ENJOYING a coffee with Michael Schumacher at his home became a norm for ex-Red Bull boss Richard Hopkins in the early 1990s.
But the former F1 chief said that all quickly changed after the motorsport great brutally ghosted him – dubbing him a “superhero villain”.
Michael Schumacher was a fierce opponent in an F1 car and he wanted everyone around him to know, according to Richard Hopkins[/caption]
Michael Schumacher is lifted in triumph by his mechanics in May 2001 after winning the 59th Monaco Formula One Grand Prix[/caption]
Hopkins first bumped into Schumacher while working as a mechanic for McLaren in 1993, when the seven-time champion was at Benetton.
The star and Hopkins, Head of Operations at Red Bull from 2013 to 2015, struck up conversation and soon began enjoying regular coffees together at the German’s motorhome.
They would talk about girlfriends and what they’d been up to at the weekend, which is when Hopkins said he first saw the “human side…the Michael outside the cockpit”.
But when Schumacher, who hasn’t been seen publicly since a devastating skiing accident in 2013, began his meteoric rise in the sport, the catch-ups suddenly stopped.
We all change when we become successful. Some people change more than others, and Michael definitely did. He became more focused, and things got more serious for him.
Richard Hopkins
Hopkins told The Sun: “Michael’s head shifted and he became more focused.
“We all change when we become successful. Some people change more than others, and Michael definitely did. He became more focused, and things got more serious for him.
“He was always serious, especially in the garage and in the car. Anyone who met him outside of that environment – say, in his motorhome having an espresso – would still say he was very serious.
“He was dedicated to what he was doing.
“Maybe Michael just thought he didn’t have time for the coffee chats anymore. He was focused on his engineer, his team, everything that needed his attention at the track.
“Perhaps he felt that if he was going to take time for a coffee, it should be with someone who would be of value to him.”
But Hopkins, who now lives in Australia said he forgives Schumacher, now 56, as he did not take the snub personally and believes the F1 legend may simply have become too busy.
The Brit, now Team Principal at sustainable racing outfit Sunswift Racing, said Schumacher’s laser focus was entirely natural for a driver in his position.
He also insists the Ferrari legend was a “lovely guy” underneath it all.
Hopkins said, however, he did notice a big change in Schumacher’s behaviour the more success came his way.
“He was like a superhero villain,” he added.
“The more Michael won, the more focused he became.
“It was almost like one of those Spider-Man movies, where the villain gets stronger the more energy he absorbs.
“Michael was like that. The more successful he became, the more focused and driven he got.
“We’re seeing it with younger drivers now, like Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The more successful they get, the more focused and serious they become.
“Michael thrived on success and used it to his advantage in a way I think few others did. He and I were very different in that sense.
A furious Michael Schumacher after not finishing a race while driving for Benetton in 1993[/caption]
Schumacher holds up his trophy after winning the Portuguese Grand Prix at the Estoril circuit in Portugal[/caption]
A young Schumacher pictured with the late F1 star Ayrton Senna[/caption]
“With Michael, you’d see the red Ferrari and immediately know it was him. It created that persona. His aggression on the track wasn’t just noticed by the drivers, it was clear to everyone.”
‘He didn’t make friends’
Schumacher formed a ruthless reputation in his career after a string of racing incidents.
One of those was a collision with British legend Damon Hill in 1994.
But Hopkins said Schumacher had a different off-track personality with a big heart.
He added: “Michael had that duality. He’s a lovely man, always has been, a lovely guy. His heart is in the right place. But when the helmet goes on and the visor comes down he changed, like many drivers do.
It was almost like one of those Spider-Man movies, where the villain gets stronger the more energy he absorbs.
“But Michael took it to the extreme. And we saw it on multiple occasions, that superhero-villain side. It wasn’t good PR for him, and he didn’t make a lot of friends with some of the actions he took.
“Whether it was the incident in Adelaide in ’94, taking out Hill, or the infamous collision with Villeneuve in ’97 at Jerez, or parking at La Rascasse in Monaco that year.”
Schumacher’s fame grew rapidly after his debut race in 1991 at the Belgian Grand Prix.
What happened to Michael Schumacher?
MICHAEL Schumacher’s life was hanging by a thread 12 years ago as medics tried desperately to keep him alive after a tragic skiing crash that left him with horrific brain injuries.
The F1 legend was given the best possible treatment as he was put into a medically induced coma, had his body temperature lowered and underwent hours of tricky operations on his brain.
Back in 2013, the retired seven-time world champion, and his then 14-year-old son set off on the Combe de Saulire ski run in the exclusive French resort of Meribel.
Footage from his helmet camera revealed he was not travelling at excessive speed when his skis struck a rock hidden beneath the snow.
He catapulted forward 11.5ft and crashed into a boulder head first that split his helmet into two and left him needing to be airlifted to hospital for two life-saving operations.
At one point his family were told to brace themselves for the worst case scenario as the situation was much worse than originally believed.
At the time, medics said Schumacher was likely to stay in an induced coma for at least 48 hours as his body and mind recovered.
But the coma ended up lasting 250 days – more than eight months.
After he woke up in June 2014, he was discharged from hospital and sent to his home in Lake Geneva to get further treatment.
Since then his wife Corinna and his inner circle of friends have expertly avoided almost anything leaking out about his health status.
Only small amounts of information have been released including reports that Schumacher was in a wheelchair but can react to things around him.
In 2019, it was said that Schumacher was set to undergo breakthrough stem cell therapy in a bid to regenerate and rebuild his nervous system.
Renowned France cardiologist Dr Philippe Menasche, who had operated on him previously, was set to carry out the treatment that would see cells from his heart go to his brain.
Following the treatment at the Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris, he was said to be “conscious”, although few other details were given about his state.
He secured his first victory the following year and continued to impress before cementing his global motorsport icon status with five consecutive titles with Ferrari between 2000 and 2004.
The star retired at the end of the 2006 season before making a brief comeback for Mercedes from 2010 to 2012.
Dad-of-two Schumacher suffered a serious head injury after a skiing accident in December 2013.
His wife Corinna has spent the years since creating a private world around Michael as he continues his recovery.
But this week hopes for his health flared as after he signed fellow motorsport great Sir Jackie Stewart’s helmet alongside dozens of other drivers
He is said to have signed his initials MS with the help of Corinna on the bottom right of the iconic white helmet.
Schumacher now lives at a £50million custom-built property on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland, where he is cared for by a dedicated team of medical staff.
Only a handful of trusted people are aware of his health status, including ex-Ferrari boss Jean Todt, his former teammates Felipe Massa and Luca Badoer, as well as longtime manager Sabine Kehm.
The star, pictured in 2005, has not been seen in public since his skiing accident in 2013[/caption]
He went onto race for Ferrari[/caption]
