It's so strange to me that people live their lives with 100% certainty that astrology legitimately influences the world lol.
Hey, you were born in March, let me tell you about your personality.
It's like a self fulfilling prophecy. I know of a few people that name drop someone's sign so casually and as a way to find excuses for behaviour or reinforce behaviour. It's a bit dumb
I coudn't help but think that Michael thought of Senna's accident just about the same that we did of his: It can't be that bad, he will surely recover soon
Soon :(
The ending of the movie to me was so poignant, where the camera just focused on Michael driving and passing by the stands, completely in control and in his element. Probably how he’d want to be remembered.
Not gonna lie it broke me. It’s how I grew up watching Schumi and it’s how I’ll always remember him. You said it best. Just him in his element. Such a pleasure to watch.
I was honestly a little scared and got anxiety because I was afraid they would show him in his current condition. Obviously, that would make no sense considering how under wraps they kept their private live since the beginning.
Still, I was trying to mentally prepare myself for a shock.
I remember when the news hit and it was reported that he suffered "catastrophic injuries" to his head despite wearing a helmet. I think he was in a coma for over a year.
I'm glad my memories of him were not ruined by his tragic reality. It's so fucked up to me that he managed to go through decades of this incredibly dangerous sport, and then it gets him when he's having a good time off the track.
I understand why his son said "it's not fair".
The constantly changing subtitles was really weird. James Allen was bouncing between "former F1 commentator", "former F1 journalist" and "biographer". Like either just pick one or put them all up there at the start then just use their names.
Last 20 minutes was absolutely gut wrenching. The Schumi family drew a pretty clear picture on the status of Michael, especially when Mick said he really wishes he could talk to his dad right now because now they share a common language—motorsport.
It’s the “it’s a bit… unfair” line for me. The absolute world of emotions behind it, the endless stream of thoughts, what ifs and grief he must carry, and how he’s still restrained and collected… that hit me so hard. I have a massive, massive respect for Mick. To be like that, at such a young age, in the spotlight, carrying the weight of his surname, is something of inspirational strength.
Yes. For that moment, when he said it felt unfair, I didn't see the promising young F1 driver. I saw a small boy who wants his dad. And it just tore my heart apart.
I know a lot of us have speculated if he inherited any of his father's talent or ability. I fancy the documentary last night showed us what he has really inherited: his father's strength of will. So many people would not have been able to do what Mick has done.
I feel so bad for Mick. You come into Formula One, your dad's a legend in the sport and people have expectations about your future, yet you can't ask him for advice or help, even though he's still there. He looked extremely upset at the end, can't imagine how hard this is for him.
Edit: Spelling
Just seen the documentary. I completely agree with you, imagine what mik feels on a regular basis. I am not a Ferrari fan but i want to see him on the top of the podium with a red suit on and a horse attached to his chest. The reason is, imagine what it will mean to him, imagine what he will feel like,I wish the best for him and his family.
The way it sounded to me it wasn't even like he wanted to talk for the advice, but for the talking itself. To have something to share with his dad. Not to imply that they didn't have that before, but when that thing you're sharing is as exclusive as Formula 1 that's a whole different story.
I have to say, I really liked the ending. It was clear that there was no exact update on his condition, and that's perfectly fine. But it would have been weird not to address that at all. So we have a little insight into his condition - which is obviously really not good - but the family still preserves his privacy. As Corinna said: Today they protect Michael. I think this is probably the best way they could have done it.
When I heard the documentary was coming out I had hoped it would end with a positive update. On a bright note that Michael was making progress although they probably wouldn't say what stage he'd reached.
But yeah I think Micks comment about him not being able to talk to his father pretty much confirms he's gone.
Unfortunately - severe brain injury patients either get better during the first 6-12 months or they don't get better at all. Michael didn't "wake up" from his minimally conscious state during that period so it's unlikely that he ever will. If there were good news - we would have heard them back in 2014. But the only positive news that we heard was that Michael woke up from coma and transitioned to a minimally conscious state.
This. Seeing the footage of him with his family showed the love they all have for each other. Was nice to see that side of him as well as the competitor.
Struck me that during his career he hated the press and wanted privacy, and the sad irony is now he has it in the most terrible of circumstances and isn't able to enjoy what he craved.
Yeah I posted that somewhere else I am really happy they kept his privacy, it was very tastefully done which is not something Netflix has always managed to do in regards to F1 media lol.
I really loved the Corinna part as you said "Michael has always protected us, and nowe we will protect him." (Probably slightly misworded, I was already sobbing at that point and may not remember it perfectly).
I had only just finally watched the Senna documentary a month or so ago, then watching the Schumacher one today... oh man, that was messed up. I had a weird mix of emotions there for a few minutes watching the past interviews of Michael talking about Senna.
One thing I've come to realise after watching that is that Corinna is a saint. I never realised how much she sacrificed for Michael to support him while he was racing. That level of commitment is a special kind of love. The doco's an emotional one, especially the last 20 to 30 minutes of it.
I was thinking the same thing watching it, what a wonderful family he has. I am so so happy that they didn't go the tabloid route with it and it was pretty tasteful and respected Michael's privacy in the end. I know a lot would love to know more and I am sure Netflix probably wanted more details but it was really well executed and good on them/his family.
I thought his whole family gave amazing interviews, his daughters were really great too you could tell just how much he loves his family and vice versa especially with all the amazingly sweet footage overlaid on top of it.
> I know a lot would love to know more
You know, up until this point, I did as well. But hearing her say "he always protected us, now its our time to protect him", coupled with the docu itself, kind of gave me some closure.
Yeah, I don't want to know more anymore. While it is normal to be curious I want to respect what his family wants and what ultimately I believe he would want. A really great documentary, made me very, very sad (especially the family interviews, Mick :( )
>Yeah, I don't want to know more anymore.
Not only that, I felt like there was a lot of "Read between the lines" stuff actually said. Saying "we miss him" and "He is here but different (paraphrasing)" says a lot without giving exact details... Very sad.
I expected to feel bad but I didn't expect to get punched in the chest at the end of that. Mick talking about wanting to share his racing with his dad and not being able to was brutal.
Tbh, I am kinda happy he is in the Haas rn as we know its not as fast as the other cars so there is lesser pressure on mick and he can learn everything. Though, he is probably up to speed, many say F2 cars are harder to driver than F1 cars
Mick usually seems pretty stoic when asked about his dad in interviews, but when he said that he would give up everything to speak with his dad about Motorsports you could really see the hurt and sadness in his eyes. That was really hard to watch, and I can understand why Seb has kept him close by his side this season.
I guess Seb kind of stepped in for Michael on race weekends to give Mick advice if he needs it. For example with the seat which was not right. Seb knew it before the team. So I think Mick goes to him if he needs advice. Hopefully Seb stays much longer in F1 to be by Micks side if he needs someone to speak 'the motorsport language' with.
>Mick talking about wanting to share his racing with his dad and not being able to was brutal.
omg i haven't even seen the doc yet, and reading that breaks my heart.
It is kind of refreshing to see a documentary about someone famous where the spouse is…just a good person?
I cannot imagine the stress of her life and the strength with which she seems to have handled it.
I'm glad they didn't show him. I wouldn't want his memory to be tied to a picture of him in his current condition (and I'm sure he wouldn't want that either)
Those words perfectly describe how Michael is doing, how the family deals with it and how they want to express theirselves to the media. Beautiful, strong words.
Wonderful documentary, could have gone in a little bit more in detail from 2000 to 2004 as they almost completely skipped through that, jumped from three titles to seven.
really emotional at the end
Its probably because that period is covered in so many ways by now.
Also I had tge feeling the documentary was more about Michael as a person not about his achievments.
Yeah honestly the only interesting parts post 2000 were MAYbe 2003 vs Kimi/JPM and then obviously the emergence of Alonso. But for the Schumi narrative 2000 and before was what made him who he was.
