We often hear that it’s very lonely at the top. In motorsport categories, Formula 1 is at the very top. And the journey that the drivers at the pinnacle of motorsport take is an arduous and lonely one – a kind of extremism if you will. The first racer to break all the then-existing records and rewrite history was Michael Schumacher. However, for him, it was his extreme competitiveness that led to major controversies and his downfall.

As much fame the ‘Red Baron’ has gained for his 7 world championships, is how infamous he is for his 2006 Monaco GP controversy. After winning 5 world championships in a row from 2000 to 2004, Fernando Alonso‘s 2005 win ought to have stung Schumacher. Moreover, Alonso’s heroics continued in 2006, resulting in the Ferrari racer snapping in a moment owing to his super-competitiveness.

At the 2006 Monaco GP, the German racer comfortably secured a provisional pole. Trouble was to come because Alonso, on his final flying lap, was much quicker. But the Spaniard never completed his lap because Schumacher clumsily messed up at Rascasse, bringing out the yellow flags. “Unfortunately just a touch too much” is how he described the root of his mistake. But big allegations followed and his move was labeled as intentional.

That is how much his immoderate mindset affected him. In his book – ‘Michael Schumacher – The Edge of Greatness’, James Allen wrote: “I think it was a barely conscious act. It was an instinctive last desperate throw and out of character. Paradoxically Michael Schumacher is a very simple and yet complex person. His behavior invites huge question marks. He was prepared to go to extremes in search for victory, and he often lost sight of the bigger picture.”

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It is not just this instance that highlights the lack of balance in his competitiveness. Many such moments have taken place, which were not controversial but shined a bright light on his work ethic.

Michael Schumacher’s Ex-Ferrari team member highlights his unrestrained mentality

Fans and critics have seen the rise of Michael Schumacher from the outside. While it is only the highlights that we see, there were a few people who got to see the champion at work every day. James Allison, current Mercedes Technical Director, was one such person who had the privilege to work with the 7-time champ during his Benetton and Ferrari days.

“He was incredibly into the detail and wanting to pore over the day’s work with his engineers and unhappy if he wasn’t spending every hour God sent on the test track,” Allison told MotorSport magazine. “He’d routinely finish each year head and shoulders above everyone else in terms of kilometers spent testing and that wasn’t when he was hungry for his first championship.”

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His excessive obsession with making progress and being the best cost him a lot of things and involved sacrifices. But in the end, the results that followed are what the world remembers.