Schumacher 'loved booze and ripping trousers off' as new side of F1 icon emerges

09 January 2024 , 13:32

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Michael Schumacher enjoyed himself when not racing in Formula 1 (Image: Getty Images)

Johnny Herbert claims Michael Schumacher's "party piece was to rip off everybody's shirts" in a brilliant revelation about the Formula 1 icon.

Herbert, who won three races during an 11-year F1 career, was Schumacher's team-mate at Benetton when the German won the first two of his seven world titles. Schumacher later won five consecutive world titles at Ferrari, the team he's best associated with.

Herbert has opened up on Schumacher's "fun side" and claims he would enjoy "alcohol treats" at the end of the season. The Brit insists his former Benetton colleague had a "great sense of humour" and treasures "the lovely memories I have of him".

Schumacher hasn't been seen in public since suffering a life-changing brain injury in a skiing accident in France 11 years ago. His family have tried to remain as private as possible since the incident, with little information about his condition emerging.

Herbert was asked to provide an anecdote that best sums up Schumacher duing an interview with Betting Sites. He replied: "It was the fun side. We all know there was the massively serious side to him totally driven by getting the best out of himself. But there was that end of season downtime, the relaxed moment we always had after Adelaide.

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"He would enjoy the alcohol treats that were available and we all did. We could only do it once a year. He would go around the room and his party piece was to rip off everybody's shirts. Trousers too. But it was mainly buttoned shirts which he would love to rip off.

"That was the fun side of him. Those are the memories most people didn’t see, but they are the lovely memories I have of him. He had a great sense of humour and hopefully something we will see again."

Schumacher was an expert at spraying champagne thanks to all his podiums in F1 (Getty)

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Only a handful of people are allowed to visit Schumacher at his home, such as former Ferrari chief Jean Todt. The Frenchman recently revealed "he is simply not the Michael he used to be" but is "wonderfully guided by his wife and children who protect him".

Schumacher's wife Corinna gave a similar update in a Netflix documentary in 2021. She said: "Michael is here. Different, but he's here, and that gives us strength... We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he's comfortable."

In his interview with Betting Sites, Herbert had little information to share about Schumacher's condition. Yet he did say: "I hear bits only second hand. I hear, from those within F1, he does sit at the table for dinner but don’t know if that is true.

"I can only read between the lines. We haven’t heard much from the family and understandably so. That has always been very much a part of Michael and the family’s way to keep everything very private, very secretive. That has carried on from his racing days."

Tom Blow