Finished reading the book, gives a overall balanced view of schumacher the driver and the person.
I have read many of the anecdotes quoted in the book in many different articles before.
It covers every aspect of him. Right from his childhood, his emotional side, jerez and monaco incidents, team building, domination and the value systems he grew up in earlier days of f1 career.
Picked up "Michael Schumacher - The Edge of Greatness" this afternoon. Cost in Mumbai Rs. 545/- paper back edition. Now to get down to read it.
MS was a complete package. I will always rate him very highily as a driver, and would have called him an all time great had he won all his titles cleanly.
None the less he was a champion no doubt.
Enjoy the book.
the Greatest Driver the Sport has Ever Seen. The Living Legend Michael Schumacher.
Michael Schumacher, aka 'Stig', shows Erin Baker how to drive around the Ferrari Fiorano track.
Michael Schumacher, aka Top Gear's temporary 'Stig', takes Erin Baker, the only British newspaper journalist invited by Ferrari to sample its Pilota customer driving course, for a few laps around the company's Fiorano test track.
Michael Schumacher, seven times Formula One world champion, winner of 91 grands prix and unparalleled motor-racing god (also unveiled last Sunday as Top Gear's temporary Stig…), flashes his brilliant white teeth, and shrugs apologetically. "I only know one level, and that is 100 per cent," he tells me as we sit side by side in a Ferrari 599 GTB. I have just asked him how much of his capability he'll be using for our laps.
All of it. I swallow. Schumacher tells me to move the seat forward so I can brace my feet flat against the footplate at the end of the passenger well, and asks me to let him know if I feel uncomfortable at any time, because it is meant to be, you know, fun!
One-to-one downtime with Schuey is precious (someone recently paid £180,000 for hot laps with him at an auction), and I'll share with you our little chat, but you have to remember that, throughout the entire conversation, we were absolutely flying around Ferrari's private Fiorano test track, across the road from the factory; even when he looked at me to ask a question, he didn't let up. It's hard to add the requisite background of speed and noise to the dialogue; try reading this while sitting in the washing machine on a fast spin.
We gun it out of the garage and on to the test track. Blip, blip, blip go Schuey's fingers on the gearchange paddles, and we are suddenly at full-on racing speed, ploughing into the first corner, a second-gear right-hander.
Schumacher hits the brakes then simply throws the car in to the bend, which is when we shift from a world occupied by mortals to a dimension reserved for superheroes. You and I would struggle to control a heavy Ferrari on the exit when we had carried a huge amount of speed into the corner and hadn't followed any discernible racing line on the way in. We'd undoubtedly crash.
Any decent racing driver would probably maintain control, but my experience of hot laps with Touring Car and World Rally Championship stars is that they are silent while they're grappling with grip, concentration etched on their brows. On a sweltering day at Schumacher's second home, however, the F1 legend clearly thinks that we are idling in a traffic jam. He chats away. I don't even notice his arms and hands moving.
Being a relaxed, retired F1 superstar, enjoying life in the (relatively) slow lane as a consultant to Ferrari (and, er, as The Stig), Schuey politely says he expects I am used to these kind of speeds, as we shoot down the straight. Not wanting to disappoint, I stupidly pipe up that, as it happens, I am something of a racing driver myself… having raced in the Caterham Academy last year.
"Ah! What's a Caterham?" he asks (tyres juddering on the edge of grip as we claw an arc round a fast, long right-hander). "Like a Lotus Seven: a two-wheeled, rear-people… I mean, two-seater, rear-wheel, er, thing, you know," I squeak as we shoot into a hairpin, hit the apex and boomerang out the other side at a billion miles an hour.
"Ah, and can you see the tyres?" Schuey inquires (controlling the oversteer on the throttle). I can't envisage the car at this point, let alone the wheels. "Yes," I whisper as he slams on the brakes. "Good, so you can see when they are worn out and you must come in to change them. With this car, I only know when I see smoke coming from the rear wheels," he laughs. I don't like to tell him that the Avons I raced on last year lasted an entire season.
We shoot over the blind summit on the bridge, hit the brakes and turn into a sharp right-hander. I pipe up, "Of course, I spent most of the season spinning – I'm very good at that." Schumacher smiles (at my little joke!). "And did you manage to carry on?" At last, I can tell the truth and still look cool. "Actually, I was very good at depressing the brake and clutch in time so I didn't stall, and setting off again."
"Ah," he says, "like this then," and, from something near 100mph, he throws the car into an almighty spin. Not content with going clockwise, he slurrs the car into an opposite spin. Lots of smoke and noise and we are off again. He is having fun.
We fly past the pit lane on our third lap."So, er, also, I ride motorbikes, and I find that helps with racing," I offer helpfully, aware that he has competed in the German Superbike Championship. "Oh? Why?". Oh god, I have no idea why. "Balance, and er, you know, looking ahead, and stuff," I say astutely.
A few more orbits around planet Earth and we begin to slow down, Schuey looking totally unruffled in his pale blue linen shirt, sleeves rolled up, arms coloured a rich perma-tan.
In the garage, I smile bashfully, and, like the smitten fan I am, ask if he would sign my T-shirt. But my pen won't work. The trauma: so near and yet so far! Schuey waits patiently until someone passes a marker pen through the window. I present my chest. Schuey diplomatically goes for the shoulder area. We shake hands. I climb out. Over so quickly! But I have flown with the gods. And have the T-shirt to prove it.
Source:
Michael Schumacher, aka 'Stig', shows Erin Baker how to drive around the Ferrari Fiorano track - Telegraph 