• Latest
  • Trending

Jochen Mass: I persuaded Michael Schumacher to sign for Ferrari over Williams

November 12, 2020

Motorsport Diary: Kiwis racing overseas this weekend

October 2, 2025

Shane van Gisbergen heads to Charlotte ROVAL as road course favourite after breakthrough Kansas run

October 2, 2025

Jaxon Evans and Brad Jones Racing to part ways after 2025 Supercars season

October 2, 2025

Louis Sharp awarded $100,000 Tony Quinn Foundation Grant

October 1, 2025

Wet, Wild and Unpredictable: Buchanan fights through tough Japanese Moto3 round

September 30, 2025

Local club members tackle endurance races at Teretonga 

September 30, 2025

New Zealand’s top drivers get behind the upcoming Formula Racing New Zealand series

September 30, 2025

Marcus Armstrong to race on home soil in with GTNZ champion & father Rick Armstrong

September 30, 2025

Young gun Ajay Giddy aiming to add consistency to speed

September 29, 2025

Stokes too good at Hanmer Rally and wins second Mainland Rally Championship title

September 29, 2025

Jones back in final five in TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRC Challenge Program

September 29, 2025
Friday, October 3, 2025
VelocityNews
Be the first to know and subscribe for real-time updates on Kiwi drivers, events and much more!
Subscribe to New Alerts
  • International
    • Formula 1
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • Formula E
    • Esports
    • Super GT
    • Super Formula
    • TCR
    • WEC
    • GT
    • Porsche Carrera Cup
    • BTCC
    • DTM
    • IMSA
    • IndyCar
    • Road to Indy
    • NASCAR
    • WRC
    • MotoGP
    • Motorcycle Racing
    • Historic Racing
  • New Zealand
    • Toyota Formula Regional
    • Toyota GR86 Championship
    • Rally
    • Speedway
    • Drifting
    • Formula Ford
    • Formula First
    • TCR NZ
    • TransTasman V8 Series
    • V8 Utes
    • GT New Zealand Championship
    • GTRNZ
    • Central Muscle Cars
    • Pirelli Porsche
    • Mazda Racing Series
    • NZ Endurance Championship
    • NIERDC
    • SIERDC
    • Pro8 South Island Series
    • SsangYong Utes
    • Kartsport
    • NZ Historic Racing
    • NZ General
  • Australia
    • Supercars
    • Super2
    • Australian V8 Touring Car Series
    • Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
    • Porsche Sprint Challenge
    • S5000
    • Australian GT
    • TCR AU
  • Features
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Profile
    • Race Cars
  • Circuit News
  • Velocity TV
  • Performance Cars
  • Jobs
    • Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Job Dashboard
No Result
View All Result
VelocityNews
No Result
View All Result

Jochen Mass: I persuaded Michael Schumacher to sign for Ferrari over Williams

by Zane Shackleton
November 12, 2020
in Formula 1, International, News
0

Jochen Mass, who walked away from Formula 1 in 1982, says he was responsible for convincing Michael Schumacher to sign for Ferrari instead of Williams in the mid-1990s.

Mass started over 100 Grands Prix, competing for teams such as McLaren, Arrows and Surtees. He stepped back from the sport after a horrific accident involving Mauro Baldi in the 1982 French Grand Prix.

Twelve years into his retirement, Mass was then offered a test by Sir Frank Williams in Alain Prost’s 1993 world championship-winning FW15C. The car was incredibly sophisticated and was wrought with numerous driver-aids.

The Williams team looked to be the team of choice for any driver in the field, with Schumacher reportedly set to make the switch to the team for the 1996 season after spending four years with Benetton.

However, Mass says he persuaded long-time friend Schumacher to sign with Ferrari instead, believing that any success with Williams would be overlooked given the dominance of the team.

Both Mass and Schumacher were teammates together at Sauber-Mercedes during the 1991 World Sportscar championship where they developed a close relationship with Mass becoming a mentor to his young German compatriot.

“I thought the car, with all the help it had with the electronics and so on, was fantastic to drive.” Mass told the Beyond the Grid podcast.

“So, I said ‘with only this car can you become World Champion.’

“Seriously, the car was so nice it was ridiculous. It was ridiculous from the effort, or let’s say the non-existing effort to drive it. It was fast, wonderful and it so felt good; everything was perfect.

“Then Michael called me up and he said ‘I’m going to drive for Williams next year’.

“So, I said ‘Fantastic Michael, really good’. You know, because I liked Frank a lot and wanted him to have the best driver.

“But, for Michael, I said listen ‘Whatever you win now, it’s the car, it’s not you, the car is too good. You need Ferrari, get it out of the trough it is in, pull it out and make them champions again, you would be King of Italy’.

“He said ‘I don’t know, I don’t know,’ but a month later he called me up saying ‘I’m going to Ferrari’.

“Of course, I felt sorry in a way for Frank, but these championships, if you have a very superior car, of course, have less weight than if you make Ferrari World Champions again.”

Mass insisted that Schumacher did have his heart set on a drive at Williams before being convinced to race for Ferrari.

“Of course he wanted to drive for Williams,” Mass said.

“Had I have said to him ‘great, super idea, do it’, he would have done it.”

Schumacher finished the 1996 season third, behind both Williams who eased to another dominant title-winning campaign.

However, the British team would only one further championship the following season before Schumacher and Ferrari would begin their charge towards an unconquerable spree of success across the early 2000s.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2022 VelocityNews - Independent New Zealand and International Motorsport news.

No Result
View All Result
  • International
    • Formula 1
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • Formula E
    • Esports
    • Super GT
    • Super Formula
    • TCR
    • WEC
    • GT
    • Porsche Carrera Cup
    • BTCC
    • DTM
    • IMSA
    • IndyCar
    • Road to Indy
    • NASCAR
    • WRC
    • MotoGP
    • Motorcycle Racing
    • Historic Racing
  • New Zealand
    • Toyota Formula Regional
    • Toyota GR86 Championship
    • Rally
    • Speedway
    • Drifting
    • Formula Ford
    • Formula First
    • TCR NZ
    • TransTasman V8 Series
    • V8 Utes
    • GT New Zealand Championship
    • GTRNZ
    • Central Muscle Cars
    • Pirelli Porsche
    • Mazda Racing Series
    • NZ Endurance Championship
    • NIERDC
    • SIERDC
    • Pro8 South Island Series
    • SsangYong Utes
    • Kartsport
    • NZ Historic Racing
    • NZ General
  • Australia
    • Supercars
    • Super2
    • Australian V8 Touring Car Series
    • Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
    • Porsche Sprint Challenge
    • S5000
    • Australian GT
    • TCR AU
  • Features
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Profile
    • Race Cars
  • Circuit News
  • Velocity TV
  • Performance Cars
  • Jobs
    • Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Job Dashboard

© 2022 VelocityNews - Independent New Zealand and International Motorsport news.