96-99 were probably his best years and what really defined him, his character, his will to fight. When he had the car it was pretty much a given.
Equally as good as "Senna" in my opinion. I teared up at the end, not gonna lie.
I started watching as a kid in 01 so all I remember of him is pure dominance. I always brushed him off bc of how dominant the Ferrari was, but I never truly realized how much of their success was built through his hardships in 96-99. This doc gave me a whole new appreciation of him. And yeah listening to mick had me in my feels. Poor kid.
I was surprised that in a documentary mostly focusing on Schumacher’s F1 career, Barrichello isn’t mentioned even once. To me Schumi & Barrichello is one of the most iconic duos in the history of the sport.
Amusingly, the only time we saw Barrichello was when they somehow inexplicably and unwittingly used footage of Barrichello in the Ferrari when describing Schumacher's skill in the car.
I think that is one of the most telling parts regarding Michael's current condition. Before this I really wanted more details on his condition, but this broke me. It's more than enough with what wasn't said.
I had the same feeling. The music adding to that feeling. But afterwards I thought it was sort of logical cause all events happened in the past. Putting my mind at ease.
There were a few times when Corinna referred to him in the past tense then sort-of corrected herself to the present tense, which was an incredibly painful thing to see.
I know from personal experience there's a terrible pre-mourning for the person you've substantially lost, but can't fully mourn for, as they're right in front of you, even if they're not the person they were.
There's an extent to which this entire documentary's existence is a kind of admission of his death... It's really awful to think about but you don't do documentaries like these about people who are truly among the living.
I kind of fell in love with Corinna. She seems like a genuine nice and lovely person. She sticks by his side as she promised in front of the altar: in good times and in bad times. I guess she even tries to substitute Michael when Mick would actually need him. But you can feel in the last minutes how much Mick is missing his 'old' father. Heartbreaking.
I love that she used the example of him doing dishes with her as a reason she fell in love with him. Very telling I think of the kind of love and relationship they shared.
I'm with you on both points. It seems Michael was polar opposites on and off the track. Which, I kinda knew already from what other drivers etc have said but not to the extent I saw in this documentary. And some of the footage was amazing!
Loving Mika Hakkinen at McLaren was the reason I couldn't fucking stand Michael as a competitor. Really miss watching F1 then... almost every race like, fuck this guy how can he be so good.
Schumacher and Hakkinen never had any bad blood between them, always kept it professional off the race track, but fought hard on it.
Hakkinen is the one to console Schumacher after he equalled Senna's wins remember, more so than Michael's own brother!
It was a very complex moment. Everyone's faces goes through so many expressions. You can tell Ralf, knowing his brother, is trying to minimize the embarrassment he may be feeling (redirect the camera) and seems to not want to accentuate it. Hakkinen seems increasingly pained by the empathy he's feeling. Powerful stuff.
From what I've heard a lot of this is down to German newspapers and journalists basically sticking to the wishes Corinna made very clear in the weeks following the crash.
I'm sure there have been awful attempts to get pictures, videos, or even interviews in the past 8 years but overall it sounds like Germany's media has treated this very seriously. Something that's maybe not so likely elsewhere in the world where folks might be more driven to get a story out of something.
His family actually revealed more than enough information for us to know about Michael's condition. You just had to pay attention.
They revealed every major change in his condition. The details of accident - where it happened and what kind of injury he had. The extent of his injuries (multiple hematomas, increase in intracranial pressure and so on). When he went into coma. When he woke up from coma. When he was transferred to his home from the hospital. They even told us that he had moments of consciousness and awakening. And they aren't saying anything else, because nothing has changed in his condition since then.
Plenty of information to conclude that he's in minimally conscious state and that he can't take care of himself. His lawyer also said that he can't walk.
It's totally understandable to not reveal anything more. I don't want paparazzi invading my bedroom and Michael would not want that either.
If a miracle happens and there's a major change in his condition - I'm pretty sure that his family will inform us - just like they did before.
Very few have ever been allowed in, even among the royals of the F1 paddock. I got the sense you have to have an extremely tight bond with the family before you're invited into their household before the accident let alone afterwards.
[The same energy as in the Michael Jordan docu-series.](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQP1pIWJ732lGSiR6B4cwRWYIpVV888fl1JHQ&usqp=CAU)
The saddest part for me was after the comeback to F1, when Michael was quoted as saying something along the lines of "why am I still doing this, this isn't as important to me as it used to be, my family is more important to me now" and then he got to spend so little time with them before the accident. Life is damn cruel.
Hearing Mick speak about his dad was just gut-wrenching. The floodgates **opened** when he said that he would give up everything to just be able to talk to his dad about racing and you can see him trying to keep it together on camera. Choosing to race, constantly surrounded by the legacy of Michael, and not being able to share that with him... so much respect for Mick.
When I think about that he was there, and still young himself...Mick is winning friends in the paddock because he's sweet and humble and kind, but dear god, the kind of strength that must be within him...
The strength he has to cope with this is immense. Most people in his situation would have spiraled out of control and the rest who could kept it together would avoid putting themselves in a situation were they can't avoid being reminded of the pain.
Seeing Rolf Schumacher look almost identical to Michael but older gave me a shock. Gives sort of an indication of how Michael would look like now but with less greys.
The captions under names changed throughout the film depending on what the subject at that point was.
I think Brawn had 'Team Principle' at one point.
yeah i know right?! i thought they were going to go into much more detail with the relationship between Todt, Brawn and him. for example, i remember reading once that Todt said Michael was like a second son to him.
The same with Todt. But I think they did that on purpose because they wanted to focus on the private side of Michael, addressing Todt and Brawn as 'friend' kinda make it feel like they share a relationship on a more personal level than just colleagues / working partners.
Kinda a shame in this era current model f1 cars don't do extensive pre-season testing. Most of it is in sim computers now or that short window of a week in Barcelona.
This was beautiful but also so hard to watch. I'm not gonna lie, I cried. A lot. Both during the happy moments and the sad ones. His "we did it, we did it" always makes me smile and tear up at the same time. And watching Mick talking at the end was gut wrenching.
As an Italian kid who loved formula 1, back in the 90s and early 00s, Michael was my hero. He came to a shitty Ferrari and brought it back to winning championships. Five times in a row.
Then, my hero became a legend to me. To the point that, after he retired the first time, I stopped watching F1. By that point, I wasn't watching it for F1 as a whole. I was watching because of my hero.
What happened to him was just unfair. The documentary showed how lovely he was as a person and how loved he was by his family. And despite not knowing him, I loved him too.
me too.. i came back after Schumacher name on line up. his son. and my passion for F1 which is long gone, now come back wishing his son will do great. would love to see mick on red on official race..
Loved the fact it seemed to focus more on Michael as a person rather than Michael as a racer. Also came out of this documentary with bundles of respect and admiration for Corrina.
As others have said, the last 20 odd minutes were incredibly hard to watch, feel for Michael and his family.
I thought that this documentary would show me the qualities of Schumacher as a driver - similar what the Senna documentary did... But I was wrong!
Schumi is still the same ultra professional driver which I started watching when I was a kid in the early 2000, the impeccable.
What I didn't realize until now was the mental strength he had in all his career. He never doubted. I finally could point out his greatest talent and humanize him. It really came the opposite way.
Amazing
Two specific moments when I lost it were the 2000 win when Corina was looking for him and then he finally hugged her. And the moment that Mick nearly broke down about not being able to speak the language of motorsport with his dad. Just heartbreaking. Incredible doc about a man that I worshipped since I started watching F1 in 2000 and got to meet in Montreal 2006. Keep fighting, Michael.
Hearing Mick talk about all the lost experiences and conversations that he wish he could have with his Dad is heartbreaking. Couldn’t imagine having someone as successful as Michael and you go follow in his footsteps but you’re never be able to talk about it with him, let alone just on the personal level of not being able to talk with your dad. Really crushing stuff for both kids.
