According to former Ferrari team boss Jean Todt, the Michael Schumacher\u2019s arrogance was a persona.<\/p>\n
The former Ferrari boss claimed Schumacher used that arrogant demeanour as a shield, revealing how the German requested Fiorano track time to make sure he was \u201cstill good enough\u201d.<\/p>\n
Jean Todt explains Michael Schumacher persona<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n Schumacher established his legacy as a Formula 1 and Ferrari icon. He won five of his seven world championships with Ferrari, then under the stewardship of Todt, in a golden age for the Maranello squad.<\/p>\n A driver who took no prisoners on the track, Schumacher portrayed unshakeable confidence that verged on arrogance. That, however, was far from the truth.<\/p>\n \u201cMichael, in fact, is quite a fragile human being,\u201d Todt claimed on the High Performance podcast.<\/p>\n \u201cI will give you an example, which for me, was amazing, and significant of what is Michael.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter he was world champion, before starting the new season, he asked me \u2013 I\u2019m going back to our private track in Fiorano \u2013 he said, \u2018Could you give me half a day where I\u2019m going to do some testing to make sure I\u2019m still good\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Todt explained how that modesty ran throughout Ferrari, despite its era of Formula 1 dominance.<\/p>\n Ferrari won six Constructors\u2019 titles on the trot between 1999-2004. Schumacher won five consecutive Drivers\u2019 titles during that period.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a big strength not to be sure to be good,\u201d said Todt.<\/p>\n \u201cNone of us thought we were good. We were always scared of not being good enough. That\u2019s why, in a way, it\u2019s a bit painful, because we never probably enjoyed as much as we should have done the result.\u201d<\/p>\n It was put to Todt that people who have an opinion of Schumacher as someone who was overconfident, and almost arrogant during his career, have got it all wrong.<\/p>\n \u201cCompletely,\u201d Todt confirmed. \u201cMichael is a kind of shy, generous guy.<\/p>\n \u201cHe hides his shyness by looking arrogant.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked why that helps Schumacher, Todt replied: \u201cYou don\u2019t do that to help you. I think it\u2019s in your character, in your genes. You are like that.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Michael Schumacher from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Michael Schumacher \u2018did not know how to cheat\u2019, but did it \u2018badly\u2019 \u2013 Jean Todt<\/a><\/p>\n Jacques Villeneuve explains why he was never intimidated by Michael Schumacher<\/a><\/p>\n The Frenchman added that he saw behind Schumacher\u2019s public mask early in their relationship.<\/p>\n \u201cVery quickly,\u201d he stated, \u201cbecause then, I mean, the problems we had to fight.\u201d<\/p>\n Todt was referring to Schumacher\u2019s infamous 1997 collision with title rival Jacques Villeneuve at the final race in Jerez.<\/p>\n Schumacher was disqualified from that year\u2019s championship as a result.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing back to \u201997, he realised that he was protected [by Ferrari]. He realised he was loved. And it goes both ways.<\/p>\n \u201cSo clearly, one after the other, from kind of a professional relationship, it became a friend and family relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n Schumacher retired from Formula 1 for the first time in 2006, off the back of an unsuccessful title challenge in his final season with Ferrari.<\/p>\n He made a return to the sport in 2010 with Mercedes, but reached the podium only once in his three seasons with the Silver Arrows, before retiring for a second and final time.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n