Ten years ago, on December 29, 2013, an accident occurred on one of the ski slopes in the French Alps in which Michael Schumacher suffered serious injuries that radically changed his life.
Franz Tost is one of those people who knew Michael before the start of his triumphant career in Formula, as he was manager of Willi Weber’s German Formula 3 team in the late 80s, then the manager of the young but promising German driver .
According to Tost, when he heard the first reports about the incident on the ski slope in Meribel, he was not particularly concerned at first.
“Then I just thought: how important should Michael be in the public consciousness, even if the press reports about his fall on the ski slope? – Auto Bild quotes Franz Tost. – At first I wasn’t worried because I often skied with Michael and knew he was a very good skier who never took risks. But when I realized the severity of the incident, I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked and horrified.”
The Austrian, who turns 68 in January, once worked with Michael and was a kind of mentor to him during the period when he still dreamed of Formula 1. Together they analyzed his work behind the wheel, analyzed telemetry and Tost tried Schumacher to help in the field of psychological preparation.
“Despite all the talent and ability to control the car’s behavior, champions ultimately become champions because they keep working on themselves,” Tost added. – And it all comes from memory, and this approach has always distinguished Michael and dominated his approach to business. It also meant he could recover very quickly from poor performances and come back even stronger.”
When Michael ended up in a hospital in Grenoble after the Meribel incident, the hospital was besieged 24 hours a day by fans and journalists, and when Sabine Kem, his manager, made another statement about the rider’s condition, she was invariably surrounded . through a dense ring of cameras and microphones. The interest of the press became absurd; one of the journalists even dressed up as a priest in an attempt to enter the hospital ward and take photos.
Ralf Schumacher, the younger brother of the seven-time world champion, remembers it this way: “Something incredible happened, I had never encountered anything like that before. Therefore, it was quickly decided that Michael’s health would from now on be a private matter for his family. Since that day, the situation has not changed in this regard.”
Franz Tost is absolutely right in the sense that the figure of Schumacher was very important for society, and not just for German – this explains the increased activity of the press.
He is still revered in Italy, having won the world championship five times at the wheel of Ferrari and becoming the most successful driver in the history of Formula 1 during the period of his appearances for the Maranello team.
As Auto Bild writes, the attitude towards Michael Schumacher can be compared to the aura that surrounds everything related to Ayrton Senna. Ten years have passed since Michael disappeared from public space, as if he had moved to a lost island, where there is no telephone or internet and he only has contact with his family.
From time to time, discussions appear in the press about what Schumacher could do now if it had not been for the tragic incident in the Alps, and Ross Brawn, one of his closest colleagues and friends of his family, spoke on this topic.
“I can totally imagine Michal having his own race team now,” Brown said. – There were already discussions that he could one day become one of the shareholders of Mercedes, and the first step had already been taken: in 2013 he became a Mercedes brand ambassador.
I think he may have hung up his helmet too early. He was one of those who, from 2010 to 2012, laid the foundation for the future success of the Mercedes factory team. Fernando Alonso is now the same age as Michael was then, but today he shows that you can remain a world-class racer even after the age of forty. If Michael had continued to compete in Formula 1 in 2014, he could have won an eighth title.”
Franz Tost admitted in an interview with German TV channel Sport1: “I miss Michael, but not only because he is one of the best racers of all time. First of all, I miss the human interaction with him. We could always have a sincere conversation, he never pretended, he always said what he thought. There was no politics or any intrigue in our relationship.”
In any case, the legend created by Michael Schumacher, seven-time world champion, lives to this day, and nothing will change in this regard.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
