Hopefully, Michael Schumacher will recover from the horrific skiing accident that left him fighting for his life, although there is a long way to go before we can breath a sigh of relief.
As he lies in a ‘stable’ condition in hospital it is interesting, and in many ways sad, to reflect on the overwhelming shock and reaction from the world of sport and beyond which followed the news of his plight.
Schumacher put his life on the line every time he climbed into a Formula One car and yet, despite winning nine world titles, and breaking virtually every record there was, he remained the driver many hated with a passion.
I have always been a Schumacher fan because, if you had the privilege of meeting him you would realise what a nice guy he is, but unfortunately he was perceived by many as the ultra-aggressive villain who went to unacceptable lengths to ensure victory. Yes, he was ruthless, but it was that single-minded approach to his job that made him a legend.
Once he was in that car he was focused entirely on victory. He may have overstepped the mark occasionally like when he tried to take out Jacques Villenueve in Jerez in 1997 and at Monaco in 2006 when he deliberately stopped his car on the track to stop Fernando Alonso, then with Renault, completing what would almost certainly have been a pole position lap, but all the greatest F1 drivers have done similar things.
Those who lack that killer instinct always fall short of true greatness.
Sebastian Vettel has the same mentality as his compatriot and has already caused controversy. His popularity will no doubt plunge as he continues to be successful because, let’s face it, people don’t like winners.
Once, when Schumacher was racing at Silverstone for Ferrari I was sitting in the main grandstand when his car suffered brake failure at Stowe corner and he went off the track and crashed into the barriers at considerable speed.
At first there was no visible movement from the German and yet, extraordinarily, a large number of so called F1 fans started cheering.
Schumacher had broken one of his legs in two places but it could have been far worse and yet these morons were genuinely pleased that he had crashed. I have never understood that bitter resentment.
On another occasion, again at the British Grand Prix, he was visibly angry after a poor qualifying session and was marching down the paddock trying to escape the hordes of photographers and journalists.
My eight-year-old stepson stood in his path clutching the race programme hoping to get his autograph. Personally, I thought he was being particularly optimistic with the German clearly not in any mood to halt his retreat to the Ferrari motorhome. I was wrong.
He stopped, signed the programme, and even came back to return the pen he had mistakenly taken with him. That is not a ruthless human being who couldn’t give a monkeys about other people, but a genuine superstar who, unlike many top footballers, understood he was a role model for youngsters.
But more than that he did it because it is a good guy and a family man.
Former F1 driver David Coulthard wrote a column in a British newspaper yesterday in which he said that the outpouring of concern for Schumacher constitutes long overdue recognition of his status as a true sporting great.
Coulthard admitted that he himself once saw Schumacher as a tainted champion after a number of clashes with him.
But he wrote this: “I hope that in this instance, with Michael having received such swift medical attention and given the fact that he continues to receive the very best treatment possible he is going to emerge victorious once again and when he does he is going to realise in what esteem he is held.”
It’s truly sad that it takes a tragic accident for some, and I am not talking about Coulthard who is one of Formula One’s true gentlemen, to realise that the man they saw as an unpalatable villain was anything but.
We wish him a full recovery.
