Two days after the Bahrain Grand Prix – which, as is his wont, he won effortlessly from pole position – Michael Schumacher is on parade again. A promotional gig for Vodafone, perchance? A personal appearance for Shell? A cap-signing session for Deutsche Vermögensberatung? No, no and no again.
On this day – April 6 2004 – the only logos in sight are those identifying the European Union, the Irish government, the World Health Organisation and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile.
We’re in Dublin for the launch and official signing of the European Road Safety Charter, backed by the FIA, held on the eve of the WHO’s Global Road Safety Day. Why Dublin? Because the Irish government currently holds the EU presidency, that’s why. Transport ministers from all 15 EU member states are on hand to ink their support, as are representatives of 40 other organisations, world wide – but not, incidentally (and, some would say, sadly), of any car manufacturers affiliated to ACEA (the Association des Constructeurs Européens d’Automobiles). In fact, only one major car manufacturer has so far agreed to sign, and that is Honda. Michael is attending for the FIA, not for Fiat Auto SpA.
You can’t imagine, say, Juan Pablo Montoya giving up a day off to do something like this – especially not when that day is sandwiched between a fly-away grand prix and the crucial pre-Imola test at Barcelona. But, although that is the case, Michael’s demeanour, as he skips off his private jet, waltzes through customs and is guided into the small VIP meeting-and-greeting lounge at Dublin International Airport, is one of a man at peace with both himself and his role.
Michael turned 35 in January. Although his chiselled body looks like that of a 25-year-old Santa Monica gym queen, and although he is neither balding nor greying, this season is his 14th in Formula 1 – which makes him something of a veteran. Indeed, of his ‘rivals’, only Olivier Panis (37, and, unlike Michael, in the twilight of his F1 career) is older.
So not only is Michael the daddy in terms of ability and achievement, but he’s also now the senior pro, the elder statesman – and therefore indisputably the Main Man. Not since 1973, when the sage yet superfast Jackie Stewart appeared to be a man among boys, has one driver ruled over every aspect of F1 as imperiously as Michael does today.
He knows it, too. “Yes, I think that, if you are a public figure as we F1 drivers are, then there are certain responsibilities that go with it. And doing the sort of stuff I’m doing today, in Dublin, is part of that. I have always been concerned about improving safety. I’m one of four directors of the GPDA [Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, the others being David Coulthard, Jarno Trulli and Mark Webber], and I take the safety aspect of that very seriously, too. But today is all about road safety on public roads, which is even more important. So, yes, I take it very seriously. I think all F1 drivers should, to be honest.”
Michael is wearing an expensive-looking grey suit, a plain white shirt and a light brown tie that matches his shoes too closely for it to be accidental. Though his paddock clobber on recent dress-down Thursdays (ie, when branded gear isn’t compulsory) has tended to raise eyebrows by the dozen – especially in Malaysia this year, where his ultra-figure-hugging silky-black stretch-T and sky-blue three-quarter-length surfing shorts made him look like, well, like a Schumi fan on the pull in a rural Bavarian bierkeller – today he is very much the Euro-dude-at-work.
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