Michael Schumacher A “Thief”– Former F1 Employee Opens Up

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Michael Schumacher A "Thief"– Former F1 Employee Opens Up

Ten years after his sad skiing accident, Michael Schumacher still gets a lot of attention and love in the racing world. Norbert Haug, who used to lead Mercedes F1 spoke in the news about a famous German man.

But, there is someone else unknown who used to work with Schumacher and other drivers. They told an interesting and fun tale about the famous legend who was really competitive in races. It shows a different part of him.

Tragic accident ten years on

One peaceful December day in the French mountains, Michael Schumacher, a skilled skier, was having a family vacation at the beautiful ski place called Meribel. He and his son with friends went to hard-to-reach parts of the mountain that were dangerous.

Michael Schumacher, a skilled skier, was having a family vacation at the beautiful ski place called Meribel

Unfortunately, even though he was wearing a helmet, Schumacher had a bad accident when his head hit a rock. The effect gave him very bad head injuries and was a big change in his life.

The immediate medical response

Schumacher was flown to Grenoble Hospital, where he had very important medical treatment. The methods were made to ease his brain’s stress and remove blood clots. To help him get better, he was put into a sleep state controlled by doctors. This was important to make his health steady and speed up healing.

It’s important to get his health stable and fasten the healing process

Norbert Haug, who used to be Mercedes top boss and a big figure in car racing, shared his ideas and memories about Schumacher. He showed a glimpse of what Schumacher’s career in F1 racing might have been like and the skills he could have had as a boss.

Haug’s reflections on the accident

Thinking about the crash, Haug called it “more than deadly”. He showed us that life can sometimes be surprising. He said that Schumacher was not a risky driver and praised his skills in keeping control and making smart plans.

When Schumacher was getting better, his family including his son Mick faced it all together. Haug said he really liked how they handled the situation and decided to keep Schumacher’s health a secret.

Mick Schumacher’s future in motorsport

Haug also spoke about the possibilities of Mick Schumacher, especially his recent change to the World Endurance Championship (WEC). He believes Mick can create a good foundation for his work in the WEC despite tough times because of his dad’s accident.

Schumacher’s leadership qualities

At Mercedes, Haug witnessed Schumacher’s leadership skills firsthand. He saw how Schumacher cared and the influence on young racers like Sebastian Vettel and Timo Glock. Haug believed that Schumacher’s team-focused way of thinking and smart ideas would have made him a boss if he had chosen to do that job.

Even though Schumacher didn’t win more races with Mercedes in Formula One, he was very helpful for the team’s development. Haug made sure to show how Schumacher helped prepare Mercedes for later success with Lewis Hamilton.

An encounter with Schumacher

Dave Freeman, who used to cook sushi for Honda and other racing teams in Formula One, told the BBC about his special talks with Michael Schumacher. Although not connected to Honda, Schumacher loved Japanese food and often ate Freeman’s sushi. This happened when he was at the Ferrari team.

His helper, Balbir Singh, often brought sushi for Schumacher after practice sessions. This showed how much the driver liked Freeman’s cooking skills.

“He had nothing to do with Honda, but he liked Japanese food. So his physio Balbir Singh came over regularly and got him a plate of sushi after qualifying,” said the chef.

The missing plate incident

Freeman told a funny story about Schumacher and him making Japanese sushi food for the racing legend. But something surprising happened when Schumacher’s mom died during a race weekend in San Marino.

On Saturday, Schumacher ate from a special plate and went to see his mother. The next day, he came back and won the race. During these happenings, Freeman’s plate disappeared.

When Freeman asked where the plate was, Balbir told him that Schumacher had taken it to his house. Freeman made a joke about the price of the plate, which led to an unexpected but funny ending.

“He ate my food on Saturday and then flew out to be with her. The next day, he came back and won the race,” Freeman said.

“But I didn’t get my plate back, so after the race I went to Balbir and asked: ‘Where’s my plate?’ He said, ‘Oh, Michael took it on the plane and now it’s at his house.’ I replied jokingly: ‘That’s nice, it cost me a hundred.'”

A silly debt and a long-lasting memory

Five minutes after Freeman asked about it, someone from Schumacher’s group came with a chequebook to pay for the lost plate. This made Freeman laugh. Then, in Monaco, he joked with Schummacher about the missing dish and called him a “stealer.” They all found this funny on both sides.

Freeman recalled. “A while after that I saw Michael in Monaco and said: ‘Where’s my plate, you thief?!’ We both had a really good laugh about it.”

The fun banter between the cook and race driver shows how easy-going Schumacher is, making people laugh.

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Some Questions

Is Michael Schumacher in a coma now?

On June 16, 2014, a family statement to the media said “Michael has left the CHU Grenoble hospital to continue his long recovery period. He is not in a coma anymore!” it announced without giving any more information. Michael’s family wants to thank everyone who sent nice messages to him.

How many years old was Schumacher when his accident happened?

Schumacher was badly hurt after a fall while skiing with his son Mick in the French ski place of Meribel on December 29, 2013. The former 44-year-old had only recently left F1 for the second time at the end of last season. He would come back to racing with Mercedes from 2019 until 2025.

What did Michael Schumacher do?

Michael Schumacher (born on January 3, 1969, in Hürth-Hermülhein, West Germany) is a German race car driver who set records for winning the most Formula One (F1) Grand Prix races (91, later beaten by Lewis Hamilton) and F1 series championships (seven, later tied by Hamilton).

When was Schumacher’s accident?

The top F1 driver had a big head injury from a ski crash in France on December 29, 2013.

Did Schumacher wear a helmet?

The seven-time World Champion was out of Formula 1 for one year. They stopped racing in 2012 after a three-year return with Mercedes. Schumacher, a good skier, fell and hit his head on a stone. Even with his helmet, he got a bad head injury.