Schumacher doco surprises and disappoints

Who knew Michael Schumacher was a skydiving junkie? That’s just one of the fascinating aspects of the Formula 1 great revealed in the new Netflix film, Schumacher.

Schumi was an F1 control freak who micro-managed and tightly controlled every detail of his domination of the world’s top motorsport category for nearly 20 years, so it's a surprise to see so wild, carefree and out of control as he leaps out of a plane above Dubai.

The Schumacher movie is also filled with scenes of him relaxing with his family. Lots and lots of them. Racing is also covered in detail, with plenty of shots from the Grand Prix world.

But for anyone looking for the inside story on the days since his near-fatal skiing crash, or hoping for some words from the man himself since that fateful day almost eight years ago, there is nothing.

It is clear that Michael Schumacher in 2021 is very different, as his son Mick – now also racing in F1, where he’s heading for Ferrari but with the tail-ender Haas squad – admits that he cannot talk with his dad the way he would like.

So, can he talk? Can he walk? What is his health really like? If you crave answers to those questions, Schumacher is not the movie for you.

But if you want more than that, going right back to the days when Schumi was a wild young kid in go-karts, Schumacher does the job.

It’s easy to forget that the polished Ferrari superstar began with nothing but talent and ambition.

Footage from his teen years shows his father Rolf admitting that to keep his boys going – don’t forget Ralf, who also won in F1 – he scrounged second-hand tyres at the kart track he operated in Kerpen. His wife was running the canteen.

Schumi talks of switching his allegiance from Germany at a major karting meeting because it was cheaper to compete under a flag of convenience.

The story shifts, seismically, with the introduction of Willi Weber. He became Schumacher’s manager and mentor as he turned the race ace into a global superstar and a billionaire, but their relationship began when he offered the youngster his first paid drive.

Weber talks openly in the movie, in a cast which includes everyone from F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone and Schumi’s Ferrari boss Jean Todt to canny Eddie Jordan, who give him his first F1 drive, and the now-disgraced former Benetton boss Flavio Briatore (whose mumbled words require subtitles).

A range of rivals also speak, from – naturally – Damon Hill to David Coulthard, Mika Hakkinen and Mark Webber. His teammate Eddie Irvine provides the inside view from Ferrari.

Footage of on-track action is focussed on his earlier years in F1, including the collisions with Hill and Jacques Villeneuve, and thankfully is not just a roll-through of the endless victories and five world titles with Ferrari. Or the disastrous comeback with Mercedes-Benz.

Ross Brawn, then at Ferrari, explains Schumacher’s reaction to the Villeneuve collision and it says a lot about the racer and his attitude to winning.

He was a warrior and the means – from punting a rival to endless testing laps and fitness sessions – was justified by the wins.

In many ways he was like Ayrton Senna, who also intimidated his rivals, and the movie has an unsettling passage including footage of Senna’s fatal crash.

But it also shows Schumacher crying uncontrollably in a press conference when he is told he has equaled one of Senna’s career milestones.

Much of the movie appears to be guided by his wife, Corinna, who is clearly protective of both his life and legacy.

She talks about him being the life of every party, how they enjoyed travelling together, and how he would never wake her when he was leaving early.

But she stops short – well short – of talking about life after the skiing mishap.

Schumacher is long and not nearly as insightful as some other motorsport movies, notably about Senna and the latest production on Peter Brock.

But it gives a better perspective on a driver who was never an angel on the track but is clearly loved by his family and revered by many people – including the insiders who worked alongside him – around the world.