Michael Schumacher “wasn't popular among the other drivers”, “it was not fair

A former rival of Michael Schumacher has admitted the treatment of the F1 legend from fellow drivers was “not fair”.

Schumacher was known for his aggressive driving and his hunger to win during his Formula 1 heyday.

He racked up a then-record seven drivers’ championships, including five in a row for Ferrari during his golden period. Lewis Hamilton has since matched that tally.

But Schumacher - who was a massive global star in the late-90s and early-2000s - did not have many friends among his peers, a fellow German driver claims.

“Well on the track, Schumacher was occasionally quite nasty,” ex-F1 driver Christian Danner told SpaceportSweden.

“In his manoeuvres he was quite unfair.

“Just listen to what Mika Hakkinen has to say and what other people like friends or Nick Heidfeld have to say.

“You just have to watch how many people he drove off the track. He used a lot of nasty tricks, which are luckily not allowed anymore because they were seriously dangerous.

“In that respect he wasn't a very popular man among the other drivers at all actually. I can only see that and say I think it was probably not fair.

“But to watch him drive a car was such a pleasure because he had such car control and such a specific driving style which was very hard. It was an incredibly intense driving style.

“He could go faster than others because of his way of driving. It's difficult to explain but I adored him for that.

“And from a human aspect, I always got on with him. We weren't close friends because his social life was rather different to mine.

“He had a different group of friends and a different lifestyle and everything. But I did get on with him very well whenever we met, whenever we had a chat or whenever we did something together which happened occasionally because for the past 27 years, I actually traveled to every single Grand Prix.

“It’s the Formula One family thing, you kind of run into the same people all over again. In that respect I got on with Michael quite well.”

Schumacher had a stern and steely outlook inside the Formula 1 paddock but was known for his personality away from it.

He was a known lover of football, and played in many charity games. Other drivers have told stories about partying with him after races, too.

His career ended in 2012, after a three-year stint at Mercedes which laid the groundwork for that team’s future success. He ended a three-year retirement, after leaving Ferrari, to join Mercedes.

Michael Schumacher now is 56 years old and lives away from the glare of the public. Ever since a skiing accident 11 years ago left him with a head injury, he has been protected privately by his family.