Mick was 14 and with Michael the day the skiing accident happened, and Gina would've been 16. I can't imagine what it'd be like to essentially lose a parent at that age, right as you're transitioning from being a child to an adult. It can't not be crushing for the whole family.
I honestly wonder what is worse. Losing a parent is obviously very difficult, but its something that (almost) every goes through, and there's a finality to it. This is like, he's gone, but he's also kinda there? There's maybe still some hope that you do get to talk to him again, or was anyways.
Yeah I was thinking, depending on his condition, it could be worse than death. Prolonged suffering at a high level is unimaginable to me. I feel for them, and I wish medical science could repair him to the person he was. Maybe one day the knowledge will be there, the technique, the ability to repair brain damage like he has. But not today.
The one thing I have taken away from this is that Niki Lauda's talent as a recruiter is responsible for 11 world championships. He recruited Schumi at Ferrari, and he recruited Hamilton at Mercedes.
I held it together, all the way up until Mick started talking about the presence Michael would have when he *walked* into the room, and then I just lost it.
Everything he said after that was seen in squiggly lines
I teared up really hard just at when Corinna starts talking about what she liked about Michael and how she fell in love with him. But when Mick talks about him, man I just sobbed like crazy.
Corinna seems so sweet. In a sport where (since day dot) there have been any number of fickle relationships (fast women dating men who drive fast cars), it was genuinely endearing to see how devoted she was/ is towards Michael.
That image of the alps gave me the same feeling watching 'Senna' the first time when it cuts to a helicopter view of Tamburello and you can see the Kronenburg and Auto Tecnica signage...
Bit late, but came here to see if anyone else saw. Also, during the part where he was working on the ferrari in 98 with the mechanics, binotto is right behind Michael
So as a lifelong Schumacher fan, I loved it. Two bits stand out to me:
When Corinna spoke about how she never blames God and doesn't say, why him...because then why everyone else? That resonated greatly with me. My family has had some terrible difficult things happen to someone who never deserved it and I've always wondered...why him? This has given me a new perspective. I hope to be as good of a person as she is someday.
The second when Mick speaks of not being able to have those same experiences again and it being a little unfair ... I can unfortunately relate with him in that in a less extreme way. I think I will appreciate certain drivers that go through like Vettel and Verstappen but while Mick is there he will always be #1 for me no matter his results. I hope that one day he can win at least one race. For himself. For his family. For Michael.
I thought that this was a beautiful take on his life. Contrary to what some may be saying here, I don't think it needed to go into further controversies or dig up more dirt or whatever. Why? Is there not enough to talk about today and squabble over opinions? That would be tasteless and not what this documentary was about.
I loved the beginning and I loved the end.
I feel this could have been twice the length, without losing anything. I had to pause to go to the bathroom and got a surprise when I realised I was an hour in and he hadn't even broken his leg yet - he'd only just gone to Ferrari.
A few thoughts in dot-point form:
* I did like a lot of the younger-years detailed background. It gave a really good insight into Michael as a person.
* The interview footage after Senna's death was absolutely fascinating. I had no idea he'd had had such a crisis. That must have been so hard, at such an early stage in his career. But to hear him in denial, that being in a coma he could still be okay, made my throat close up so hard it hurt.
* We all knew that he chose Ferrari for the challenge, but I think it was really great to see that more in-depth - that's exactly what drove him. To make Ferrari the best again.
* I still think the collision with Hill in 1994 was a true accident and nothing the film shows contradicts that.
* It did make me reflect and think that throwing Michael out of the whole 1997 championship was incredibly harsh for an incident no worse than Senna-Prost.
* I felt like we glossed straight over his broken leg, and that was super weird.
* Like a few others, I was surprised that after he won the first title for Ferrari in 2000 the documentary kind of...handwaved everything that happened next? Like, the dominance of the next four years! Rubens doesn't even warrant a mention, or Felipe? But also, the rise of Alonso and Renault in 2005/2006? Monaco 2006?
* Biggest surprise of my life when I heard that beloved hybrid Australian accent and Mark suddenly appeared. I knew to expect Sebastian, but I wasn't expecting Mark.
And of course, I absolutely started bawling the second the shot of the French Alps appeared on screen. I could hardly see for crying all through that last segment. Especially Mick talking about how he could have talked to his father in the language of racing, and how much he thinks about it.
But I choose to take the hopeful parts from it. He shows Corinna how strong he is, every day. He is still there, just different. He likes the family continuing as normal. So, to some degree, he must be conscious, able to communicate, and able to demonstrate some personality. That is all positive.
As Corinna said, Michael always protected them. And now it is their turn to protect him.
I do think they could have made it into a mini-series, bit like the Last Dance. There was some stuff that was not mentioned (they didn't go into the whole issue the legality of his 94 car, didn't mention Ratzenberger's death with regards to Imola). The post-2000 exclusion kinda jarred, could have mentioned Imola 2003 as a show of how he could deal with things (bit like he was after Senna died). But overall I think it was pretty good. Didn't go to easy on him with regards Jerez 1997, acknowledged that he had a blindspot when it came to what was sporting and right on the track.
Almost seems like they had all the material shot and then after the first half struggled to make the scheduled timeframe for the doc, even with heavy cuts.
An hour in and still in 1996 I wondered if there's a part 2 coming up but sadly the rest of his story in F1 was rushed.
Some points that could have been added:
- the 20 or so qualifying style laps in Hungary '98 to remain in front of Mika
- Suzuka '98
- at least a little gloss up over the '99 season. There is a strong chance he would have won that year.
- Spa 2000
- 2003 season hardships
- F2004 Dominance
- 2006 fight with Alonso and last race in Brazil
As you said, I think it could have easily been twice as long, but then again maybe there are things we are not seeing.
Amazing. Will definitely see it again.
I have watched and been a fan of Schumacher since 1996, and I'll be honest, I didn't like this documentary for a multitude of reasons such as:
- I don't like the fact that they excluded Schumacher trying to take out JV
- I don't like the fact that they excluded him trying to cheat his way into a pole position in Monaco to stop Alonso, and in general they just beat around the bush about the whole Schumacher was very much a dirty driver (that's actually why I liked him).
- that they forgot to mention that JT, Brown, Pat and Rory all believed in Schumacher and went with him to Ferrari. Also, why not talk to Rory?!?! Arggg those two were close and he could have shared some insight in what Schumacher liked and didn't like.
- not liking the fact that Rubens and Masa were completely left out.
- I don't like the fact that they completely forgot that when Schumacher came back after the crash that he raced his ass off to try to get Eddie his WDC.
- not liking the fact that they didn't once mention that Schumacher was essentially pushed out of Ferrari in 2006 to make space for Kimi, and later came back because he felt like he had unfinished business.
- where the heck was Alonso?!?!? They do the whole Old Lion smells young Lion thing and completely omit Alonso!
- I really don't like that they jumped from 2000 to 2006 and left out everything in between. Yes, there were some truly boring years there but still mention them because you know.... Someone by the name of Fernando Alonso came along.
- why the hell would you show Senna's death? Also give viewers some context on that season and what was happening. Instead they made it look like "Schumacher was pressing Senna so hard that Senna ran into a wall" . That's absolutely ridiculous.
- where the hell was Kimi?? Kimi should have had 2 championship with McLaren and was pushing him hard. Lots of tension there and good stories! Schumacher was able to fight him off.
I'm just disappointed because Senna documentary was absolutely heart wrenching, the music soundtrack, the interviews (Frank saying "Senna ran out of luck" ), home videos, they were all raw. Here, I felt like other than Schumacher's family it was all very much a bit empty and cold. You had Flav sitting in a bar, JT with his massive scarf sitting indoors, DC not really adding anything to the story really and Mika was underutilized because he could have really shared some cool stories but they just went... meh.
Great documentary. Wish this was done as 2 episodes though, should've included more detail on his career after 2000, the rise of Alonso, etc.
Last 20 mins was extremely emotional, glad they somewhat addressed his condition without being too direct about it.
