Schumacher described as ‘ruthless’ by former F1 title rival

David Coulthard has said Michael Schumacher was ‘cold’ and ‘ruthless’ during their time spent battling it out on-track.

Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton both hold the impressive record of being seven-time world champions. Schumacher, the German driver, achieved numerous records during his time in F1.

However, he also had his fair share of rivals, one of them being former world champion Coulthard. The two fiercely competed for the 2001 drivers’ championship.

Their rivalry dates back to the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix, where they came face-to-face with Schumacher’s intensity. The rainy conditions led to a collision between the two drivers. An angry Schumacher stormed into Coulthard’s garage after the incident, creating a memorable moment that was captured in a famous clip.

Schumacher had what it took

In a new five-part documentary called ‘Being Michael Schumacher’, Coulthard had the chance to portray Schumacher as ‘ruthless’ and ‘cold’ due to their intense rivalry.

According to Coulthard, his understanding of the limits on the track was more aligned with the other drivers.

He acknowledged that to achieve such great success, Schumacher had to possess qualities like ruthlessness, coldness, and distance. Coulthard also shared that Schumacher believed their collision at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix was a conspiracy.

During that time, Schumacher was competing against Coulthard’s McLaren teammate, Mika Hakkinen, for the championship title, which Hakkinen eventually won.

Schumacher the great

“Michael thought this was part of a conspiracy to try and help my team-mate Mika,” Coulthard added. “It was simply an accident. It was just one of those things.”

However, the British driver also acknowledged that Schumacher was the most successful man in F1.

“I have no problem acknowledging that the period I raced was against the man that has rewritten the history books. That is the most successful in the history of our sport.”