Michael Schumacher’s Ex-Race Engineer Reveals Only Time He Got Really Frustrated at Mercedes F1

Michael Schumacher is regarded as one of the best Formula One drivers in the history of the sport. The German has won seven world titles, and it was understandable when things didn’t go his way, he couldn’t keep his cool.

However, during his time at Mercedes, the German only got frustrated once. His then race engineer, Jock Clear, opens about the time Schumacher was fuming when he was with the Silver Arrows.

Michael Schumacher was raging at the Monaco GP

The German driver took pole position at the prestigious race at Monte Carlo, which would be his final pole position in F1. However, that joy was short-lived, as he was served with a five-place grid penalty which saw the 7-times world champion start in sixth place.

In a recent episode of the podcast, Beyond the Grid, being asked how often did Michael get frustrated. Clear said, “No no, that was the great thing and he would say, “Jockey I just love driving, I am just enjoying driving.” 

“The only time he got frustrated was not starting from pole in Monaco. Which was so so disappointing, and that frustrated him, because he sort of knew that was probably his once chance to win one more race.”

“So yeah that really upset him. But it was what it was, and we couldn’t argue with the penalty to be honest. Because it was a fairly outrageous move in Barcelona. But overall Michael was never frustrated, and again he was just a pleasure to work with.” Clear concluded.

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How did the Monaco race pan out for Schumacher?

The German driver was optimistic for the race around the streets of Monte Carlo, he had achieved pole position in the high intense qualifying session, and was ready to take the chequered flag from start to finish.

However, those hopes were soon snatched away from the 7-times world champion and his Brackley-based colleagues as they were served by a grid penalty. This saw Schumacher fall down from first on the grid to the sixth.

But, problems didn’t end there for Schumacher, as just after sixty-three laps around the track, he had to retire, and came home empty-handed. Given that it was his last at Monaco, Schumacher was certainly heartbroken.

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