“The only sad thing which happened in 1994 was the death of Ayrton Senna which was a great tragedy. It would have been great to have him around for longer because he was, at the time, the master of the game and to fight him was great satisfaction,” said Schumacher in an interview with Shell Ferrari.
The German went on to win the championship that year, after which he doubled that success with Benetton a year later, after a thrilling fight with Williams' Damon Hill. He then decided to create himself a new empire at Ferrari, as it took him no less than half of decade to become, once again, the world champion.
Looking back to his Ferrari years, the German reckoned his title in 2000 was the most important in his career.
“The most important (Championship) was the one in 2000. After five years of trying and being very close and not achieving it, finally to do it in 2000 was a big relief and success to all of us,” added Schu.
The former Ferrari-an also emphasized the importance of one's fitness programme in becoming a Formula One winner, as he revealed it took him approximately 4 to 5 hours a day to train in the off-season. Although admitting the time spent in the gym differs from driver to driver, the German said he was 120% fit for racing at the start of each season, as the extra strength “allowed me to do sometimes things that didn't seem maybe possible.”
As for favorite Formula One tracks, Schumacher had no doubt in naming Spa-Francorchamps his “living room”, as it was the place where he won his first race in career and also where he won his last championship, back in 2004. Suzuka was also high on Schu's list of favorite F1 venues because of its great technicality.
Finally, talking about the secrets of his F1 success, Schumacher only had one. “I loved to have my wife around, I felt very comfortable,” added the German driver, who also admitted getting social around people was also important in creating a good atmosphere within his team.
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