Heartbreaking Michael Schumacher assessment as key anniversary approaches – F1 news round-up

Jamie Woodhouse 24 Dec 2023 10:00 PM

Michael Schumacher in street clothes at the 2011 Italian Grand Prix.

Michael Schumacher, wearing street clothes, in the Formula 1 paddock.

It is time to bring you up to speed with the latest key talking points from the world of Formula 1.

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has given an emotional assessment of the situation of his former Ferrari colleague and seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher.

Let us take a closer look at this and the wider landscape after the latest day in Formula 1.

Stefano Domenicali’s heartbreaking Michael Schumacher assessment

Schumacher has not been seen in public since suffering a traumatic brain injury while skiing in the French Alps in 2013, with December 29, 2023 set to mark the tragic 10-year anniversary since that accident.

And Domenicali, who worked closely alongside Schumacher at Ferrari, where the driver won an unprecedented five consecutive titles from 2000-04, said what Schumacher has gone through is something you would not “wish on your worst enemy”.

“What is between them and me remains private, but living like this for 10 years is something you would never wish on your worst enemy,” Domenicali told Italy’s Rai Radio.

Stefano Domenicali issues Italian GP future warning

Schumacher, like when it comes to World titles won, is tied with Lewis Hamilton for most Italian Grand Prix victories with five.

Monza has been the event’s permanent home since 1981, but Domenicali has warned that if the event falls behind the times, it will be left behind.

“I am in good contact with the motorsport federation in Italy,” he told Rai. “We are negotiating, but we need elements to carry this negotiation forward.”

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Toto Wolff’s ‘superstar team’ at Mercedes

Mercedes are striving to return to their mighty level of past years which saw them go on a record streak of eight Constructors’ titles in a row from 2014-21, the hope being that the W15 will be the challenger to put them back in the title hunt.

And when speaking in an end-of-season Q and A session, Wolff lifted the lid on why, as a fan suggested, the sense of family remains at Mercedes despite these more tricky times.

“You don’t want to have a team of superstars, you want to have a superstar team,” said Wolff.

Valtteri Bottas prepares for double World Championship effort

We already knew F1 veteran Valtteri Bottas would once more feature on the grid for F1 2024, but now he has confirmed an upcoming effort, alongside the record-breaking 24-round F1 2024 camaign, to try to qualify for the UCI Gravel World Championships.

Max Verstappen ‘too young’ to hire Mercedes AMG GT

Three-time World Champion Max Verstappen has been busy in his downtime after a dominant F1 2023 campaign, though he did not end up driving the Mercedes supercar that he had his eye on for a track day in the Algarve.

Despite being a three-time World Champion, insurance reasons meant he could not get behind the wheel of a Mercedes AMG GT, which reaches a lower top speed than his Red Bull RB19.