Interview: Michael Schumacher, Seven Times F1 World Champion

Adil Jal Darukhanawala (AJD): Welcome to India Micheal.
Michael Schumacher (MS): Thank you!

AJD: 20 years in the sport, and where do you still get your motivation from?
MS: Well, you know, it's very exciting to drive a Formula 1 car. There's so much thrill if you drive it on the limit, but particularly if you go for overtaking and battling, and I have a lot of experience of this in the last two years of this. Indeed, I was very tired after my first part, after 16 years of active Formula 1, a three year break that I didn't intend to call a break but it happened to be, and now I have refreshed motivation.

AJD: We saw the old Michael Schumacher back in action at Spa this year...
MS: Oh no. You saw it before but we drivers, we depend a lot on the machine and the car. It took a while for me to get back into the rhythm of Formula 1, to understand how to maximise the car. I have to say that maybe Spa, in a way you're right, it sort of made a transformation on things. But if you go back you find several other samples like Canada and so on where I was back in the fighting field as before.

AJD: It's good that you mentioned Canada because finally we saw that without DRS and KERS, you were on the same pace as the Red Bulls and the Ferraris. Do you think all these new innovations are good for Formula 1?
MS: Basically, yes. Because if you take the last racing in Korea, how interesting the race was, the battle between Webber and Hamilton for example, because of all these new features with DRS and KERS, otherwise it would have been a reasonably boring race I have to say. So, it's maybe not perfectly used, those two, but I think we take a lot of benefit from it.

AJD: You are the grand daddy for all German Formula 1 drivers. Sebastian Vettel was a kid and I believe you also gave out a trophy to him at your go-kart circuit. How does it feel to have an under-study come across and be world champion?
MS: It feels great. He's a good friend of mine, and I've known him since he was very little, 7 or 8 years  old, and to follow his career and be close to him is something I deeply enjoy. Now to see him second time world champion, I feel very proud of him.

AJD: You and he shared the driving for the Race of Champions for the last few years. How did you compliment each other?
MS: I think we sort of, always help each other somehow. And not for granted, not free that we have been given the title already, so often, and I'm looking forward to keep it in our hands this year.

AJD: You started with Mercedes. Will you finish with Mercedes?
MS: I'm pretty sure that my career is not for a long-term base. Yes, I have a lot of faith in Mercedes and the challenge to arrive back at the winning road, that's my challenge and that's with Mercedes.