Roger Benoit, who was a long-time friend of Michael Schumacher, has explained that the legendary German didn’t speak to him for years after he was critical of him in the aftermath of Ayrton Senna’s funeral.
He and Senna shared an intense rivalry in 1994, but the Brazilian legend was tragically killed in an accident at the Tamburello corner at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, sending the racing world into shock. A host of active F1 drivers acted as pallbearers at the funeral, but Schumacher did not attend.
Benoit, despite being a journalist in the paddock, was a close friend of Schumacher’s and the pair used to smoke cigars and drink beers together in the motorhome after races. He understood the inner workings of the complex German’s personality better than most.
Speaking to Blick about the funeral, Benoit said: “[I criticised him] for the first time after the death of Ayrton Senna. Because he didn’t attend the funeral, I wrote: “Germany’s acclaimed world championship leader is a man without heart and respect.
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“I am known for not being the pussycat of Formula 1. I have my opinion, and I’ve been right about 90 per cent of the time. In retrospect, however, you also have to say that Schumi later went to the grave in Morumbi.”
Benoit also revealed another reason why Schumacher stopped talking to him, touching on his comeback to the sport with Mercedes at the start of the 2010s.
The iconic German initially retired at the end of the 2016 season after missing out on back-to-back titles at the hands of Renault’s new hot-shot, Fernando Alonso, but emerged from retirement to drive into his forties with the newly revamped Mercedes team.
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Talking about his stint with the Silver Arrows, Benoit explained: “I don’t remember. Maybe because we can both be stubborn. I didn’t like some things and that’s what I wrote. I was also critical of his Mercedes comeback in 2010.
“The results proved me right, he only finished on the podium once in three years and was then replaced by Lewis Hamilton. It was a sad and tragic end for such a superstar.”
While Schumacher’s stint with the Silver Arrows wasn’t an overwhelming success in terms of on-track results, the seven-time world champion did lay the foundations for the team’s success in the turbo-hybrid era and helped to nurture the young talent of Nico Rosberg, who later became a title winner in Mercedes colours.
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