Michael Schumacher's bacardi & coke facial and other party stories
F1 NewsSunday, 22 December 2024 at 07:30
Michael Schumacher’s legendary presence in Formula 1 extended far beyond the racetrack, former McLaren mechanic Marc Priestley reminisced about the seven-time world champion, recalling tales of his charisma, parties, and unparalleled skill that would still place him at the top of the grid today.
Priestley revealed how Ferrari legend Schumacher was renowned for throwing incredible parties that epitomised the fun side of Formula 1 that prevailed during an era without social media and contrived political correctness.
Reflecting on one particularly memorable moment, Priestley said: “Throwing a Bacardi and Coke in Michael Schumacher’s face at his birthday party was definitely one of my favourite ever memories of him, purely because he burst out laughing after I did it. I wasn’t the only one who threw a drink, by the way!”
While Schumacher’s exploits on track have been immortalised in F1 history, Priestley highlighted the more personal, light-hearted side of the German legend. “There were loads of moments when Schumacher was in the car that the whole world remembers.
"But there were plenty of memories outside of the car of him being a fun, nice guy. Schumacher got very serious when it was time to work, in the car or with the engineers, but outside of that he always knew how to relax and I was always impressed with that,” Priestley explained.
Priestley: Schumacher always threw great parties
Priestley continued: "There were many occasions of doing karaoke in Japan after the final race of the season in Suzuka, dancing with his shirt off in nightclubs. He was just a great, fun guy at the end of a season or race weekend. That’s how F1 should be, because it’s such a high-pressure job, you have to let your hair down sometimes."
Priestley noted that the pre-social media era allowed drivers to truly relax: “These parties were pre-social media and phones, so it was a close group of friends where you can have fun and not worry about the consequences. Drivers nowadays would worry if they’re being recorded.
“I can imagine Max Verstappen and Michael Schumacher would have had some good fun, but I don’t think it would have been anything like the Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen parties, which I went to a few of,” Priestley said.
“Raikkonen was a great guy. He took his racing and partying to extreme levels. He would drive his car amazingly with record lap times, but he would party like crazy. Kimi was like a 22-year-old kid but also a millionaire. It was the way to be, and it was a good time.”
Social media changed the way modern Formula 1 drivers behave
Priestley contrasted the carefree nature of that era with the current drivers’ heightened awareness of public scrutiny: “Lots of these drivers coming through now are still very young, like Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, but they need to have a bit of fun. Awareness of being recorded will always be in the back of their minds, and the old drivers never really had to worry about it.
"If a photographer took a picture of something a driver wasn’t supposed to do, they’d ask if the photographer could give them the picture or film, and it would never go any further. Now, if someone takes a picture on their phone, it’s online forever.”
Moving to his own team’s extra-curricular ongoings, Priestley shared anecdotes from McLaren’s Christmas parties. One standout memory involved Lewis Hamilton, fresh off winning his first world championship in 2008. “Fernando Alonso did not turn up to our Christmas parties, as you can imagine with how it ended with McLaren."
Priestley: Lewis Hamilton can be great at the parties
Priestly recalled: "I remember when he won his first world championship in 2008, he brought his girlfriend at the time, Nicole Scherzinger. Lewis took over the decks at a nightclub we were at and was DJing most of the night. Scherzinger got onto the mic and started singing, with Hamilton joining in. I’ve seen all sides of him!” Priestley said.
When asked how Schumacher would fare in the current era of Formula 1, Priestley had no doubt about his ability to adapt and dominate. “If you put a young Michael Schumacher into today’s F1, knowing his character, he would have fine-tuned himself to be the best driver possible whilst adapting to the rules nowadays, that weren’t necessarily around when he was driving.
“Schumacher was always very talented, but he was one of the first to take off-track development to the next level with things like nutrition, psychology, training, and any other little details that could have given him an advantage over his rivals. The very best drivers find the best opportunities to operate and exploit any advantage over the other drivers on the grid,” Priestley concluded.
From legendary parties to groundbreaking approaches to racing, Michael Schumacher’s legacy endures as one of the greatest in Formula 1 history, both on and off the track. For Priestley, those personal memories are as indelible as Schumacher’s record-breaking achievements.
(Quotes Supplied by Casino Uden Rofus)
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