Aston Martin sporting director Andy Stevenson recalled how the Jordan team initially mistook a young Michael Schumacher for a courier before his sensational Formula 1 debut in 1991.
They knew little about Schumacher, other than that the 22-year-old had won the German F3 championship and was now a Mercedes driver competing in the sports car championship for Sauber.
When Bertrand Gachot, who drove for Jordan, became embroiled in a scandal, Mercedes asked Eddie Jordan to hire Schumacher as the Belgian’s replacement, to which Eddie agreed – for a handsome sum.
Stevenson recalled his first meeting with Schumacher in a conversation with Bild.
Andy Stevenson: “Eddie came to us and said, ‘Bertrand won’t be able to drive, but there is a young driver, Michael, who has driven in Japan.’
We had to stop at the base to adjust the seat. And suddenly a young courier arrived. It took us a long time to realize that this was our new Formula 1 driver!
After two or three laps in the test car he was already faster than anyone who had driven it before. He showed the best time every lap. I remember saying to the boys after the tests: “We have just tested the future world champion.”
It was very clear. He made the car dance in the chicanes. His level of professionalism even then surpassed anything we had seen from other racers. From the moment Michael got into the car, he immediately knew what he wanted. He was fully involved in the process and wanted to participate and help us with everything.”
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.