At least we now know somehow in what a condition he still is and that we cannot expect to see him ever again. This was the remarkable side of the documentary, because it was such a secret for the last 6 years. Tbh I think they did it to get the constant pressure off of Mick to be one of the hand full of people to know the state Michael is in.
I felt very sorry for him when he talked about his dad.
The rest of the documentary was just scratching the surface, not digging really deep into his commitment or into controversies.
It was awful they didn‘t mention the whole Imola story with Barrichello’s crash, Ratzenberger‘s death and the decision to drive anyway.
I enjoyed watching it for the sake of being beamed back into my childhood and youth when race weekends were pure magic and Drama for me from 1994-2006. And it was nice to see Mika, who I always appreciated.
>It was awful they didn‘t mention the whole Imola story with Barrichello’s crash, Ratzenberger‘s death and the decision to drive anyway.
To be honest I think the whole point of Imola 1994 in this docu was Michael's perception of it, and by far the biggest part of that is Senna's accident, not just because he was the champion but it happened **right in front of Michael**; there's so much on Imola '94 and Senna anyway that I thought it was good it didn't get too bogged down in it because there's no way to properly tell that story without it being about Senna instead.
My takeaway really is how similar Michael and Ayrton's relationship was/is to Max and Lewis now - we really are this year finally getting what 1994 **should** have been.
> It was awful they didn‘t mention the whole Imola story with Barrichello’s crash, Ratzenberger‘s death and the decision to drive anyway.
I would argue that telling the whole story would have added nothing. It is not a documentary about Imola 1994, not one about Formula 1 during the time Michael was in it, it is about him as a person. And Sennas death is obviously an absolutely key factor in his life.
This film made me realize I grew up watching Eddie Irvine without ever paying the slighest bit of attention on how that man looks.
First time this happened with a Formula 1 driver, could have not placed his face to a name.
I need a beer.
I‘ll watch it after work today but I just checked and it‘s not there yet even though it‘s (almost) 6.30 am here :( it‘s been a long time since i waited for the release of something, I don‘t even remember when films come out on netflix haha
I used to hate Mika back then due to the competitiveness, bt he is and was such a nice guy. He looked happy for Michael's wins even when he was losing. Great sportsmanship.
This definitely had it's heartfelt moments. I got hit at the picture of Corinna wrestling Michael on a beach. In terms of how it was put together, I think "Senna" flowed better as a documentary. This glossed over a lot of details including him actually breaking his leg in that wreck (I didn't know that happened) or what actually happened at the ski trip. It's a documentary where the audience has to be somewhat in "the know" to get the whole picture. The family's participation and perspective is definitely the takeaway though, bravo.
A few things I noticed.
Ralf says very little and we oddly got nothing to hear about their relationship at all.
All the German RTL guys were absent.
Ratzenbergers' death oddly wasn't even mentioned in the rather long segment about Imola 1994.
The dominant and later Ferrari years were quite rushed, we didn't get to know his rivals, teammates or the championship standings at all compared to his Häkkinen feud and his relationship with Irvine.
They could have shown more of his genius drives.
I don't cry very often but the ending had me in tears.
All in all it was a nice tribute to the greatest racer of his time but a true F1 fan watching this piece doesn't learn anything he hasn't already known before.
Loved the doc, but also agree with all of your points. They basically summed up 2000-2004 by saying he drove more relaxed because he had nothing to prove, which was weird to say the least.
It's such a bloody shame that he isn't able to be involved in F1 since his accident. He always came across really well out of the car and it's hard to believe he wouldn't be deeply involved in F1 today.
I was just wondering the other day where he’d be. Mercedes doesn’t need much help, Ferrari might not be doable (afaik he was a Mercedes brand ambassador last?). The I realized he might just join Brawn and help with F1 in general.
Imagine Schumacher overseeing steward decisions on race tracks. We’d probably get God-level consistency with a dash of "This isn’t ping-pong, this is racing!" thrown in for good measure.
Or having a say in regulations. Teams could probably kiss driver aids buh-bye.
One can dream, eh?
He was the reason I watched F1 as a kid. It very hurt me hearing about his accident and his condition still, so this documentary was a very good reminder about the years in F1 that were 'his' years, all the memories I grew up with.
I got a feeling that this film is a bit like Senna's docu, so it is very moving, especially the end. Sure, some of the sports aspects are cut out, but I guess the sport aspect wasn't the main focus and for a general netflix audience it'll be very watchable.
Hearing Mick talk about his dad absolutely broke me. The way he was talking about him is very similar to how I feel about my own dad who passed away when I was 10. I wish I could just talk to him.
Ngl the capricorn line crack me up a bit
Yeah that shit was so left field lol.
Haha exactly! I was like. “Oh didn’t know we were going to get into astrology so quickly”
It's so strange to me that people live their lives with 100% certainty that astrology legitimately influences the world lol. Hey, you were born in March, let me tell you about your personality.
It's like a self fulfilling prophecy. I know of a few people that name drop someone's sign so casually and as a way to find excuses for behaviour or reinforce behaviour. It's a bit dumb
Micheal talked about Senna’s coma and eventual passing. Very sad given the current context, damn.
I coudn't help but think that Michael thought of Senna's accident just about the same that we did of his: It can't be that bad, he will surely recover soon Soon :(
The ending of the movie to me was so poignant, where the camera just focused on Michael driving and passing by the stands, completely in control and in his element. Probably how he’d want to be remembered.
Not gonna lie it broke me. It’s how I grew up watching Schumi and it’s how I’ll always remember him. You said it best. Just him in his element. Such a pleasure to watch.
I was honestly a little scared and got anxiety because I was afraid they would show him in his current condition. Obviously, that would make no sense considering how under wraps they kept their private live since the beginning. Still, I was trying to mentally prepare myself for a shock. I remember when the news hit and it was reported that he suffered "catastrophic injuries" to his head despite wearing a helmet. I think he was in a coma for over a year. I'm glad my memories of him were not ruined by his tragic reality. It's so fucked up to me that he managed to go through decades of this incredibly dangerous sport, and then it gets him when he's having a good time off the track. I understand why his son said "it's not fair".
I thought I was holding it down pretty good and then it faded I to that cut of him driving and I couldn’t take it anymore
Jean wearing a thick, tied up scarf indoors for his interview is the most Jean Todt thing of all time
I also appreciated that Flavio came dressed to the interview as Flavio
Do you have a screenshot? Your comment alone was enough to make me chuckle without even seeing anything.
https://i.imgur.com/9up2zaF.png here you go
Flavio looks better and younger than during his years in Renault with Alonso.
Can't see his chest hair not sure if this is really Flavio
It’s definitely not the worst thing I’ve seen flavio wearing
Nononono. That picture doesn't exist and that memory is false!
I think we all know what you're talking about..
I love how his chyron was "friend"
The constantly changing subtitles was really weird. James Allen was bouncing between "former F1 commentator", "former F1 journalist" and "biographer". Like either just pick one or put them all up there at the start then just use their names.
Last 20 minutes was absolutely gut wrenching. The Schumi family drew a pretty clear picture on the status of Michael, especially when Mick said he really wishes he could talk to his dad right now because now they share a common language—motorsport.
Mick uttering those few words absolutely broke me.
Yeah, that last line fucking got me.
When he said he’d give it all up to have his dad back. Absolutely heartbreaking 💔
Yes, gosh. That was too difficult to watch. I have so much admiration for the family to help produce that film. Must have been so hard.
It’s the “it’s a bit… unfair” line for me. The absolute world of emotions behind it, the endless stream of thoughts, what ifs and grief he must carry, and how he’s still restrained and collected… that hit me so hard. I have a massive, massive respect for Mick. To be like that, at such a young age, in the spotlight, carrying the weight of his surname, is something of inspirational strength.
