Michael Schumacher's dad wanted son Ralf to pursue different career instead of F1
Michael Schumacher's dad wanted son Ralf to pursue different career instead of F1
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Ralf Schumacher has opened up about how his father tried to steer him away from a career in motorsport and towards becoming a chef. Despite the success of his older brother, seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, Ralf carved out a successful decade-long career in Grand Prix racing after making his debut in 1997. Not that it was a choice that was approved by their father Rolf.
Speaking to The Times, Ralf said: "[My parents] are not really into motorsport. My father doesn't like it, he prefers fishing. Even when Michael was so successful, my father always said to me, 'Please, do something different'.". "He wanted me to be a chef, to have a proper job and not motor racing, because [he thought] you could not make money with it.".
Despite their father's reservations, the Schumacher brothers went on to make nearly 500 Grand Prix starts between them. Ralf retired in 2007 after racing for Jordan, Williams and Toyota, while Ferrari legend Michael walked away from the grid for the second and final time five years later.
The Schumacher family's world was turned upside down in 2013 when Michael suffered catastrophic injuries after hitting his head on a rock while skiing. The F1 legend, now 56, has been out of the public eye ever since, with details of his condition kept under wraps.
