P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Michael Schumacher was hand-picked to become Ferrari team principal shortly after his retirement.
Formula 1 is full of ‘what ifs.’ What if a London black cab driver had not been assaulted with CS spray by a Jordan Grand Prix driver in 1990? Would Michael Schumacher have been handed his debut in 1991 as Bertrand Gachot’s replacement? What if Ayrton Senna had not been killed in 1994, and moved to Ferrari, as many expected to close out his career? It’s doubtful even a team as big as Ferrari could have held the both of them, so where would Schumacher have gone? What would F1 have looked like in the early 2000s? Michael Schumacher was considered for the role of Ferrari team principal, but he ultimately rejected the offer in order to spend more time with his family. Stefano Domenicali was then promoted to replace Jean Todt as team principal, leading Ferrari to its last world championship so far in 2008. Since then, various leaders have taken the helm at Ferrari, with Fred Vasseur’s 2024 team coming closest to the championship but finishing as runners-up. Schumacher briefly returned to F1 with Mercedes for three years after considering a comeback to Ferrari in 2009 to replace the injured Felipe Massa, but ultimately retired after the 2012 season.