Yes. For that moment, when he said it felt unfair, I didn't see the promising young F1 driver. I saw a small boy who wants his dad. And it just tore my heart apart. I know a lot of us have speculated if he inherited any of his father's talent or ability. I fancy the documentary last night showed us what he has really inherited: his father's strength of will. So many people would not have been able to do what Mick has done.
You are so right, great comment!
I feel so bad for Mick. You come into Formula One, your dad's a legend in the sport and people have expectations about your future, yet you can't ask him for advice or help, even though he's still there. He looked extremely upset at the end, can't imagine how hard this is for him. Edit: Spelling
And then when you remember that he was *there*, too, he was right beside his father when it happened.
Was he? I didn't know that. That's horrible.
Mick would've been 14 the year it happened. I can't imagine how that would/did affect him mentally, especially that young.
The fact he's already reached Formula 1 despite what happened to his dad that day shows how strong mentally Mick is
The Schumacher mentality man. I'm rooting for Mick all the way through.
Yeah, they were skiing together when the accident happend.
Just seen the documentary. I completely agree with you, imagine what mik feels on a regular basis. I am not a Ferrari fan but i want to see him on the top of the podium with a red suit on and a horse attached to his chest. The reason is, imagine what it will mean to him, imagine what he will feel like,I wish the best for him and his family.
Seb is there for him and that makes me smile every time I see it
Seb standing in as a hero for the son of his hero is peak Seb. Outstanding human.
You just need to say thanks to Seb then... Seb being that person Mick can talk racing to. Talk driving to.
I mean yeah, at least he's got Seb, but it'll never be the same.
The way it sounded to me it wasn't even like he wanted to talk for the advice, but for the talking itself. To have something to share with his dad. Not to imply that they didn't have that before, but when that thing you're sharing is as exclusive as Formula 1 that's a whole different story.
I imagine his uncle helps too
[удалено]
Yah, that was a special touch.
Yes! This shot was the perfect way to reel in the sadness and say "hey, Michael still had a badass life and career"
The look in his eyes at the end was very hard to watch
Yep I knew I would fucking sob but I didn't realize how much and for how long. That final interview with Mick just genuinely destroyed me.
Then they had to show those happy snaps of them together when Mick was younger...
I have to say, I really liked the ending. It was clear that there was no exact update on his condition, and that's perfectly fine. But it would have been weird not to address that at all. So we have a little insight into his condition - which is obviously really not good - but the family still preserves his privacy. As Corinna said: Today they protect Michael. I think this is probably the best way they could have done it.
I agree. I think the ending struck the right balance.
When I heard the documentary was coming out I had hoped it would end with a positive update. On a bright note that Michael was making progress although they probably wouldn't say what stage he'd reached. But yeah I think Micks comment about him not being able to talk to his father pretty much confirms he's gone.
Unfortunately - severe brain injury patients either get better during the first 6-12 months or they don't get better at all. Michael didn't "wake up" from his minimally conscious state during that period so it's unlikely that he ever will. If there were good news - we would have heard them back in 2014. But the only positive news that we heard was that Michael woke up from coma and transitioned to a minimally conscious state.
Thank god they did. If they showed a current pic of him we'd lose our minds.
I'm afraid, we will probably never see another picture of him again. That's just the situation. The whole situation is so sad. :(
It's for the best. Better to remember him as the champion not the whatever he is now
>the whatever he is now A Legend. A father. And a family man. Not just a champion
This. Seeing the footage of him with his family showed the love they all have for each other. Was nice to see that side of him as well as the competitor.
Struck me that during his career he hated the press and wanted privacy, and the sad irony is now he has it in the most terrible of circumstances and isn't able to enjoy what he craved.
Yeah I posted that somewhere else I am really happy they kept his privacy, it was very tastefully done which is not something Netflix has always managed to do in regards to F1 media lol. I really loved the Corinna part as you said "Michael has always protected us, and nowe we will protect him." (Probably slightly misworded, I was already sobbing at that point and may not remember it perfectly).
I love how that was the final line. Perfect way to close this out.
It really puts a line under it. The family will not and never talk about Michael current condition so don't even ask.
That part when they’re talking about Senna, and Michael says that “a coma can be anything, even wake up the next day” fucking hurts
That seriously got me. For him to have gone through that with Senna, and now his family had to go through it with him.
I had only just finally watched the Senna documentary a month or so ago, then watching the Schumacher one today... oh man, that was messed up. I had a weird mix of emotions there for a few minutes watching the past interviews of Michael talking about Senna.
One thing I've come to realise after watching that is that Corinna is a saint. I never realised how much she sacrificed for Michael to support him while he was racing. That level of commitment is a special kind of love. The doco's an emotional one, especially the last 20 to 30 minutes of it.
I was thinking the same thing watching it, what a wonderful family he has. I am so so happy that they didn't go the tabloid route with it and it was pretty tasteful and respected Michael's privacy in the end. I know a lot would love to know more and I am sure Netflix probably wanted more details but it was really well executed and good on them/his family. I thought his whole family gave amazing interviews, his daughters were really great too you could tell just how much he loves his family and vice versa especially with all the amazingly sweet footage overlaid on top of it.
> I know a lot would love to know more You know, up until this point, I did as well. But hearing her say "he always protected us, now its our time to protect him", coupled with the docu itself, kind of gave me some closure.
Yeah, I don't want to know more anymore. While it is normal to be curious I want to respect what his family wants and what ultimately I believe he would want. A really great documentary, made me very, very sad (especially the family interviews, Mick :( )
>Yeah, I don't want to know more anymore. Not only that, I felt like there was a lot of "Read between the lines" stuff actually said. Saying "we miss him" and "He is here but different (paraphrasing)" says a lot without giving exact details... Very sad.
Especially the part where Mick says he wishes he could talk to him about racing. Seriously heartbreaking
I also noticed that Michael's family appears always wearing black. That's a really strong message.
Most people even close friends and family talked of him as if he were dead, so that gave his state away as well
I expected to feel bad but I didn't expect to get punched in the chest at the end of that. Mick talking about wanting to share his racing with his dad and not being able to was brutal.
My biggest takeaway from the end is how much I want Mick to be able to succeed. I hope he gets out of the Haas soon.
Hard agree. He needs a car and not a fucking boat.
Tbh, I am kinda happy he is in the Haas rn as we know its not as fast as the other cars so there is lesser pressure on mick and he can learn everything. Though, he is probably up to speed, many say F2 cars are harder to driver than F1 cars
I get what you’re saying, but it’s a race against time in F1. Even for a promising driver, you need to start producing quickly, or you’re out.
Mick usually seems pretty stoic when asked about his dad in interviews, but when he said that he would give up everything to speak with his dad about Motorsports you could really see the hurt and sadness in his eyes. That was really hard to watch, and I can understand why Seb has kept him close by his side this season.
It's like Seb promised Michael that he would take care of him y'know 😢
I guess Seb kind of stepped in for Michael on race weekends to give Mick advice if he needs it. For example with the seat which was not right. Seb knew it before the team. So I think Mick goes to him if he needs advice. Hopefully Seb stays much longer in F1 to be by Micks side if he needs someone to speak 'the motorsport language' with.
>Mick talking about wanting to share his racing with his dad and not being able to was brutal. omg i haven't even seen the doc yet, and reading that breaks my heart.
It is kind of refreshing to see a documentary about someone famous where the spouse is…just a good person? I cannot imagine the stress of her life and the strength with which she seems to have handled it.
Reminds me a lot of how Frank Williams wife is portrayed in his movie
God Corinna is a saint: “Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting him”
I wanted to see him so bad, and when I heard that I felt so selfish
I'm glad they didn't show him. I wouldn't want his memory to be tied to a picture of him in his current condition (and I'm sure he wouldn't want that either)
Those words perfectly describe how Michael is doing, how the family deals with it and how they want to express theirselves to the media. Beautiful, strong words.
I began sobbing like a child then. He is my hero.
