Social rules like ‘out of sight, out of mind’ don’t apply to people with an impact of Michael Schumacher’s magnitude. The German was the first seven-time world champion in Formula 1 the world had ever seen. Apart from that, it was his conduct, his aura, and his relationships with people on the grid that made him such a popular personality. However, his rivals always saw a different, more ruthless side of him, which is exactly the recipe for his 7 world titles.

The media and the drivers on the grid always saw a very aggressive and unforgiving side of Schumacher. He would not let anyone, even his teammate, come in the way of his goals. This characteristic trait is why some even rank the German above Lewis Hamilton. However, this mix of two personalities is precisely why he won his championships according to former British racing driver, Perry McCarthy, who has also portrayed The Stig in the renowned BBC show Top Gear.

“I always thought that Michael always had a human side of him, not necessarily in the car I might add, but as a human being, he had quite a big heart actually. I always had huge respect for Michael Schumacher. Not with some of the moves that he did in some of the other drivers, not always. That’s some of the things and some of the reasons why, apart from his talents, he went on to win seven world championships, incredible,” said McCarthy in an exclusive with Essentially Sports.

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This side of Schumacher was hidden until recently. Perhaps because not many around him got the opportunity or even permission to speak about his caring, nurturing side. However, now everyone close to the German is sharing their stories, not just McCarthy.

A caring side of Michael Schumacher that not many witnessed comes to light

Schumacher made it evident to his team and allies that he did not wish to show his soft side to his rivals. This was an attempt to win his battles physically as well as mentally. It worked as well, as even McCarthy highlighted. However, his thoughtful side also needs to be highlighted to truly understand what kind of a person the German was.

A paragraph from the book Michael Schumacher: The Edge of Greatness reveals an incredible story. “He loves to give presents, loves to make people happy. He cares about people’s birthdays and Christmas, everyone gets a present. It’s a big job. He would think hard about presents for people, he asked me about it a lot, he would be having a massage in his room after driving and I would be sitting there with a notepad writing down a huge list,” read the paragraph.

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It almost sounds untrue but with this and McCarathy’s account, we have to believe it. No wonder everyone around him was in such awe of Schumacher. Let’s hope we can see him shower people around him with his kindness once again in the future.