When Michael Schumacher pulled up Audi team boss Mattia Binotto for an impromptu interview

Michael Schumacher once pulled up Mattia Binotto in an unexpected interview during his 'Meet the Team' segment with Ferrari. A young Binotto explained his role in the team as Schumacher listened to him diligently.

Schumacher had a golden period with Scuderia Ferrari from 2000 to 2004, during which, he won five back-to-back championships. He set an unprecedented dominance in the sport and became a legend in F1.

The German racer always had a quality team working alongside him in Maranello. Mattia Binotto, the former Ferrari team principal, also used to work as an engineer during Schumacher's era.

In 2004, Schumacher hosted a 'Meet the Team' segment where he took a round at the factory and introduced important team members. He also met Binotto and introduced him as

"We have the third important guy. It’s the piece between the rear wing and the driver; it’s Mr. Binotto. I like to introduce him to you. He is the engineer and now sort of the head of the group of the engine, Mr. Binotto, and maybe you can explain a bit on what you do in the car at the race weekend."

Binotto, meanwhile, was caught by surprise with Michael Schumacher approaching him with a camera and mic, but he had a fitting answer. While explaining his role with the team, Binotto said (translated from Italian):

"During the race weekend, I was working on the reliability and ensuring that the engine worked properly on Michael’s car. In order to get absolute reliability and the best performance from the engine, it is important that we talk to Michael to get his feedback in order to achieve this."

Mattia Binotto joined Ferrari as an engineer back in 1995. He rose through the ranks, and in 2019, he was appointed as the team principal. However, his stint ended in 2022 as the Italian team replaced him with Fred Vasseur.

---

F1 journalist claims Lewis Hamilton unlikely to have the same treatment as Michael Schumacher in Ferrari

Michael Schumacher [L] Lewis Hamilton [R] (Image Source: Getty)

Lewis Hamilton is set to race for Scuderia Ferrari from the 2025 F1 season in what turned out to be a groundbreaking move. However, F1 journalist Nate Saunders does not see Hamilton as the team's number 1 driver like Michael Schumacher was in his prime days.

Talking to ESPN’s Unlapped podcast, Saunders said (via Sportsrush):

"He [Schumacher] was clear number one, and then he had some poor teammate [Irvine/Barrichello] who basically just had to carry water for the whole time. That’s not the way Ferrari does things now."

Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton are the only two drivers in the history of F1 to win as many as seven world championships. Moreover, Hamilton is now following in Michael's footsteps to relish the dream of racing in a red car.