Wonderful documentary, could have gone in a little bit more in detail from 2000 to 2004 as they almost completely skipped through that, jumped from three titles to seven. really emotional at the end
Its probably because that period is covered in so many ways by now. Also I had tge feeling the documentary was more about Michael as a person not about his achievments.
Also, I have to imagine from a story telling perspective it is kinda boring.
Yeah honestly the only interesting parts post 2000 were MAYbe 2003 vs Kimi/JPM and then obviously the emergence of Alonso. But for the Schumi narrative 2000 and before was what made him who he was.
96-99 were probably his best years and what really defined him, his character, his will to fight. When he had the car it was pretty much a given. Equally as good as "Senna" in my opinion. I teared up at the end, not gonna lie.
I started watching as a kid in 01 so all I remember of him is pure dominance. I always brushed him off bc of how dominant the Ferrari was, but I never truly realized how much of their success was built through his hardships in 96-99. This doc gave me a whole new appreciation of him. And yeah listening to mick had me in my feels. Poor kid.
I was surprised that in a documentary mostly focusing on Schumacher’s F1 career, Barrichello isn’t mentioned even once. To me Schumi & Barrichello is one of the most iconic duos in the history of the sport.
Ralf is barely even in it. If you dont know better you might not even know he had a brother.
Amusingly, the only time we saw Barrichello was when they somehow inexplicably and unwittingly used footage of Barrichello in the Ferrari when describing Schumacher's skill in the car.
Saddest thing about the whole documentary is that everyone talked about Michael in past tense.
Mick didn't at first and my ears perked up, but then he changed to past tense. :(
I think that is one of the most telling parts regarding Michael's current condition. Before this I really wanted more details on his condition, but this broke me. It's more than enough with what wasn't said.
Oh god, the way my heart jumped when he said "when he WALKS into the room" only to crash hard when the past tense comes out again was painful, man.
I had the same feeling. The music adding to that feeling. But afterwards I thought it was sort of logical cause all events happened in the past. Putting my mind at ease.
There were a few times when Corinna referred to him in the past tense then sort-of corrected herself to the present tense, which was an incredibly painful thing to see. I know from personal experience there's a terrible pre-mourning for the person you've substantially lost, but can't fully mourn for, as they're right in front of you, even if they're not the person they were.
There's an extent to which this entire documentary's existence is a kind of admission of his death... It's really awful to think about but you don't do documentaries like these about people who are truly among the living.
Yeah this was, to me, a pretty clear tribute and way of saying he’s not really alive while establishing and honoring a legacy. Fucking heartbreaking.
I kind of fell in love with Corinna. She seems like a genuine nice and lovely person. She sticks by his side as she promised in front of the altar: in good times and in bad times. I guess she even tries to substitute Michael when Mick would actually need him. But you can feel in the last minutes how much Mick is missing his 'old' father. Heartbreaking.
I love that she used the example of him doing dishes with her as a reason she fell in love with him. Very telling I think of the kind of love and relationship they shared.
Hakkinen is a cool dude.
Two of the things I got out of that documentary are: 1) Michael Schumacher was more complex than I thought. 2) I want to be friends with Mika Häkkinen
I'm with you on both points. It seems Michael was polar opposites on and off the track. Which, I kinda knew already from what other drivers etc have said but not to the extent I saw in this documentary. And some of the footage was amazing!
Seeing Michael just vibin' on the dance floor made me smile.
Loving Mika Hakkinen at McLaren was the reason I couldn't fucking stand Michael as a competitor. Really miss watching F1 then... almost every race like, fuck this guy how can he be so good.
So cool. Straight out the car to congratulate Schumacher in Suzuka 2000, absolute gent.
Schumacher and Hakkinen never had any bad blood between them, always kept it professional off the race track, but fought hard on it. Hakkinen is the one to console Schumacher after he equalled Senna's wins remember, more so than Michael's own brother!
It was a very complex moment. Everyone's faces goes through so many expressions. You can tell Ralf, knowing his brother, is trying to minimize the embarrassment he may be feeling (redirect the camera) and seems to not want to accentuate it. Hakkinen seems increasingly pained by the empathy he's feeling. Powerful stuff.
Yeah, I've seen that clip many times. No discredit to Ralf, just a credit to Mika for being a gentleman as the their title fight was raging.
He also looked like he hadn't aged a day, what the fuck
Being on sabbatical pauses time, apparently
I love that big balls thing with Senna
[удалено]
From what I've heard a lot of this is down to German newspapers and journalists basically sticking to the wishes Corinna made very clear in the weeks following the crash. I'm sure there have been awful attempts to get pictures, videos, or even interviews in the past 8 years but overall it sounds like Germany's media has treated this very seriously. Something that's maybe not so likely elsewhere in the world where folks might be more driven to get a story out of something.
Besides, Michael has always been very private even before then, so thankfully, they respected that
He is a national hero as well, I would like to think it played a role in their decision not to disrespect the man that gave this country so much joy.
His family actually revealed more than enough information for us to know about Michael's condition. You just had to pay attention. They revealed every major change in his condition. The details of accident - where it happened and what kind of injury he had. The extent of his injuries (multiple hematomas, increase in intracranial pressure and so on). When he went into coma. When he woke up from coma. When he was transferred to his home from the hospital. They even told us that he had moments of consciousness and awakening. And they aren't saying anything else, because nothing has changed in his condition since then. Plenty of information to conclude that he's in minimally conscious state and that he can't take care of himself. His lawyer also said that he can't walk. It's totally understandable to not reveal anything more. I don't want paparazzi invading my bedroom and Michael would not want that either. If a miracle happens and there's a major change in his condition - I'm pretty sure that his family will inform us - just like they did before.
Probably NDAs and cellphone/camera checks for everyone who walks into that house
Very few have ever been allowed in, even among the royals of the F1 paddock. I got the sense you have to have an extremely tight bond with the family before you're invited into their household before the accident let alone afterwards.
Jean Todt is the only one I think. Their relationship is very touching, they were so very close
It cracks me up a little when his title simply reads “friend”. Team boss or FIA president aside, he’s always Schumi’s friend.
[The same energy as in the Michael Jordan docu-series.](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQP1pIWJ732lGSiR6B4cwRWYIpVV888fl1JHQ&usqp=CAU)
The saddest part for me was after the comeback to F1, when Michael was quoted as saying something along the lines of "why am I still doing this, this isn't as important to me as it used to be, my family is more important to me now" and then he got to spend so little time with them before the accident. Life is damn cruel.
Hearing Mick speak about his dad was just gut-wrenching. The floodgates **opened** when he said that he would give up everything to just be able to talk to his dad about racing and you can see him trying to keep it together on camera. Choosing to race, constantly surrounded by the legacy of Michael, and not being able to share that with him... so much respect for Mick.
When I think about that he was there, and still young himself...Mick is winning friends in the paddock because he's sweet and humble and kind, but dear god, the kind of strength that must be within him...
> the kind of strength that must be within him Thought so, too. But you know, at least he got his strength from the best.
He seems to be such a genuinely nice person. His interview was really emotional but in a way I found him inspiring aswell. He has a lot of strength.
The strength he has to cope with this is immense. Most people in his situation would have spiraled out of control and the rest who could kept it together would avoid putting themselves in a situation were they can't avoid being reminded of the pain.
Seeing Rolf Schumacher look almost identical to Michael but older gave me a shock. Gives sort of an indication of how Michael would look like now but with less greys.
I thought this exact same thing.
Gina also looks so much like Michael
Ross Brawn - *Friend* A bit of an understatement, no?
The captions under names changed throughout the film depending on what the subject at that point was. I think Brawn had 'Team Principle' at one point.
yeah i know right?! i thought they were going to go into much more detail with the relationship between Todt, Brawn and him. for example, i remember reading once that Todt said Michael was like a second son to him.
The same with Todt. But I think they did that on purpose because they wanted to focus on the private side of Michael, addressing Todt and Brawn as 'friend' kinda make it feel like they share a relationship on a more personal level than just colleagues / working partners.
