As Michael Schumacher and Mercedes-Benz had promised, the seven-time F1 champion was able to say goodbye to his fans in a very special way – by driving a 2011 Mercedes Formula 1 car on the Nürburgring. Schumacher’s laps also marked the first time a Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 car was driven on the Nordschleife since 1954.
Schumi’s laps were part of a special event set up by Mercedes-Benz, with the former F1 champion sharing the track with four Mercedes-AMG models – the A 45 AMG, E 63 AMG, SLS AMG Black Series (driven by Nico Rosberg) and SLS AMG GT3 racecar. The four Mercedes-AMG cars started at different times (in the order listed above) ahead of the F1 car, which had to catch them exactly on the finish line.
The idea of a race between different categories of cars is not new, and I’m sure most people couldn’t imagine any other winner than the F1 car. I for one would have loved to see Schumacher do a flying lap and set a time, and I’m sure most spectators would have been more thrilled to watch an F1 car at maximum attack on the world’s most feared track than a staged “race”.
However, the F1 car sounded magnificent down Nordschleife’s narrow sections bordered by trees, an acoustic modern Formula 1 tracks can only dream about. Scroll down to watch Michael Schumacher driving an F1 car for the last time – well, at least until further notice…
By Dan Mihalascu
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