Jean Todt has addressed the biggest misconception surrounding Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher.<\/p>\n
The former Ferrari <\/a>team principal worked alongside Schumacher<\/a> at the Scuderia from 1996 to 2006, overseeing a period of domination that saw the German win five consecutive world championships between 2000 and 2004.\u00a0<\/p>\n Seven-time world champion Schumacher was seen by many as being arrogant amid his huge success in F1, but Todt has explained why that could not be further from the truth.<\/p>\n “Michael is quite a fragile human being,\u201d the Frenchman told the High Performance podcast. “Not the typical hard voice of somebody who knows better than the others. I will give you an example, which for me was amazing and significant of what is Michael.<\/p>\n “After he was world champion, before starting the new season, he asked me to go back to a private track in Fiorano. He said, ‘Could you give me half a day where I’m going to do some testing to make sure I’m still good?’ I think it’s a big strength not to be sure to be good.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Asked if people were wrong to think Schumacher was arrogant, Todt replied: \u201dCompletely.\u00a0Michael is a kind of shy, generous guy. But he hides his shyness by looking arrogant. I don’t think you do that to help you. I think it’s in your character, in your genes, you are like that.<\/p>\n “I mean, very quickly, because the problem was we had to fight going back in ’97. He realised that he was protected, he realised he was loved so it goes both ways. So one after the other, it went from a professional relationship to a friend and family relationship.”<\/p>\n Schumacher claimed 72 grands prix wins as a Ferrari driver before he was knocked off his F1 throne by Fernando Alonso<\/a>, who won back-to-back titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006.<\/p>\n