[libranof1987]

Watched the documentary last night, and found it quite moving.

We've all known him to be very aggressive and win-at-all-costs when it comes to racing but what stood out was just how different he was off the circuit. This also explains why we know so little about his life post the accident - "private is private" as he said.

This documentary was never going to touch upon the more controversial bits of his life - the team rivalries, those with other drivers and so on. But I think it is a good effort in showing what he is.

I hope there comes a day we can see him hale and hearty in public.

Also, this - heartbreakingly poetic.

[LivingCars]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Goosebumps moment as I started watching this. Wow! Initial impression is good

Completely agree on this . For F1 fans in late nineties and till the Ferrari Domination period 2000-2004 Michael Schumacher was the equivalent of Sachin Tendulkar.

I have personally walked around the Monaco Road circuit and it requires nothing less than 100 per cent perfection. A single bad split second can ruin your race and boom you are in the barrier.

A documentary worth watching for any Ferrari / Schumacher fan. Especially the pre ferrari days were of special interest to me as i started following F1 1998 onwards.

[am1m]

Am a huge Schumi fan and watched almost every one of those dominant period races on TV live between 1999-2004 during college and at my first job. Just finished watching the documentary last night and have to say, apart from some family footage this documentary doesn't bring up anything new or particularly noteworthy. It's a rather straightforward biography, the video equivalent of a wikipedia article on the man. I'm not saying I was looking for something sensational or that invaded his privacy, of course not, but the storytelling was workmanlike, no real insight. At the very least, there's a Barrichello-sized hole in the movie. The filmmakers couldn't talk to his long-time co-driver at Ferrari?

Comparisons with Senna are going to be inevitable (the documentary 'Senna' I mean ) and frankly, that was a far more moving and superior piece of work. Watch it because it's a Schumi documentary, but don't expect the same level of movie making.

[theabstractmind]

Definitely a worth watch. Two
or three moments remain etched:

1. The introduction with footage of a lap on Monaco. Very apt.

2. Outward expression of doubts immediately after Senna crash.

3. Him breaking into tears upon equalling Senna (Imola I guess) and Mika Hakkinen asking the journalist to give them a minute. It shows what the sport lost over a period of time.

For me, Schumacher's brilliance was not about his destination, it was the journey. About how he put a pathetic car on the podium regularly (the Ferrari of '96 to '99, 2005 and 2006), and how he built the team. Forget the tainted legacy, there are no saints on the racing track.

[Trust_In_Thrust]

Anyone who has watched the races during Michael Schumacher time will agree every race was a story of strategy and guts which Ferrari as a team perfected over time. The story clearly reflects how a driver is integral with the team in pits , the engineers etc to enable a spectacular finish.

The documentary shows clearly how a better team will win against better car or better driver. ( Mika was a great driver but clearly adopted a safer approach ) In many ways how Schumi drove is reflected by few riders in MotoGP who put everything on the line. Some do say Schumi was reckless but taking the chance to overtake one car before the apex , down the straight is what highlights the true driver who settles for nothing less but taking each chance while putting everything on the limit and staying on the limit.

I am just lucky to have witnessed so many of these races.

[Hayek]

Saw this documentary yesterday. Was very raw, based on old footage, and quite frankly showed why I (and so many others) loved Schumi so much. What amazed me (and my son) was how I remembered virtually every move Schumi made (good, bad and ugly) more than 20 years after I saw them, while I probably won’t remember moves from last month’s races.

I do think that F1 has become too conservative in terms of penalising drivers for racing incidents - yes, last weeks Verstappen on Hamilton incident could have ended badly, but it was a racing incident and if drivers get penalised for such moves, there will be even less overtaking as all drivers become hyper conservative.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Hayek

I do think that F1 has become too conservative in terms of penalising drivers for racing incidents - yes, last weeks Verstappen on Hamilton incident could have ended badly, but it was a racing incident and if drivers get penalised for such moves, there will be even less overtaking as all drivers become hyper conservative.

Add this cost cap and you will only have processionally driven races soon.

[Sebring]

I didn't know till I watched this that those Ferraris were the worst of the lot, resulting in season after season of dismay till our knight in shining armour came and turned things around

Originally Posted by Trust_In_Thrust

The story clearly reflects how a driver is integral with the team in pits , the engineers etc to enable a spectacular finish

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

I really was hoping they will share on how Michael was doing, a status on his recovery but was surprised to see no updates there.