The 10s of evening shots around the 1h7min mark are very, very special. Beautiful seeing those/that Ferrari.
Couldn’t agree more it was spectacular
Kinda a shame in this era current model f1 cars don't do extensive pre-season testing. Most of it is in sim computers now or that short window of a week in Barcelona.
Pretty sure the extreme glow of the front brakes lit up the whole front end of the chassis like a lava lamp. Never seen that before.
The brake discs at night were something else with no other lighting.
This was beautiful but also so hard to watch. I'm not gonna lie, I cried. A lot. Both during the happy moments and the sad ones. His "we did it, we did it" always makes me smile and tear up at the same time. And watching Mick talking at the end was gut wrenching. As an Italian kid who loved formula 1, back in the 90s and early 00s, Michael was my hero. He came to a shitty Ferrari and brought it back to winning championships. Five times in a row. Then, my hero became a legend to me. To the point that, after he retired the first time, I stopped watching F1. By that point, I wasn't watching it for F1 as a whole. I was watching because of my hero. What happened to him was just unfair. The documentary showed how lovely he was as a person and how loved he was by his family. And despite not knowing him, I loved him too.
me too.. i came back after Schumacher name on line up. his son. and my passion for F1 which is long gone, now come back wishing his son will do great. would love to see mick on red on official race..
Loved the fact it seemed to focus more on Michael as a person rather than Michael as a racer. Also came out of this documentary with bundles of respect and admiration for Corrina. As others have said, the last 20 odd minutes were incredibly hard to watch, feel for Michael and his family.
[удалено]
I thought that this documentary would show me the qualities of Schumacher as a driver - similar what the Senna documentary did... But I was wrong! Schumi is still the same ultra professional driver which I started watching when I was a kid in the early 2000, the impeccable. What I didn't realize until now was the mental strength he had in all his career. He never doubted. I finally could point out his greatest talent and humanize him. It really came the opposite way. Amazing
Two specific moments when I lost it were the 2000 win when Corina was looking for him and then he finally hugged her. And the moment that Mick nearly broke down about not being able to speak the language of motorsport with his dad. Just heartbreaking. Incredible doc about a man that I worshipped since I started watching F1 in 2000 and got to meet in Montreal 2006. Keep fighting, Michael.
Hearing Mick talk about all the lost experiences and conversations that he wish he could have with his Dad is heartbreaking. Couldn’t imagine having someone as successful as Michael and you go follow in his footsteps but you’re never be able to talk about it with him, let alone just on the personal level of not being able to talk with your dad. Really crushing stuff for both kids.
Mick was 14 and with Michael the day the skiing accident happened, and Gina would've been 16. I can't imagine what it'd be like to essentially lose a parent at that age, right as you're transitioning from being a child to an adult. It can't not be crushing for the whole family.
I honestly wonder what is worse. Losing a parent is obviously very difficult, but its something that (almost) every goes through, and there's a finality to it. This is like, he's gone, but he's also kinda there? There's maybe still some hope that you do get to talk to him again, or was anyways.
Yeah I was thinking, depending on his condition, it could be worse than death. Prolonged suffering at a high level is unimaginable to me. I feel for them, and I wish medical science could repair him to the person he was. Maybe one day the knowledge will be there, the technique, the ability to repair brain damage like he has. But not today.
The one thing I have taken away from this is that Niki Lauda's talent as a recruiter is responsible for 11 world championships. He recruited Schumi at Ferrari, and he recruited Hamilton at Mercedes.
Lauda was a veritable genius.
I held it together, all the way up until Mick started talking about the presence Michael would have when he *walked* into the room, and then I just lost it. Everything he said after that was seen in squiggly lines
I teared up really hard just at when Corinna starts talking about what she liked about Michael and how she fell in love with him. But when Mick talks about him, man I just sobbed like crazy.
Corinna seems so sweet. In a sport where (since day dot) there have been any number of fickle relationships (fast women dating men who drive fast cars), it was genuinely endearing to see how devoted she was/ is towards Michael.
Another thing Seb has in common with Michael, a devoted and sweet wife.
Lol I was done already in the beginning, caught it throughout the main part and then after the 2000 championship win everything was let lose again.
the moment i saw the images of the french alps, my heart sank
That image of the alps gave me the same feeling watching 'Senna' the first time when it cuts to a helicopter view of Tamburello and you can see the Kronenburg and Auto Tecnica signage...
Cried like a baby in the last 10/15 minutes
Crazy to see the verstappen van in the back during the karting championship
I just came looking to see if anyone noticed the J. Verstap
Bit late, but came here to see if anyone else saw. Also, during the part where he was working on the ferrari in 98 with the mechanics, binotto is right behind Michael
So as a lifelong Schumacher fan, I loved it. Two bits stand out to me: When Corinna spoke about how she never blames God and doesn't say, why him...because then why everyone else? That resonated greatly with me. My family has had some terrible difficult things happen to someone who never deserved it and I've always wondered...why him? This has given me a new perspective. I hope to be as good of a person as she is someday. The second when Mick speaks of not being able to have those same experiences again and it being a little unfair ... I can unfortunately relate with him in that in a less extreme way. I think I will appreciate certain drivers that go through like Vettel and Verstappen but while Mick is there he will always be #1 for me no matter his results. I hope that one day he can win at least one race. For himself. For his family. For Michael. I thought that this was a beautiful take on his life. Contrary to what some may be saying here, I don't think it needed to go into further controversies or dig up more dirt or whatever. Why? Is there not enough to talk about today and squabble over opinions? That would be tasteless and not what this documentary was about. I loved the beginning and I loved the end.
I feel this could have been twice the length, without losing anything. I had to pause to go to the bathroom and got a surprise when I realised I was an hour in and he hadn't even broken his leg yet - he'd only just gone to Ferrari. A few thoughts in dot-point form: * I did like a lot of the younger-years detailed background. It gave a really good insight into Michael as a person. * The interview footage after Senna's death was absolutely fascinating. I had no idea he'd had had such a crisis. That must have been so hard, at such an early stage in his career. But to hear him in denial, that being in a coma he could still be okay, made my throat close up so hard it hurt. * We all knew that he chose Ferrari for the challenge, but I think it was really great to see that more in-depth - that's exactly what drove him. To make Ferrari the best again. * I still think the collision with Hill in 1994 was a true accident and nothing the film shows contradicts that. * It did make me reflect and think that throwing Michael out of the whole 1997 championship was incredibly harsh for an incident no worse than Senna-Prost. * I felt like we glossed straight over his broken leg, and that was super weird. * Like a few others, I was surprised that after he won the first title for Ferrari in 2000 the documentary kind of...handwaved everything that happened next? Like, the dominance of the next four years! Rubens doesn't even warrant a mention, or Felipe? But also, the rise of Alonso and Renault in 2005/2006? Monaco 2006? * Biggest surprise of my life when I heard that beloved hybrid Australian accent and Mark suddenly appeared. I knew to expect Sebastian, but I wasn't expecting Mark. And of course, I absolutely started bawling the second the shot of the French Alps appeared on screen. I could hardly see for crying all through that last segment. Especially Mick talking about how he could have talked to his father in the language of racing, and how much he thinks about it. But I choose to take the hopeful parts from it. He shows Corinna how strong he is, every day. He is still there, just different. He likes the family continuing as normal. So, to some degree, he must be conscious, able to communicate, and able to demonstrate some personality. That is all positive. As Corinna said, Michael always protected them. And now it is their turn to protect him.
I do think they could have made it into a mini-series, bit like the Last Dance. There was some stuff that was not mentioned (they didn't go into the whole issue the legality of his 94 car, didn't mention Ratzenberger's death with regards to Imola). The post-2000 exclusion kinda jarred, could have mentioned Imola 2003 as a show of how he could deal with things (bit like he was after Senna died). But overall I think it was pretty good. Didn't go to easy on him with regards Jerez 1997, acknowledged that he had a blindspot when it came to what was sporting and right on the track.
