Michael Schumacher is considered one of the best F1 drivers in the history of motorsport. He was the first racer to take the World Championship titles record to seven. His long and successful career attracted many fans who followed him throughout his F1 journey.
While many fans would know a thing or two about the German driver, there are still some unique and relatively unknown facts about him that are quite fascinating.
Here is a list of lesser-known facts about Michael Schumacher.
List of 5 interesting and lesser-known facts about Michael Schumacher
1) The German driver once drove a taxi
Back in 2007, Michael Schumacher took a brief sabbatical from F1 after winning seven world championships with Benetton and Ferrari. While he was enjoying his time away from racing, his passion for going fast flared up as he found himself driving a taxi to reach the airport on time
Schumacher and his family were on vacation that year in the village of Gehuelz in Germany. He was running late to catch his return flight. Thus, he asked to take over the wheel and drove the taxi with the actual driver sitting beside him. The F1 star steered impressively through traffic and successfully reached the airport on time. When parting ways with the taxi driver, he thanked him and gave him a massive tip.
2) He kept a good-luck charm
A few F1 drivers have had a special lucky charm that they believe in. Schumacher too had one in the form of an African Shamballa wooden bead bracelet. He made sure to always wear it, like the many Buddhists and Indians who keep a similar bracelet.
A year after his ski accident in 2013, his lucky charm bracelet was found buried in snow at the location.
3) Schumacher worked as a mechanic before his single-seater racing career
Before Michael Schumacher started racing and winning world titles, he started his work life as a mechanic. Though he already raced karts and had won junior karting championships, he left school in 1987 and began working as a mechanic in a go-kart shop to launch his formal career.
As a mechanic, he learned about fixing karts and gained technical and mechanical knowledge about cars. This helped him in the future as he went on to race and win in the top formula series.
4) Michael Schumacher made a cameo appearance in the movie ‘Cars’
Here's a throwback to when Michael Schumacher made a guest appearance in the Disney Pixar 'Cars' movie! 😅#KeepFightingMichael #Schumacher pic.twitter.com/ugO6yYJzU3
— Paul McGinnes 🏁 (@PaulMcG92) April 13, 2024
Michael Schumacher is a movie buff and has even made appearances in a handful of movies, including Disney-Pixar’s Cars. Schumacher voiced a Ferrari car in a scene where three high-profile cars enter Luigi and Guido’s tire shop in Radiator Springs.
The F1 driver spoke in English with Luigi and even said a few words in Italian to Guido.
5) The seven-time world champion is a massive soccer fan
Football second love ♥️#KeepFightingMichael pic.twitter.com/sfb1lhbtvM
— Michael Schumacher (@_MSchumacher) October 14, 2023
Apart from tearing tarmac at eye-watering speeds, Michael Schumacher has a keen interest in other sports. He is a massive football fan and even participated in several 2nd tier football games in Switzerland. Before his skiing accident, he played for his local team FC Echichens.
Schumacher also hosted several charity matches that included other F1 drivers. He is known to be a huge fan of 1. FC Köln from Germany which competes in the country’s highest league, Bundesliga.