Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene says a congratulatory text from the family of Michael Schumacher was enough to break his cool demeanour after Sebastian Vettel’s Malaysia victory.
Arrivabene was a picture of calm after Vettel’s win, urging his team to keep its feet on the ground after leading Ferrari back to the top step of the podium in his second race as team boss. Comparisons have already been drawn between Michael Schumacher and Vettel since the latter’s move to Ferrari, with the four-time world champion hoping to follow in his idol’s footsteps and end a championship victory drought for the Italian team.
Schumacher won five consecutive world championships for Ferrari between 2000 and 2004. The German continues to receive medical care at home following his skiing accident in December 2013, but his manager Sabine Kehm sent a message on behalf of Schumacher’s family to Arrivabene following Malaysia to congratulate him on Ferrari’s first triumph since 2013.
“I just wanted to remain calm,” Arrivabene told Sport Bild about the text message. “But when I saw the message on my phone, I just broke down.”