I totally understand the family's commitment to the privacy of this situation and respect it. Just wanted to hear them say that he was on his path to recovery.

Decently made documentary. My best wishes to the Champion and the Family. Would really love to see him back healthy!!


Rachit

[GTO]

Saw the documentary. Am a big Michael fan, so was eagerly waiting for the release. Will give it a 3.75 / 5 rating. Not in the league of Senna or even a movie like "Rush", yet I will recommend all petrolheads to watch it. After all, documentaries & movies on cars are such rare affairs.

Has some amazing footage that even Schumacher fans would not have seen (including Imola '94). The documentary makers clearly had full access = from his wife to Jean Todt to Flavio, Ross Brawn & Irvine...everyone is there. Nice to see the likeable Mika too. In exchange for this kind of access, the film ended up being a glorified portrait of Schumy, deliberately avoiding many controversial bits. Not a single mention of the mistake he made in Suzuka '98 where under pressure, he stalled the car and cost Ferrari the championship that year. The makers jump around a lot too. After Belgium '98, they straight go to Silverstone '99. Then, nothing about Irvine almost winning the championship in 1999 and how Michael grudgingly came back to help him. Not a second on Luca pushing him out and making Kimi take his place at Ferrari. The documentary makes it appear like it was purely Schumy's decision and he retired to spend time with the family.

I love how they showed the championship win in Suzuka 2000, and all the related footage. Have always been inspired by Schumacher's work ethic. How they talk of him working with his mechanics in the garage after everyone else has gone home was terrific. That scene was superbly shot.

The music sucks though - the background score is always important to keep the viewer engaged, but here, it's rather boring & uninspiring. Even otherwise, the documentary is slow-paced. You have to really "stay with it" and absorb it. It's not fast-paced. I personally prefer the production quality of Netflix's Drive to survive series (from Season 2) over this documentary.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by GTO

The documentary makers clearly had full access = from his wife to Jean Todt to Flavio, Ross Brawn & Irvine...everyone is there.

On the contrary- no Barrichello, Villeneuve edited down to a couple of sound bites, a remarkably restrained Damon Hill, Mika being even more of a gentleman here than he was when speaking about the same things during the 'Heroes' film. And Eddie Irvine! Anyone who has heard the Irish driver speak normally will realize that this appearance was either heavily edited or strictly controlled. (Though I can't believe Eddie agreeing to any sort of censorship! Must have been edited.)

Originally Posted by GTO

In exchange for this kind of access, the film ended up being a glorified portrait of Schumy, deliberately avoiding many controversial bits.

Yep in exchange for family access and probably permission to make the documentary in the first place, looks like everything else was controlled. So yes, grateful that this movie was made, but we need to see it for what it is and it could have been so much more if not for the strict control.

Again, want to stress that personally I'm not looking for anything about his present condition or that invades his privacy (IMHO it's the family's right to decide when and if they want to give out health updates). But to edit out or gloss over everything controversial that happened during the races and is already on public record has robbed this documentary of some credibility, nuance and the essential contradictions that make such great figures human. Though the family footage makes up for that a lot certainly. Hoping this turns out to be just the first effort in a few more films about the great man.

[shri_kul10]

Watched the documentary and found it to be quite moving. Especially, where Mick says that it would mean the world to him if he could discuss Motorsports with his dad. It is good that family's privacy was respected and they didn't hover around disclosing Schumi's current condition.

[BennyA23]

My wife & I watch a lot of F1 and of course a lot of Netflix. Though she enjoys the glitzy, fast-paced races and the way Drive to Survive is shot, beyond race day, she doesn't care much for F1 like a lot of us BHPians do. She thoroughly enjoyed Schumacher and I think that's what the makers were actually going for.

Either way, worth a one time watch for sure. (:

[Punatic]

Loved it, though possibly more because am such a big fan of Michael. As others have opined, this one is not as high quality as Senna (2010), which is a work of art really. Still, plenty of drama and information and nostalgia to make it worth the running time (which is about the same as an F1 race).

The decision to not use a narrator was quite a special one I thought, as it seems to have added to the effort of making Michael seem more accessible and human rather than the larger than life super-champion we remember him as. If you have have followed the sport through those years (I started in about April 1995) this will be a great experience, getting to reminisce about all those incredible highly-competitive championships. Loved watching all the family home-video footage too, but that's just me showing my age I suppose!

[ankur_fox]

Found it a bit boring to be honest. I guess Drive to Survive has me addicted to the mirch masala of the F1 world