Heroes

Ciao Felipe.

Company car?

No, GT. Old and limited.

Good to see you.

Nice choice of wheels. Classic.

Hi, Michèle.

Hello! How are you? Nice to see you.

Nice to see you. You need help with the bags?

Tom.

Not yet.

Hey Mika!

-Hi! -Great to see you.

Hey, Mika.

Long time.

It was a nice journey to come here.

-Yeah. Good. -Beautiful English weather.

Like always.

I’m from a very humble background in that sense of

my father could not afford to support me in karting.

I’m home born on a gas station.

And my dad was racing cars, touring cars...

Ford Escort, M1s, both on asphalt and off road.

So, when I was wearing nappies I was taken to races and watching.

So, it’s kind of in my blood.

And then sometimes I was driving the kart around the gas station

when people were coming in for refueling.

For me it was completely different

because my surroundings were not at all motorsport.

You’re not born in a gas station like me?

No, not at all. I was born in the fields of rose and jasmine.

So, it’s completely different.

My family was growing flowers for the perfume in Grasse,

which is the capital of perfume.

I started driving by myself.

I was 14.

Just because, you know, it was fun,

I wanted to... I was a young girl, very active, very sportive

and ready for any adventures,

so, I wanted to move the car, I don’t know why.

So one day I took my father’s Citroen 2CV,

you know, the small car.

And with a friend I said we have to move the car.

So, I started to drive.

And my father saw the car passing through the kitchen window.

And he said, "Somebody is stealing my car or what?"

And then he realized it was me.

For me, a car was independence, freedom, moving around,

going travelling, but nothing to do with motorsport.

Motorsport arrived in my life when I was 21.

And you?

My father gave me a little motocross when I was 6 years old.

And I was asking him, "I want to race, I want to race."

And then he was a little bit afraid, because I was starting to jump.

I was starting to, you know, to get some scrapes.

So, then he said,

"I think it’s better four wheels than two wheels,"

so, when I was eight years old,

he brought me to, like. a little karting school.

What’s your name?

-Felipe. -Felipe who?

Massa.

I remember when I drove that day, I was like, in love.

And, it’s unbelievable because when I started racing, I knew,

this is what I want to do.

I was never thinking about other things.

I grew up in Interlagos, near the race track,

watching all the races in the past, in the grandstand.

At the time, Senna was like a God in Brazil, you know.

Three times World Champion.

No one could even dream to follow him.

Yes, well I started motor racing, I think,

I was around six. Six years old in karting.

And of course, as a kid, you want to go flat out.

You like the speed.

But it didn’t start really well.

You know, the very first time when I went to a go-kart track...

The place was called Keimola. A very beautiful track.

Then I sat in a go-kart and said, "This is going to be fun."

And of course, I went flat out.

You know, full gas immediately. And I turned in too early.

And I touched the tire.

And of course, the whole go-kart went...

-Really... - Upside down.

And I’m lying there, you know, six year old kid

and I can see upside-down

and my parents are running flat out.

"Oh my God! Our dear son is dead!"

And of course, my parents were shocked.

I remember their faces. They were like "Oh my God!"

And it was, actually it was good, what happened,

because I immediately realized that way,

you know, this is a dangerous sport.

Another driver, who isn’t racing for Germany

although he is German and is even the favorite,

here at the Kerpen track is Michael Schumacher.

You’re racing for Luxembourg. Why?

Because Germany requires qualifying races, which cost money.

And if we get eliminated,

then we won’t qualify to race in the World Championship.

But we’re the only one racing for Luxembourg.

It doesn’t cost any money and we’ve automatically qualified.

And who told you all this?

My sponsor.

I remember seeing you in Denmark when we started in karting.

I remember it was-- I have the picture-- it’s in Ribe.

And I remember this white, or it was white once, I guess.

Your leather suit. It was kind of oily...

The weather wasn't so good either, I don't think.

-It was white with blue stripes-- --Blue stripes, yeah.

So, you guys raced together?

Yeah, we did.

-Yeah. -Yeah.

And I remember taking notice that

hey, we have to watch out for this guy.

At the front, the Dane, Tom Kristensen,

winner of the semifinal,

with Mike Hakkinen lining up second.

I remember that. It was Formula Nordic, I think.

-Yeah. It’s true. -The junior category.

Yeah, I remember that one.

We did many races there, where actually we touched.

So maybe we shouldn’t touch on that one.

Yes but it’s okay!

But the racing was good. And any of us could have won.

Because I literally think we changed position eight times in the final.

And we were really, really close.

But this guy doesn’t give up, I tell you.

End of '72, I started to do Monte Carlo as a co-driver.

My father loved rallies, loved cars, so what he couldn’t do,

he offered to me. He said, "I know you like to drive.

To see you in the passenger’s seat, you know, I don’t like it.

Why don’t you drive?"

I said, "Okay, but what I will do?"

He said, "Okay, I will buy you a car.

I will pay for good conditions for one year.

and if you are good enough, you will continue.

If not, you will stop."

I said, "Okay, I will try to show you that I can."

Right. And full power to the left. Right 85. Narrows in again.

-Alright. -You can hear the wind.

Yes, it’s windy outside.

What a conquest.

Okay... One more. No need. That looks bad.

Hey, thank you very much, you give...

And you?

-Over. -I’m out.

-19. -19.

25 is more, no?

I joined, in 1990, West Surrey Racing.

-Dick Bennetts. -Dick Bennetts, yeah.

It was a very good year, indeed.

You know, winning a British championship.

At the end of the year there is a race,

the F3 race in Macau,

where all the top drivers come from around the world.

Everything went perfectly. You know, all the practice,

I’m quite pleased because my pole position is nearly one second

in front of Michael Schumacher.

His time is really fantastic, but it is not impossible.

There are two races.

So, I won the first race, everything went perfectly.

So, I won the first race by about two seconds.

I was leading in the second race

and I made a mistake or something.

-Why are you always turning right-- -I don’t know!

-and never left? -because it feels natural!

Because it’s a way to remember!

So, Michael was able to overtake me.

So, if I would had finished behind him just inside of two seconds,

I would have won overall the whole race, so...

So there is like one or two laps to go and Michael is leading,

and he made a big mistake

in a really high-speed right-hand corner

and I thought, "What I can do? I have to overtake him."

He was so slow, so I really got close to him.

Catching a tow.

And you know, going to overtake, and I could just...

And I could see his eyes in the mirror looking...

I knew I see him in my mirrors

and then when I see him right behind he closes up on me.

And then he goes off the gas and he stays behind me.

And in this time, he closed up, he closed up, and I see it,

and I go to the right side.

In this moment, he wanted to overtake me

and he’s so quick, in this moment, that he couldn’t brake.

Lost the whole race. Terrible moment.

Then in 1991 I joined Formula 1. Team Lotus.

Team Lotus, Peter Collins, signed me to race there.

-Then the hard work started. -Then it started.

Schumacher was available this weekend,

he had no other commitments.

I’ve seen him in Formula 3

or the team has this attitude to give youth a chance

We think it’s a progressive way

to see what the potential of Schumacher is for the future.

I’m really happy. With this car you can do this qualifying time.

You know, the car feels really good and it’s a lot of fun to drive.

And also for the time, I’m really happy.

I’m convinced, and my lawyers have advised me,

that we have two signed legal agreements with Michael Schumacher.