German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday paid tribute to seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher, saying he was one of the biggest German sports stars of all time and had ”brought a bit of genius” to racing.
”You are on the list of the great names of German sport, along with Max Schmeling and Fritz Walter, along with Franz Beckenbauer, Boris Becker and Steffi Graf,” the chancellor told the retired racing ace in a letter published in Bild daily.
Merkel said Schumacher embodied the so-called German virtues, notably ”hard work, meticulous preparation and the will to succeed”.
Football legend Beckenbauer, a World Cup winner with West Germany in 1974, said he was sorry to see Schumacher go.
”Our biggest racing driver of all time could have led the way for a few more years,” Beckenbauer told Bild.
The German press sung the praises of the driver who quit racing on Sunday after finishing fourth in the Brazilian Grand Prix, but remarked that the champion was not as beloved by the public as one might have imagined.
Die Welt daily said Schumacher was a cold, distant hero who had failed to rally Germans behind him the way former tennis star Boris Becker did.
”Being a great sportsman also means awakening strong emotions. Becker made Germans feverish.
”Schumacher briefly entered our lives every two weeks. He came, saw, conquered and then went away.
The regional newspaper Nord-West Zeitung commented: ”Schumacher has never given up and never admitted his mistakes. That has cost him some sympathy.”
Schumacher, the son of a bricklayer, certainly had his critics, who could not understand his robotic nature and win-at-all-costs mentality.
His ruthless streak was demonstrated in 1994 when he nudged Briton Damon Hill off the track in the title-deciding Australian Grand Prix, forcing both drivers to retire from the race as Schumacher won the title by a point.
However, his record of seven world titles, five with Ferrari, 68 pole positions and 91 victories ensure he will go down in the hall of fame.
He won back-to-back titles with Benetton in 1994 and 1995 before collecting five crowns in a row with Ferrari from 2000 onwards.
In his small hometown of Kerpen, a city close to Cologne with a mere 60 000 inhabitants, Schumacher is idolised and even has a street named after him.
The German’s 249th and last race saw fans in Kerpen flock to the city centre to watch their hero on a giant widescreen and some were pictured crying as Schumacher ended his 16-year association with Formula One.
German television broadcaster RTL revealed that a staggering 14,8-million fans had tuned in for Schumacher finale in São Paolo.
Unfortunately for Schumacher, he did not sign off with an eighth world title with Spain’s Fernando Alonso (25) becoming the youngest driver to retain the championship.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said Renault star Alonso looked set to fill Schumacher’s shoes.
”He can be the next Schumacher.” — AFP
