Corinna Schumacher cannot hold back the tears. The memory of the fateful day eight years ago, when Michael Schumacher had an accident while skiing, moves the wife of the Formula 1 record world champion deeply. “You can't have more bad luck in life,” says the 52-year-old in a halting voice. In the Netflix documentary “Schumacher”, which will be available from Wednesday (September 15), she provides insights into the family's life after the tragedy in 2013 for the first time.
Superstar Schumacher had suffered a traumatic brain injury in a fall despite a helmet and was in mortal danger for days. His wife remembers that shortly before that, her husband said to her: “The snow is not ideal, we could fly to Dubai.” Instead, he wanted to go skydiving there, one of the passions of the former racing driver.
It is the last few minutes of the almost two-hour film that at least somewhat satisfies the longing of many Schumacher fans for new information about the motorsport hero. “We live together at home, we treat, we do everything so that Michael is better and doing well and that he simply feels our family ties,” says Corinna Schumacher. Some of the previously unpublished photos convey the image of a harmonious family idyll before the skiing accident.
“It is very clear that I miss Michael every day, and not just me, the children, the family, his father, everyone who is around him. Everyone misses Michael,” says Corinna Schumacher, before adding: “But Michael is there, different, but he is there and that gives us all strength. “
Schumacher's children, daughter Gina-Maria (24) and son Mick (22), also describe the world-famous father as a family man with whom they had many fun moments. It is “a bit unfair” that such moments are no longer possible for them after their father's accident, says son Mick. He himself has now made it into Formula 1 as a racing driver, and is currently contesting his debut season there for the US Haas team. He had so much to chat about with his father, says Mick. “I would give up everything just for that.”
The hole that the ski drama tore in the Schumacher family can be clearly seen in this passage of the film. But anyone who expects details about the health of the sport idol will be disappointed. “At no point did we chase the headline, but rather slowly approached and found a way together. That wouldn't have worked otherwise. In the end, we ourselves had a protective instinct,” says Vanessa Nöcker, who works with Hanns-Bruno Kammertöns and Michael Wech directed.
The documentary tells of the beginnings in karting, the rise from a humble background to become a Formula 1 icon, but also the dark moments of an over-ambitious Michael Schumacher with pictures that tough fans usually already know, but also like to see again and again. Companions like Zampano Bernie Ecclestone, the ex-team bosses Flavio Briatore, Jean Todt and Ross Brawn and rivals like Mika Häkkinen provide information about a pilot who pushed the boundaries of his sport with his zeal and exceptional talent.
Schumacher's story has probably lost none of its fascination because he largely shielded his life away from the racetrack. That's why scenes in which Corinna Schumacher talks about eating pasta together and her husband's preference to throw other people into pools, even at her own wedding, are touching. “First of all, I think I'm the happiest person that I met Michael,” she says.
And one more sentence by the 52-year-olds will be remembered. “For me, I would never have thought in my life that anything could happen to Michael,” said Schumacher at some point when it came to the risks of motorsport. In the Formula 1 car, Schumacher actually remains unscathed except for a broken leg in a crash in 1999 at Silverstone.
This happiness and the guardian angels his wife talks about left Schumacher in December 2013. The mountain of fate, where the fateful skiing accident happened, appears white and cold in the Netflix film as a symbol of tragedy. “We live our lives on,” says Corinna Schumacher. “It is important that he can continue to enjoy his private life as well as possible. Michael has always protected us, now we protect Michael.”
