-time world champion.
– We were enemies most of the time during our professional careers. Michael was always really tough on the track, but really friendly and funny off the track. He liked to party. I have wonderful memories of him, says Haug.
Haug (Mersu) and Schumacher (Ferrari) competed against each other in the 90s and early 2000s. The men finally ended up in the same team in 2010, when Schumacher made a return to the F1 tracks in the ranks of Mercedes after a three-year break.
“Truly admirable”
Almost no information about Schumacher or the man’s health has been leaked to the public since the terrible accident happened more than ten years ago.
F1 hero’s wife Corinna Schumacher has not wanted to tell the whole world about her husband’s condition. Haug appreciates the woman’s decision and hats off to her for how well Corinna has been able to run the family’s everyday life after the accident.
– I don’t have enough words for that. I can’t praise him enough, but I have the utmost respect for him.
Haug is dealing with Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehmin with. If he wants to, he can be in touch with the F1 icon’s family through this, but the man doesn’t want to disturb them unnecessarily.
– I want to respect privacy. Corinna does everything as well as she can in a difficult situation. It’s really admirable.
Norbert Haug and Michael Schumacher represented Mercedes in the 2010–2012 seasons. PDO