Formula 1 is full of 'what ifs.' What if, for example, 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? Its 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? We'll never know, but after being forced to retire at the end of 2006, Schumacher was made a tantalising offer about a year or so later: to become Ferrari team principal. Article continues below.
Michael Schumacher's rejected Ferrari return
Jean Todt had rebuilt Ferrari into the powerhouse that started the 21st century, but towards the end of that first decade of the 2000s, he had his eyes on another job. Embattled FIA president Max Mosley was not going to win another term, and so Todt started to make himself busy as Mosley's heir apparent - and first things first was to leave Ferrari. He stepped down as team principal, and had his ideal successor in place: Michael Schumacher. However, there was one snag as Schumacher himself rejected the offer, wanting to spend more time with his family and believing he could not put in the energy required to be successful in the role. “Michael Schumacher was the best candidate of all, but he didn’t accept," Todt simply explained to the German press. The seven-time champion added later to the International Herald Tribune: "When I saw how much passion and dedication that he put into his job, he was at Maranello every day, even weekends. I said to myself 'Do I need this?' Simply not." As was, one Stefano Domenicali was promoted to replace Todt, effective January 1st 2008, going onto claim, to date, the Scuderia's last world championship through that year's constructors' crown. Since then, Marco Mattiacci, Maurizio Arrivabene, Mattia Binotto and Fred Vasseur have led the Scuderia, with Vasseur's 2024 team coming closest to ending the long drought, finishing just 14 points behind champions McLaren. As for Schumacher, he was touted for a return to the Ferrari cockpit in 2009 to replace the injured Felipe Massa, before a neck injury sustained whilst motorcycle racing. After a brief stint as The Stig, he returned to F1 with Mercedes for a three-year spell in 2010, claiming a final podium at the 2012 European GP in his final season before retirement.
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