The family of the legendary Formula One driver Michael Schumacher has released unseen footage of an interview he gave almost exactly two months before his skiing accident in 2013, which left him in a coma and whose aftermath has been shrouded in mystery ever since.
In the interview, the seven-time world champion admitted he was always engulfed by self-doubt, which he used to his advantage by always going the extra mile, NDTV Sports is reporting.
“Records is one thing, doubts, I think it is very important to not be over confident, to be skeptical, to look for improvements,” Schumacher says in the video, which his family shared to his official website. “Yeah, I always felt I am not good enough, I have to work, and that was one part of the recipe that made me what I became.”
In the clip filmed on Oct. 30, 2013, the Hurth-born driver goes on to say that his most memorable victory was his first championship with Ferrari in 2000, adding that former McLaren driver Mika Hakkinen was the rival driver he respected more than any other in his career, NDTV Sports continued.
“Twenty one years no championship with Ferrari, four years myself failing, then finally, in a great race, to achieve it, win the world championship,” said Schumacher, who had previously rarely spoken about his career.
Exclusive:
— Michael Schumacher (@4everMSC) November 21, 2018
Schumacher’s family releases the last interview of Michael.
October 2013#KeepFightingMichael pic.twitter.com/t9lueHbKMr
Curiously, Schumacher said that his idol as a child wasn’t a Formula One driver. Yes, he said, he admired Ayrton Senna and Vincenzo Sospiri, but the sportsman he really looked up to was Toni Schumacher (no relation), the goalkeeper for West Germany in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
“My real idol was Toni Schumacher because he was a great soccer player,” the 49-year-old said.
On Dec. 29, 2013, Schumacher suffered a serious head injury when he crashed and hit his head on a rock while skiing with his son in Meribel in the French Alps. He was placed in a medically-induced coma following the accident and had to undergo two brain surgeries, according to The Sun.
Schumacher is currently receiving treatment at his home in Switzerland surrounded by his family and a team of doctors after he was allowed to leave the Lausanne University Hospital in 2015, as per The Sun report.
His recovery has been shrouded in mystery since the accident, with little to no reports on his condition being released. However, his lawyer Felix Damm said in 2016 that Michael “cannot walk,” according to The Sun.