09.04.03
Five times World Champion and biggest record holder in the history of F1, German Michael Schumacher, 34 years old, is having a difficult start to the season this year.

He still hasn't set foot on the podium in 2003 and he's in 3rd place in the championship. The last time the German driver saw another driver occupying the first place in the championship was in september 2000. The bad start and and the rule changes in F1 did not shake his humour though, or his confidence on becoming six time champion.

"The new rules will not influence the final result", he said. Schumacher lives with his wife, Corinna, and the two children in the city of Vufflens-le-Château, in Switzerland. The family loves pets. "My house looks like a little zoo", tells the driver.

In the interview he gave to VEJA last week in São Paulo, the German says he would see a victory by his teammate Rubinho Barrichello with joy, in the GP of this weekend. But he makes a remark: " Ok, as long I end up the champion".

Veja - In that 1999 accident in England, where your car was destroyed, did you think you could die?
Schumacher - Yes. It was a very dramatic moment. I felt fear as I saw the wall approaching in a very high speed. One or two minutes after the impact, I tried to get out of the car. I unlocked the seatbelts, but couldn't move my leg. Help arrived, but they were also unable to get me out. I was trapped. Finally the took me out, and the doctor told me to lie down. On this moment I had a really strange experience that I recall as if it was yesterday. I could hear my heartbeats but, suddenly, everything was dark and I felt it was beating more slowly until it stopped completely. It was exactly how it felt (losing consciousness) , in that sequence. I was brought around by the doctors immediately, however I lived a scene I had only read on books an saw on movies. It was the worst moment of my life.

Veja - Did this experience change your way of living or driving?
Schumacher - Not much. I am a person who believes in destiny. My profession is not so dangerous as it looks like. The possibilities of dying are big for everyone. I don't believe that, if I stop racing, I will have a bigger chance of living longer. In the first months after the accident, I thought of stopping racing. After that, I realized that racing is what I like to do and that life continues.

Veja - For someone who loves speed, what would be worse, dying in a race or spend the rest of the life in a bed?
Schumacher - I don't want to think of these things, not even as hypothesis. I think my destiny is plotted.

Veja - What are the biggest differences between your driving style and Ayrton Sennas driving style?
Schumacher - Senna was always dedicated a lot to what he was doing. He always gave the most of himself. His style was very precise. It seemed like he drove without putting much of a physical effort, he had a natural talent. Nigel Mansell drove like an english rugby player, and Senna, like a brazilian soccer player.

Veja - You have beaten so many records in F1. What is it left to prove to yourself?
Schumacher - It is not like that. I don't have to prove anything to anybody. What happens is that I really enjoy what I do and I will continue as long as I feel good. I don't race thinking of beating a determined number of records.

Veja - Drivers get older very fast in Formula 1 because of the pressure. You don't seem to feel the tensions of the job in the same way. Why?
Schumacher - Who gets in the circuit still young indeed feel the pressure. In the beginning, we think we won't stay in this job very long. But, if the driver can hang on for a few years, it changes. As time passes, I feel more comfortable each time. I suspect it has to do with the team. I have so much support that I don't feel any pressure. Only the pressure I impose on myself. That allows me to focus on the real problems, not the artificial ones. My life in F1 was never as good as it is now.

Veja - How would you feel if Rubens Barrichello wins the race this sunday?
Schumacher - I would remember with joy the fact I saw Rubens cheering before his home crowd but, of course, as long as I win the championship.

Veja - When people cheer on the stands, does the driver hear anything?
Schumacher - No. The engine noise is very high and you can't hear anything. I'd like it, but you can't hear anything. But I can see people's faces.

Veja - Is it possible to distinguish peoples faces at 300 Km/h?
Schumacher - It is possible to see people, but during certain moments of the races we are so focused we don't remember looking at them. When you reduce the speed on the track after a qualifying lap or when the race ends, it is easy to distinguish the faces.

Veja - So whoever applauds or boos you at the track is wasting time?
Schumacher - It is not so radical. I feel when the are cheering for me. I have a very clear example. It was in Monza in 1996. I was fighting for position with Jean Alesi of Benetton. I was in 2nd place and Alesi was 1st. My car was faster but I simply could not overtake him. At that moment, Alesi went in for his pit-stop and I took the lead. I rode some laps in front until it was my time to change tyres. When I came back, I didn't know if Alesi was in front of me or behind. I was really lost. When I entered the straight and saw the italian crowd getting mad at the stands, I knew I was in front of Alesi. The fans really helped me at that moment in the race.

Veja - Inside the car, wearing the fireproof overalls and the helmet, does the driver feel the cold or the heat coming from the outside?
Schumacher – Of course. In the winter I feel a lot of cold around my neck, on the hands and on the feet. The testing seasons always are in the winter and we drive in temperatures below zero. It is strange because it makes you feel the heat in other parts of the body at the same time, for instance on the back. The back is always wet with sweat. In the races in hot places it is not comfortable inside the car also. The speed wind does not freshen anything in there.

