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To another delicate matter: what went through Ralf's mind when Michael was hurt in silverstone last year? Michael looks across at his brother, apparently intigued by what he is about to say. "I heard that Michael went off and may have broken his leg. I didnt see the accident itself, but I went to the hospital after the race. You know." he says, suddenly very serious, "it wasn't nice to see that, because he was just lying there and nobody was able to change anything for him. It wasn't a very nice experience. At that moment, you would be rather be there yourself." Be there yourself! So this was the real Ralf Schumacher. Younger than Michael, very confident and very talented, but still very much Michael's brother. Did Michael's period of convalescence change his outlook on the racing life? " You know," says Michael,"this is my 10th year of F1. You never really have a break, there's never a time to step backwards and see things a different way. During that break, I saw quite a lot of things which I thought were more important - things I could improve, change, enable me to be more relaxed." What was it like, watching Ralf race on the TV? "I remember well the first time Ralf raced in Brazil, for Jordan," he replies, slightly avoiding the question. "The circuit there is very bumpy and difficult, and watching him driving made me quite afraid, honestly. You see the car moving a lot, being right on edge, and you know it's possible for him to have a mojor accident . Now I have got used to it. I know he does it well, you get confident in what he's doing and the things you feel are normal." So there they are--- Michael and Ralf Schumacher. They have god given talents; they are compititive to the last; they sahre a depth of feeling that is not only race in Formula 1 but also unusual in the context of life.
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