F1 News: Alex Albon Reveals Extreme Childhood Reaction To Michael Schumacher
Williams racer Alex Albon has disclosed his childhood obsession with Ferrari and Michael Schumacher, confessing that he used to "throw tantrums" if the German driver didn't emerge victorious in races while he was growing up.
Schumacher- the seven-time world champion- is considered one of Formula 1's rare icons and most successful drivers. Despite his retirement from the sport in 2012, his record of seven world titles has not been beaten yet, though it has been matched by Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.
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Two of those seven world titles came when he was with Benetton, while the other five consecutive titles were won with Ferrari in the early 2000s- a period when Albon was developing his love for racing, Schumacher, and Ferrari.
In fact, the fondness for Schumacher and Ferrari went to the point that if he didn't win a race, Albon would throw the "biggest tantrums as a kid." Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, he said:
"I was an obsessed kid when I was growing up, one of my first words was Ferrari, which I would call 'rari'.
"I was a massive Michael Schumacher fan, I used to throw the biggest tantrums as a kid if Michael didn't win.
"My mum used to have a VHS of 2001 Formula 1 highlights review and I knew all of the races that he won that year so as soon as I would have an off or a bad day or whatever, that was straight on playing all of Michael's wins."
Sadly though, in 2013, Michael Schumacher suffered a severe head injury while skiing in the French Alps, leading to a medically induced coma at a Grenoble hospital. His family has maintained privacy regarding his condition, resulting in limited public updates.