When Michael Schumacher almost broke his steering wheel after a race with Ferrari

Michael Schumacher's fairytale with Ferrari bore its first fruits at the 2000 Japanese GP, where the German claimed his first of five titles with Scuderia. While his post-race celebrations are regarded as the craziest party ever held in F1, his victory lap also saw him almost break a steering wheel, as the then-reigning champion revealed after the race.

The German was already a two-time champion at Benetton before he decided to move to Ferrari. His intentions were clear, i.e., to return the championship glory to Maranello.

While his first few jibes at the title were unsuccessful, 2000 was the year in which he emerged victorious. At the penultimate round at Suzuka, Schumacher won the race and secured enough points in the lead to warrant him his first drivers' world championship with the Scuderia.

His first title donning the Scuderia red was special for him as it relieved him of the pressure that had been building up back in Italy due to his previous failed attempts. But, with the job done and dusted, Schumacher was overjoyed crossing the finishing line as he punched his steering wheel in happiness, which almost broke the highly tailored bit of his F1 car, as the German revealed to Autosport's Race of My Life:

"I suddenly felt trapped in the car, trapped in my Ferrari, as if I was about to burst. I banged so hard on the steering wheel they thought it was broken, and, as a precaution, it had to be taken out of service.

"Looking back, I have to say that this race was something very special for me. Not only because it brought me the title, but also because it was such a high-class race. It really was racing at its top level."

Michael Schumacher joined the F1 grid in 1991 and was snubbed by Benetton, the team, which helped him claim two world championships in 1994 and 1995.

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Why did Michael Schumacher join Ferrari despite being the reigning champion at Benetton?

Michael Schumacher at the 2006 F1 Grand Prix of San Marino race weekend - Source: Getty

Michael Schumacher was at the top of F1 after the 1995 season. Despite this, he went on to sign with Ferrari, a team whose last driver's world championship was in 1979, at the hands of Jody Scheckter.

This move had baffled some people in the paddock, but Schumacher was stern in his ambitions to return the Maranello-based squad to the top, as he revealed in an interview in 1996:

"This kind of motivation, was exactly the thing I was looking for. I was not looking for an easy job where I sit in the car and be able to win every race, or where people at least expect me to win every race that is not the kind of challenge I’m looking for. [I] really want to fight hard for the victories as I have done always in the past."

Michael Schumacher went on to claim four more world titles after his 2000 championship victory with Ferrari. This helped him become the F1 driver with the most F1 titles in history, a record that was tied by Lewis Hamilton in 2020.