The year of the Schumachers

Formula One F1 - Pre Season Testing - Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain - February 27, 2019 General view of a banner for Michael Schumacher during testing REUTERS/Albert Gea

Formula 1 fans are hopeful about seeing a man who they were once sick of seeing.

In about a month from now, Mick Schumacher, the son of Michael Schumacher – you can tell that from his strong elongated neck - will make his Formula 1 debut in Bahrain. In the past, the 22-year-old raced in India as well.

But, will we see Michael? We had gotten bored of his domination of Formula 1. Machine-like, ruthless to the point of being a bully, Schumi barged his way to seven World Championships, a world record till Lewis Hamilton equaled it in 2020.

But, in December 2013, Schumacher’s life changed on a dime. Like Kennedy, John Lennon and Syed Modi. Like Senna. In a flash, bad luck felled a famous man in the prime of his life, when he was looking forward to a lavish post-racing life.

You could say Kennedy and Senna died doing dangerous things. Kennedy was a president riding in an open car. Senna was racing.

On the other hand, Lennon was taken out when he was walking back home. Modi, a mild-mannered badminton champion, was murdered, allegedly at the orders of his adulterous wife Ameeta and her lover Sanjay Singh, the brother of VP Singh.

Schumacher, a competent skier, went beyond the designated area on the slopes of an Alpine resort to reportedly help a friend’s daughter. But, a rock concealed by snow sent him flying. He landed on the right of his head. The impact cracked his helmet and caused bleeding. Conscious at first, Schumacher began to lose his bearings and slipped into a coma. His case is more like ‘Superman’ actor Christopher Reeve’s. A trained rider, Reeve fell off a horse and was paralysed from neck down.

Such tragedies are hard to process because they seem unnecessary and the victim has done nothing to deserve it, not in that moment at least.

Just two years earlier, Schumacher was in Delhi for the first Indian GP. We saw first-hand how articulate he was. He could be charming too, laughing easily during public engagements. At such times, he seemed the opposite of a robot.

It is now seven years since a pair of skis brought disaster to a man who could possibly drive a Ferrari at 200km per hour with one eye closed. Very few people have seen Schumacher since then. Jean Todt, the former Ferrari boss and now the head of the FIA, is one of them.

“I see Michael regularly. We watch TV together,” Todt said last year. It is unlikely, however, that the TV registers much on Schumacher.

An article in Paris Match said that Schumacher had occasionally made small movements in his rehab pool. It quoted a relative saying that when he was taken out in nature, such as to the view of Lake Zurich and the mountains around his mansion in Gland, Switzerland, he cries out of emotion.

Internet searches throw up only one post-accident picture of Schumacher. But, there is no telling whether it is authentic.

Why are we then asking if we will see Michael?

It is because a new documentary on Schumacher, approved by his family and featuring exclusive footage, is expected to be released in 2021.

In December 2013, bad luck felled Schumacher in the prime of his life.

The documentary is expected to feature interviews with Schumacher’s wife Corinna, Mick, daughter Gina-Marie and father Rolf.

But, that does not guarantee whether Michael will be shown in his present condition. We may see his races, where he burns rubber driving very fast cars. However, we may or may not get a peek into the greatest battle of his life, which he is fighting out of a wheelchair.