Veja - Do you lose weight with the sweating?
Schumacher – Yes. The other drivers and I lose a lot of weight during the races. Drive a Formula 1 car is a very extenuating job. The physical preparation is essential. This year I am especially well prepared physically. In the last race, in Malaysia, I could see the exaustion in the face of many drivers. By nature, I usually don’t sweat much, even in the heat. Consequently, I dehydrate more slowly than many other drivers, which is an additional advantage.

Veja - What is done when, in the middle of the race, comes that incontrollable need to go to the bathroom?
Schumacher – Well, it’s rare, but when it happens you simply do it in the overalls. But usually the heat is so high that you lose liquid by sweating and don’t feel any need to go to the bathroom.

Veja - You said the concentration during the race is total. But is it so much that you can’t think of anything else, of a song, of the family or in personal problems?
Schumacher – There’s no need to be so concentrated. The race situations vary and it is possible to think about other things without affecting the performance. I think about my family a lot. Let me give you an example. In 1996 my daughter was about to be born and during the races I sometimes thought about how good was going to be to become a father.

Veja - When a driver makes an stupid mistake in front of you or, in your interpretation, acts in an unethical way, do you feel angry?
Schumacher – Of course. In a race in Spa-Francorchamps, in 1998, I got really mad. People barely recognized me. However, during the races, when the other driver’s mistake doesn’t take my car off the track, but only bothers it, I shout, swear, but soon I get calm again and continue my work. The most irritating situation is when I find backmarkers and they don’t allow the overtaking. This is a non-sporting behavior.

Veja - You are described as a cold and robotic person. To what extent it is true?
Schumacher – I find it very weird to have to prove to others I am a normal human being. As the majority of people, I try to do the best I can in my profession. For that, I need to be very disciplined and focused. Always obeying to the rules, I try to seize the opportunities. When I drove some races in a more aggressive way, some drivers complained. Why? What is the problem? They thought I was driving carelessly. I have a different opinion.

Veja - The Austrian Niki Lauda, 3 times World Champion, has said you are not loved because fans like those heroes that have good and bad phases. You are always well. Is it like that?
Schumacher – I am not as emotional as other drivers. I am very balanced and a big pessimist. I always think things aren’t going to be as easy as they look. Because of that, my dedication is high. That doesn’t mean I am immune to suffering. I get sad and feel vulnerable as anybody. Maybe I don’t demonstrate it much. When I watch a romantic or a sad movie, many times I cry like anyone else.

Veja - Do you like to drive when you are not at work?
Schumacher – When I am with my family, generally it’s me who drives, but not always. Sometimes, my wife is at the wheel.

Veja - Have you driven in São Paulo?
Schumacher – Yes, of course. I drive when I go to the track to practice or to a restaurant. It is very difficult. The traffic jams are unbelievable. By far, it is the worst place I have ever driven in my life.

Veja - How is the relationship with your brother Ralf?
Schumacher – I always supported him and I feel very proud of his achievements. Our relationship is like of every brother. The younger always wants to prove he’s better than the older. The older, myself in this case, gives advice, but the younger won’t listen. It enters by one ear and goes out by the other. I try to take care of him but, in fact, he doesn’t need my care. We are great friends and respect each other a lot. In the track we compete in a fair but tough way. For us, overtake each other is a great motivation.

Veja - Will the new rules of F1 make the championship more exciting?
Schumacher – Some people refer to Formula 1 as Formula Boring, but it is seems to be very strange to me. The TV audience numbers grow each year. If the rules are changed for lowering the teams costs, I agree. But if the rules are meant to create a new show, I don’t. Proposals like making the drivers swap teams during the season don’t make any sense. I disagree about some of the changes that were made. For me, it is very strange this idea of the mechanics no being allowed to work on the car on Saturday night.

Veja - Do you consider yourself the best race driver ever?
Schumacher – No. I never did. Today I have the best car and the best team. That didn’t came for free. We worked very hard to get where we are. It is possible that there is a better driver than me without a car that’s so good. The comparison will never be fair.

Veja - But aren’t the numbers of your victories and achievements the best proof?
Schumacher – How can I say I am the best? I am not arrogant. It may be that there was a better driver than me that didn’t have the opportunities I had. Another thing: it is not possible to say one person was the best in the history of the sport. The circumstances changed a lot. How to compare the 50’s with the current days? I feel a lot of fear when I have the chance to drive the cars used in the old days. Imagine driving a race on that. At that time, the courage of the drivers counted more. Not today. Doing something unexpected of risky is not a synonym of driving faster.

Veja - Wouldn’t be fairer if all drivers had the same type of car?
Schumacher – When I entered F1, I had this wish. I saw other drivers in better cars than mine and I dreamed. I wanted to prove I was talented. After working so hard to have the best car, I don’t have, obviously, the same dream.

Veja - Who’s going to be the new Schumacher?
Schumacher – There is no such thing as a new Schumacher. There are lots of young and talented drivers with their own name and character. For instance, there’s Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, my brother Ralf and Juan Pablo Montoya. Many other great drivers have been in F1 for a longer period of time, like Barrichello. Who’s going to be the champion? I don’t know .