MICHAEL SCHUMACHER AT SPA - MEMORIES FROM THE PAST

Michael Schumacher making his debut in 1991 Belgian GP 

If there is one place I wish to be this weekend, it has to be Spa in Belgium. The Formula One post the summer break commences here and one of my dreams is yet to be fulfilled. Maybe, next year!

My favourite circuit in F1 and my favourite driver had many tales; with each race being a chapter of a romantic book. Every race had something to offer for the fans and there was never a dull moment when Schumacher was driving around Spa.

Growing up this circuit provided some of the outstanding races I had witnessed or read. The one that comes to my mind is the overtaking of Mika Hakkinen over Michael Schumacher with Ricardo Zonta in between. That was a breathtaking manoeuvre!

People who have followed F1 since twenty years will remember a young German making his debut in 1991 with Jordan. To put it simply, he was lucky to have got the drive at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix. It was possible due to the untimely arrest of the then Jordan driver Bertrand Gachot - who was taken over by the London police for spraying CS gas after an altercation with the cab driver. This paved the way for Michael Schumacher. He never raced at Spa before and all he managed to do was cycle around the circuit before the qualifying and started the race from seventh! and that said it all.

To manage a seventh place in a circuit which demands skill, concentration and talent, it was clearly evident Michael Schumacher was here to stay. He was not that lucky to complete a lap in the race and had to retire owing to a clutch failure. But he had done enough to secure a seat with Benetton from the very next race. And the rest is...... 

1st of his 91 victories - 1992 Belgian GP 

A year's wait and finally he was on the top step of the podium. The 1992 Belgian GP turned out be his 1st of 91 victories in F1. He came agonisingly close to finish on top in 1993; in 1994 he was disqualified for gaining an illegal aerodynamic advantage after having finished 1st. The post race scrutiny went against and he was stripped off the victory as his Benetton was found to have excessive wear on the car's skid block.

94 Belgian GP - His first place was stripped

A 10mm wooden plank was placed to the underside of every car to reduce ground effect advantages, whilst also forcing an increase in ride height. The wear on the plank up to 1mm was permitted by the end of the race. Quite simply, Michael Schumacher's Benetton had wear in excess of 1 mm. For F1 enthusiasts, it is interesting to note that - this rule is applicable even today.

1995 Belgian GP 

The romance with the circuit would continue as he claimed three more victories in a row from 1995 to 1997.

1996 Belgian GP 

In 1998, he looked set to claim his 5th Belgian GP title. In extreme wet weather conditions, he and David Coulthard had a contact which damaged Michael Schumacher's car and had to retire from the race. He was furious and was made to sit down with DC for close to two hours before they were seen shaking hands in public and for Michael Schumacher to move on.

Post the collision with DC at the 1998 Belgian GP 

And the miss - Michael Schumacher missed the bulk of second half of the 1999 season after he crashed rather nastily at the Becketts Complex corner in Silverstone. And this meant, he did not start the 1999 edition at Spa-Francorchamps. Mika Hakkinen and his McLaren took the first place in 2000 in which Michael Schumacher had to settle for second. 

Stunning overtake by Mika Hakkinen at 2000 Belgian GP

With having his 4th World Championships at the 2001 Hungarian GP, the next race at Belgium was eagerly expected by all to see if he would break Alain Prost's record.

World Record - 2001 Belgian GP

Ferrari was unstoppable in those times and his victory, the 52nd was a world record and by winning those 10 points he also moved past Alain Prost to record most points by an F1 driver (769 at the end of the race). This was Schumacher's fifth win at Spa and he would add one more to the tally in 2002. 

The Belgian Grand Prix was removed from the 2003 season (still cannot understand, how they allowed it to happen!) and finished second at the 2004 season as a result of which he claimed his seventh and his last World Championship.

The 2005 season was a nightmare for Ferrari especially after having dominated the scene for six years in a row. Michael Schumacher ended his race - his last for Ferrari at Spa was a DNF (Did Not Finish) as the Spa-Francorchamps did not feature in 2006.

In the last three races in 2010, 2011 and 2012 with Mercedes, Michael Schumacher only managed to finish 7th, 5th and 7th respectively.

2011 Belgian GP with Eddy Merckx 

Spa as a circuit has a special place in every F1 enthusiast's heart. Ask anyone who has a decent knowledge in F1 about his favourite three circuits, I would be surprised if Spa doesn't get a mention. A public road in the off-season, this 7.004 km circuit (longest in F1 currently) is best known for its corners of varying speeds. Be it the Eau-Rouge, the erstwhile chicane called 'Bus Stop', the fastest corner in F1 Blanchimont, Les Combes, La Source, Stavelot and it goes on. The Ardennes region on the Eastern part of Belgium is also famous for its unpredictable weather conditions which always added its own flavour on the racing Sundays.

Along with the old Nürburgring circuit, Spa Francorchamps has always tested the drivers and is often seen as a ground in which the men are separated from the boys and the race has been part of the calendar since 1950 (barring few races in other circuits and few cancellations). It is no wonder, only a World champion has won this event more than once. And no surprises to see the top two drivers who lead the pack are Michael Schumacher (6) and Ayrton Senna (5).

Someday I will visit the track and relive all those memories that are dear to me and till then........... 

