It is a recurring theme, and it is logical that they are frequently compared. We are, of course, talking about the similarities and differences between Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, two true Formula 1 legends who, to make matters worse, served in the ranks of Ferrari, the most iconic team in the Gran Circo.
Recently, BritonRob Smedley, who for almost two decades was an integral part of the Maranello-based team (he joined in 2004), compared these two titans of the wheel. His reflections on the Red Flags podcast are certainly interesting
This was Schumi
What people see from the outside is not what we experienced then from the inside,” said Felipe Massa’s former engineer of the seven-time F1 world champion (five of which he achieved consecutively – from 2000 to 2004 – dressed in red). “Some people perceived Michael as an arrogant and robotic person. However, in reality, he was a wonderful person: modest, humble and extremely generous. Schumacher had doubts that motivated him to constantly improve. He always questioned himself. He was very generous with the team members and always emphasized that he could not succeed without his team,” Smedley elaborates.
The hunger of the ’14’
While the current Aston Martin driver warns: “He has that reputation that precedes him, but what you see from the outside is not what you see from the inside. And the Fernando you see from the outside… He’s just like Michael, isn’t he? However, Fernando was more withdrawn and was extremely competitive. He wanted to win at all costs. This made him someone you wanted to have on your side when the going got tough. It’s always good to have a personality with that kind of leadership ability on your team. Sometimes it goes overboard, but if you have Alonso or Schumacher in your team, it’s a real advantage, 100%.”
On the edge
“Schumi was extremely analytical and interested in every little detail. The same can be said of Alonso. But when Fernando went out on track he was on the limit from the first lap of the first practice session. Michael approached the race weekend a little differently. In today’s F1 you can see what a racing car is capable of based on telemetry. The data shows how far a driver can push the limit. For some drivers it is clear: they leave themselves a very small safety margin because they know very well that if they fly at speeds over 300 km/h in certain corners, there will be a serious accident. Schumacher had such incredible feelings with his car and such extraordinary hand-foot coordination that he was very, very close to this limit. Sometimes it was unreal. And with Fernando we were often surprised at how fast and seemingly effortlessly he could adapt to all adversities. In short, we are talking about two colossi of driving,” he said.