Just weeks after the 30th anniversary of Michael Schumacher’s debut in Formula One, the tale of how the seven-time world champion broke into racing—then came to dominate it—has been brought to light in a Netflix documentary that went live Wednesday.
Produced by Benjamin Seikel and Vanessa Nocker, who previously highlighted famed tennis player Boris Becker, the film chronicles Schumacher’s life from his childhood through his seventh F1 title in 2004. It does so using a combination of archival footage and interviews with people who knew Schumacher best, from former F1 colleagues in Jean Todt and Bernie Ecclestone to his racing rivals David Coulthard and Mika Häkkinen, and even the subsequent German F1 champ he inspired, Sebastian Vettel.
Of course, the deepest insight into Schumacher is granted by his own family, from his wife Corinna to their two children Gina and Mick, the latter of whom reached F1 this year. Schumacher’s kin also shares a behind-the-scenes view of his life following his racing career, including the period since the driver’s 2013 skiing accident that left him with a life-changing brain injury.
“I mean, everybody misses Michael, but Michael is still here. Different, but he’s here, and that gives us strength, I find,” commented Corrinna Schumacher, as quoted by Formula1.com. “We’re together, we live together at home. We do therapy, we do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable, and to simply make him feel our family, our bond.”
The 112-minute documentary is live for streaming on Netflix as of today. It may not be from the same team that gave us Drive to Survive, but after a so-so latest season, that might be a good thing.
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