That Long Pending Handshake

The two magazines which I picked up from the store 

I must admit, I am concerned at the present state of condition Michael Schumacher is in. Each passing day, we hear news about his recovery or him being in coma; his battles off-the field and several pleas from his family to leave them alone in what is most distressing time for the Schumacher and his extended family.

I was holidaying with my wife at the time of the incident and it has been just two days since we are back to our routine. A lot has been written and said in the media about his health; I am not sure what to read and what to believe. I stopped reading.

We are back to our routine and part of that involves shopping for groceries or as a last minute rush, one buys a thing or two from the local shop next to the train station. I have always been amassed with the collection of magazines they have - reminds me of India and those multi-purpose stalls where magazines of all possible genre adorn the sides of those tiny shops. I could notice about ten magazines in a jiffy; all had Michael Schumacher on its cover. Each magazine had at least 4-5 pages of coverage on his health, family, opinions from several experts, encouraging messages and many more. It was in German and I browsed through all of them before buying these two magazines. 

Looking at them, I was transported back to the time when I started watching F1 and how a certain red car driven by Michael Schumacher got me hooked onto these fast cars of Formula One. I am trying to recollect all the memories that I have and how the idolism of Michael Schumacher made me fall in love with F1 - its history, evolution and just about everything associated with the sport.

A world made up of billions of people - it is interesting to note the kind of impact individuals tend to have on masses. There would be plenty who took to F1 because of Michael and if not seriously, at least the sport has benefitted with his presence for more than two decades. I would like to share some of them.

More than his victories, the two seasons with Ferrari towards the end of his first term in 2005 and 2006 was a lesson in itself - personally. There have been several instances where I was inspired by the way he handled personal and team setbacks in those two years; the manner in which he fought back reducing the deficit of 34 points in 2006 to zero before his engine blew in the penultimate race at Suzuka (for the record, his last engine failure prior to Suzuka 2006 was at French Grand Prix 2000). He lost the championship to Alonso, but went down fighting. Not to forget the way he came back from his leg injury in 1999 - after which he enjoyed the most successful phase of his career. 

By the time I was a corporate, Schumacher had retired and my first race live on track did not feature him. Till date, I have dreamt of that day where I would shake hands with Michael; sitting together at some place discussing Formula One and him having a look at my personal collection of his photographs pasted and others (from different magazines) I collected as a student. What a thrill it is for a fan when that day comes true!

In 2009, Geneva Auto show featured several cars and in that magnificent spread of trendy cars - there were few collections from the world of Formula One. In a corner there was a tiny F1 car (compared to today's standard size) with 7UP advertised all over it. It was the same car in which Michael Schumacher had made his debut with Jordan, back in 1991 at the Belgian Grand Prix - the only time he raced officially in that car. Boy, was I excited! 

Jordan Ford - Schumey's debut F1 car 

When Mercedes announced its intention to participate in the F1 arena as a constructor, Ross Brawn called out for Michael Schumacher. He immediately agreed and returned to the team where he began his racing career in the late 1980's.

In his second term at Mercedes, he put his laurels at stake for the sake of driving. He was contracted for three years and it yielded him no victories. The Chinese Grand Prix win in 2006 remains his last triumph. Did he ruin his legacy? For the sake of numbers, he did; for the joy of doing what he loves - hats off to him. Not many have the guts to pursue what one loves irrespective of what critics have to say. 

Personally, I would have loved to see him drive a competitive car; securing pole positions; shattering the time sheets with fastest laps; spraying champagne all over after winning the race. A lot of us didn't get to see that and I have no qualms about it.

Over the past decade and a half, I have read a lot of books written on him, absorbed a lot of words scribbled by various writers on varying aspects of his life - on and off track. Let's just say, he is no saint - but he is as human as anyone could be. Though heavily talented, he was prone to driving errors, learnt from his mistakes of the past, something we are all inclined to do - improved immensely and became the multiple world champion he is.

When he announced his retirement for the second time and for good this time, I was fortunate to be in India at that time. I did not hesitate once and immediately booked the tickets for the Indian Grand Prix 2012 along with the travel tickets. It was expensive, no doubt! every penny was worth it. After all, this was once in a lifetime experience I didn't want to miss.

At the circuit, all I could see was his car zooming past me during the practice sessions and qualifying; struggling on the race day. Amongst all this, I did manage to spot him sans the helmet and the racing gear, waving his hands - a sort of goodbye to all his fans on the driver's parade. 

Schumey waving at his fans - Driver's parade Indian GP 2012 

Schumacher in action at Indian Grand Prix 2012 

On a road trip last year, I convinced my wife to visit a small town in Germany called Kerpen. It is a small town about 30 km south-west of Cologne. All I wanted to do was experience the town from where the legend of Michael Schumacher began. 

Be it a local café or a Bäckerei - all knew their most favourite son. With our limited knowledge of Deutsch, we somehow managed to located his carting track - a haven for budding drivers. We walked around the circuit, scanned possibly every item in the memorabilia store and did not return empty-handed. 

Collage of Michael Schumacher's Kart Center at Kerpen

This is how close Michael Schumacher has been in my life. I have never met him personally till date and I continue to dream of that day when we finally get to meet. I am not sure of the timeline - but I am optimistically hopeful of this occurrence in the near future. If not more, at least that long pending handshake.

Till that time - I wish him a speedy recovery from the injury!