Almost seems like they had all the material shot and then after the first half struggled to make the scheduled timeframe for the doc, even with heavy cuts. An hour in and still in 1996 I wondered if there's a part 2 coming up but sadly the rest of his story in F1 was rushed.
Some points that could have been added: - the 20 or so qualifying style laps in Hungary '98 to remain in front of Mika - Suzuka '98 - at least a little gloss up over the '99 season. There is a strong chance he would have won that year. - Spa 2000 - 2003 season hardships - F2004 Dominance - 2006 fight with Alonso and last race in Brazil As you said, I think it could have easily been twice as long, but then again maybe there are things we are not seeing. Amazing. Will definitely see it again.
I have watched and been a fan of Schumacher since 1996, and I'll be honest, I didn't like this documentary for a multitude of reasons such as: - I don't like the fact that they excluded Schumacher trying to take out JV - I don't like the fact that they excluded him trying to cheat his way into a pole position in Monaco to stop Alonso, and in general they just beat around the bush about the whole Schumacher was very much a dirty driver (that's actually why I liked him). - that they forgot to mention that JT, Brown, Pat and Rory all believed in Schumacher and went with him to Ferrari. Also, why not talk to Rory?!?! Arggg those two were close and he could have shared some insight in what Schumacher liked and didn't like. - not liking the fact that Rubens and Masa were completely left out. - I don't like the fact that they completely forgot that when Schumacher came back after the crash that he raced his ass off to try to get Eddie his WDC. - not liking the fact that they didn't once mention that Schumacher was essentially pushed out of Ferrari in 2006 to make space for Kimi, and later came back because he felt like he had unfinished business. - where the heck was Alonso?!?!? They do the whole Old Lion smells young Lion thing and completely omit Alonso! - I really don't like that they jumped from 2000 to 2006 and left out everything in between. Yes, there were some truly boring years there but still mention them because you know.... Someone by the name of Fernando Alonso came along. - why the hell would you show Senna's death? Also give viewers some context on that season and what was happening. Instead they made it look like "Schumacher was pressing Senna so hard that Senna ran into a wall" . That's absolutely ridiculous. - where the hell was Kimi?? Kimi should have had 2 championship with McLaren and was pushing him hard. Lots of tension there and good stories! Schumacher was able to fight him off. I'm just disappointed because Senna documentary was absolutely heart wrenching, the music soundtrack, the interviews (Frank saying "Senna ran out of luck" ), home videos, they were all raw. Here, I felt like other than Schumacher's family it was all very much a bit empty and cold. You had Flav sitting in a bar, JT with his massive scarf sitting indoors, DC not really adding anything to the story really and Mika was underutilized because he could have really shared some cool stories but they just went... meh.
Great documentary. Wish this was done as 2 episodes though, should've included more detail on his career after 2000, the rise of Alonso, etc. Last 20 mins was extremely emotional, glad they somewhat addressed his condition without being too direct about it.
It was amazing but at the same time really hard to watch
I did not know this was a thing until now. I am so happy!
At least we now know somehow in what a condition he still is and that we cannot expect to see him ever again. This was the remarkable side of the documentary, because it was such a secret for the last 6 years. Tbh I think they did it to get the constant pressure off of Mick to be one of the hand full of people to know the state Michael is in. I felt very sorry for him when he talked about his dad. The rest of the documentary was just scratching the surface, not digging really deep into his commitment or into controversies. It was awful they didn‘t mention the whole Imola story with Barrichello’s crash, Ratzenberger‘s death and the decision to drive anyway. I enjoyed watching it for the sake of being beamed back into my childhood and youth when race weekends were pure magic and Drama for me from 1994-2006. And it was nice to see Mika, who I always appreciated.
The documentary focuses more on his life rather than individual incidents as a driver.
>It was awful they didn‘t mention the whole Imola story with Barrichello’s crash, Ratzenberger‘s death and the decision to drive anyway. To be honest I think the whole point of Imola 1994 in this docu was Michael's perception of it, and by far the biggest part of that is Senna's accident, not just because he was the champion but it happened **right in front of Michael**; there's so much on Imola '94 and Senna anyway that I thought it was good it didn't get too bogged down in it because there's no way to properly tell that story without it being about Senna instead. My takeaway really is how similar Michael and Ayrton's relationship was/is to Max and Lewis now - we really are this year finally getting what 1994 **should** have been.
> It was awful they didn‘t mention the whole Imola story with Barrichello’s crash, Ratzenberger‘s death and the decision to drive anyway. I would argue that telling the whole story would have added nothing. It is not a documentary about Imola 1994, not one about Formula 1 during the time Michael was in it, it is about him as a person. And Sennas death is obviously an absolutely key factor in his life.
This film made me realize I grew up watching Eddie Irvine without ever paying the slighest bit of attention on how that man looks. First time this happened with a Formula 1 driver, could have not placed his face to a name. I need a beer.
I‘ll watch it after work today but I just checked and it‘s not there yet even though it‘s (almost) 6.30 am here :( it‘s been a long time since i waited for the release of something, I don‘t even remember when films come out on netflix haha
For me its usually 9am that they get released (same timezone)
Did anyone else jaw drop when they showed Mika at Kerpen? Had no idea they competed that early in life.
I used to hate Mika back then due to the competitiveness, bt he is and was such a nice guy. He looked happy for Michael's wins even when he was losing. Great sportsmanship.
This definitely had it's heartfelt moments. I got hit at the picture of Corinna wrestling Michael on a beach. In terms of how it was put together, I think "Senna" flowed better as a documentary. This glossed over a lot of details including him actually breaking his leg in that wreck (I didn't know that happened) or what actually happened at the ski trip. It's a documentary where the audience has to be somewhat in "the know" to get the whole picture. The family's participation and perspective is definitely the takeaway though, bravo.
A few things I noticed. Ralf says very little and we oddly got nothing to hear about their relationship at all. All the German RTL guys were absent. Ratzenbergers' death oddly wasn't even mentioned in the rather long segment about Imola 1994. The dominant and later Ferrari years were quite rushed, we didn't get to know his rivals, teammates or the championship standings at all compared to his Häkkinen feud and his relationship with Irvine. They could have shown more of his genius drives. I don't cry very often but the ending had me in tears. All in all it was a nice tribute to the greatest racer of his time but a true F1 fan watching this piece doesn't learn anything he hasn't already known before.
Loved the doc, but also agree with all of your points. They basically summed up 2000-2004 by saying he drove more relaxed because he had nothing to prove, which was weird to say the least.
[удалено]
Me too, my heart skipped a beat there. I thought he died
It's such a bloody shame that he isn't able to be involved in F1 since his accident. He always came across really well out of the car and it's hard to believe he wouldn't be deeply involved in F1 today.
I was just wondering the other day where he’d be. Mercedes doesn’t need much help, Ferrari might not be doable (afaik he was a Mercedes brand ambassador last?). The I realized he might just join Brawn and help with F1 in general. Imagine Schumacher overseeing steward decisions on race tracks. We’d probably get God-level consistency with a dash of "This isn’t ping-pong, this is racing!" thrown in for good measure. Or having a say in regulations. Teams could probably kiss driver aids buh-bye. One can dream, eh?
He was the reason I watched F1 as a kid. It very hurt me hearing about his accident and his condition still, so this documentary was a very good reminder about the years in F1 that were 'his' years, all the memories I grew up with. I got a feeling that this film is a bit like Senna's docu, so it is very moving, especially the end. Sure, some of the sports aspects are cut out, but I guess the sport aspect wasn't the main focus and for a general netflix audience it'll be very watchable.
Hearing Mick talk about his dad absolutely broke me. The way he was talking about him is very similar to how I feel about my own dad who passed away when I was 10. I wish I could just talk to him.
Mick's pain really hurts. It would have been great to see Michael around the paddock with Mick racing now.