Ferrari to celebrate Schumi’s 50th birthday
Prancing horse brand to host special exhibition for its most successful racer at MaranelloFerrari is throwing its most successful driver a 50th birthday party he won’t be able to attend.
The exhibition, to be held at Ferrari’s Galleria in Maranello (near Modena), will celebrate Michael Schumacher’s contributions to both the Italian brand’s Formula 1 and road-car divisions.
Starting on January 3 to mark Schumacher’s 50th birthday, the Michael 50 exhibition will be run in conjunction with the Schumacher family’s Keep Fighting foundation.
Ferrari says the exhibition will be a celebration and a mark of gratitude for Schumacher, whose son Mick is on the legendary Italian squad’s development radar after winning the European Formula 3 championship this year.
Despite internet rumours that Schumacher, the seven-time world champion, was out of bed and walking around his house in Switzerland, the family remains silent on his condition.
Instead, he remains out of the public eye at home, after sustaining severe head injuries in a skiing accident five years ago.
At the time of his 2013 skiing accident, Neurosurgeon Stephan Chabardes said a post-operative scan showed “diffuse haemorrhagic lesions” on both sides of Schumacher’s brain.
“It is intended both as a celebration and a mark of gratitude to the most successful Prancing Horse driver ever," Ferrari said in a statement.
Schumacher drove for Ferrari from 1996 to 2006, winning five consecutive F1 World Championships for the Prancing Horse from 2000 to 2004 and helping Ferrari to six manufacturer’s championships.
He also won two world titles for the Ford-powered Benetton team and 91 grands prix throughout his career. Schumacher made a comeback to F1 with Mercedes-Benz, partnering 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg before the silver cars rose to their current dominance.
While his F1 contributions are most notable, Schumacher also contributed heavily to road-car development.
His first major contribution was the steering wheel-mounted button on the F430 Scuderia that disconnected the damper software from the rest of the Manettino settings, allowing it to run softer, more absorbent damping even in the car’s most aggressive powertrain modes.
It’s a system that Ferrari still uses today on its most aggressive models, including the 488 Pista.
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