How Driver Lounge plans to deliver ultimate Schumacher celebration at F1 Italian GP

This October will mark not only the 31st anniversary of Michael Schumacher’s first Formula 1 world drivers’ championship, but also the 25th anniversary of the year he secured his first title with Ferrari. This was one he claimed with a hard-fought victory at the penultimate round of the season – the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka – to ensure Mika Hakkinen was denied a chance of claiming a third consecutive title.

Schumacher’s successful bid for the title took a gargantuan millstone away from the shoulders of the Ferrari personnel. It had been 21 years since the Prancing Horse had last been graced by the winner of the drivers’ crown, with Jody Scheckter’s 1979 triumph preceding a lean period across the next two decades. There had been constructors’ titles, sure, but this scarcely holds the same prestige as a drivers’ championship win.

Ferrari had come close in the intervening years, but missed out to the might of Williams, Brabham, McLaren, and Benetton – many of them teams that Enzo Ferrari had once decried as “garagistes”, whom he felt were responsible for little more than the assembly of off-the-peg parts, rather than bonafide manufacturer entities. The likes of Didier Pironi, Rene Arnoux, Michele Alboreto might have won titles in the 1980s had Ferrari enjoyed more consistent form, but instead the drivers’ title was passed between McLaren and Williams drivers during that era.

While Alain Prost tried and failed to deliver a drivers’ title to Ferrari following his move to the team in 1990, the team began to regress. It took Jean Todt’s arrival and the transplantation of Benetton’s successful line-up from the mid-90s – Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne, and Schumacher himself – to confer a transformative effect on Ferrari’s fortunes.

Eventually, Ferrari got the combination right for the year 2000. A year on from his return to competition after sustaining a broken leg in 1999, Schumacher was back to his best and equipped with the F1-2000 – a car that could finally be deemed worthy of challenging the Adrian Newey-penned McLarens of the era. In a wonderful tete-a-tete battle with Hakkinen throughout the year, Schumacher secured a crucial break point in the aftermath of the United States Grand Prix; Hakkinen’s Mercedes engine showed fragility and ended up bringing his race to an end, as Schumacher took victory in Formula 1’s first grand prix visit to Indianapolis.

With Schumacher eight points up on Hakkinen heading to Suzuka, he had a huge chance to clinch a third title that weekend. He’d lost to Hakkinen before in Japan, back in 1998; after stalling from pole on the formation lap, Schumacher had to start from the back and handed Hakkinen the advantage – one that the laconic Finn did not concede.

The year 2000, however, was Schumacher’s chance for redemption. While Hakkinen took the lead at the start and began to expand the gap over Schumacher, light rain sprinkled the circuit at around half-distance. A renowned force in wet weather, Schumacher took advantage of the lower grip and scythed away at Hakkinen’s lead; his longer second stint ensured that, once he’d made his second and final pitstop later than Hakkinen, he emerged in the lead – enough to secure the points differential needed to beat Hakkinen to the title.

Mika Hakkinen, Mclaren MP4-15, Michael Schumacher, Ferrari F1 2000, champion

Photo by: Sutton Images

At the following round in Malaysia, Ferrari celebrated its first drivers’ title in 21 years – and the collection of the constructors’ title – in style; Schumacher, Brawn, and Rubens Barrichello all stood upon the podium with red wigs. This opened the floodgates for a period of Schumacher dominance in F1 – he proceeded to claim further honours with the next four titles as Ferrari set a new benchmark for excellence, and Schumacher became F1’s first seven-time champion.

To celebrate the indelible mark that Michael Schumacher has left upon Formula 1, the Driver Lounge has united with Schumacher’s Keep Fighting Foundation to offer its first instance of immersive hospitality at an F1 event – The Schumacher Lounge, at this year’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

This will be a celebration of Schumacher’s racing career, from his 1991 debut at Spa-Francorchamps with Jordan, his titles with Benetton in 1994 and 1995, and into his reign with Ferrari and return with Mercedes. With trackside viewing from the terrace of the Schumacher Lounge hospitality, as well as grandstand tickets situated at Monza’s start-finish straight (opposite pitlane exit), guests will experience one of Formula 1’s contemporary hotspots for racing action alongside the immersion of the hospitality package through the weekend.

Featuring battle-worn relics, displays, and even some of Schumacher’s most revered cars from his time in F1, the Schumacher Lounge will also include appearances and stories from key players in the seven-time F1 champion’s career, from those who worked closest with him to those who battled against him on-track.

And, in partnership with the Keep Fighting Foundation, the Schumacher Lounge will host a silent auction throughout the weekend, as well as a live auction at the Saturday evening’s ‘Friends & Foes’ dinner in the Schumacher Lounge, to offer guests the chance to own iconic memorabilia from Schumacher’s illustrious career. Proceeds will be donated to the Keep Fighting Foundation to further its progress in funding advances in neuroscience and road safety, among other charitable projects.

To find out more about the Schumacher Lounge please visit www.thedriverlounge.com