He wasn’t there physically, but the spirit of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher was very present during the last week of testing at Circuit de Barcelona- Catalunya, as fans of the seven times world champion displayed a giant banner with “Michael Forever” emblazoned on it.
On Wednesday afternoon, members of the official Ferrari fan club from Italy unfurled an almost 30-meter-long banner – paying homage to Schumacher – on the main grandstand, opposite the pitlane where it remained through Thursday morning.
Schumacher remains in top-secret care after sustaining life-threatening and permanently debilitating injuries during a skiing accident in 2013. He has not been seen since and now lives in the family mansion on the shores of Lake Geneva where he is cared for by a team of medical practitioners.
Fans attending the four days of testing also brandished the traditional Ferrari flags, while a group of Polish fans flew a Robert Kubica flag. There were flags of Renault driver and local hero Carlos Sainz as well as the now common flags pledging allegiance to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.