The Formula 1 world remembers Michael Schumacher as a true great. But for his younger brother Ralf, it’s been a particularly difficult decade as he adjusted to the shadow that now hangs over the seven time world champion’s legacy.
It’s almost ten full years that fans have been wondering about the mysterious health of the now 54-year-old German, with the obviously ongoing effects of his skiing accident and brain injuries keeping him permanently out of the public eye. The Schumacher family has remained resolute in their commitment to not divulge the specifics of Michael’s condition – a position defended by the family’s media lawyer as recently as late last week.
But in a new interview with the German weekly Bunte, Ralf Schumacher, himself a former F1 driver and five-years-younger brother to Michael, provided a rare glimpse into his and the family’s emotions regarding Michael’s secret plight. “Unfortunately, life isn’t fair sometimes,” Ralf conceded. “But we have to accept it.”
Admist the shadows, however, there exists a glimmer of hope for Ralf Schumacher. He continues to maintain a close connection with the next generation of Schumachers – Michael’s children, Mick and Gina-Maria. Mick, making his own mark in the Formula 1 paddocks, carries the torch of his father’s legacy while Gina-Maria has carved her own path as a financially-successful equestrian athlete, recently breaking the million dollar prize money mark with the ambitious spirit that courses through the Schumacher bloodline.
“When I see his children, my heart smiles,” Ralf, now a F1 pundit for German television, confides. “If someone in the family is looking for my advice, I’m there,” he affirms. “But they’re making their own way in the world.”
