Michael Schumacher’s Formula 1 Car is Now Driven by an 80-Year-Old!

Michael Schumacher’s Formula 1 legacy remains strong, with the German driver’s iconic Ferrari now in the hands of an 80-year-old.

The iconic Ferrari that Michael Schumacher raced during the 1997 Formula 1 season is now being driven by an automotive enthusiast who is 80 years old. The motorsport legend holds the record for the most Formula 1 championships, with seven titles throughout his impressive career behind the wheel. One of his most controversial seasons as a driver was in 1997, when he was disqualified after an incident with Jacques Villeneuve. Although he lost his second place in the Drivers’ Championship, he was allowed to keep the five race wins he achieved that year, including the Monaco GP with the Ferrari 310B.

After driving the famous Ferrari at a recent event in the Netherlands, car enthusiast Zech told Autosport, “It was extraordinary. What moved me most was the fans’ reaction. They stood up and applauded; witnessing that was amazing.” He added, “What I love most is being able to show this car to people again. My main goal is to bring this experience as close as possible to the days we shared with Schumacher.”

Zech didn’t miss any details during his driving experience in the Ferrari and wore an exact replica of the helmet Schumacher wore while driving the car. However, there was a clear difference: when Schumacher drove the car, he was in his late twenties, while Zech is currently 80!

This doesn’t bother him, and Zech adds, “But it’s special, isn’t it? Driving such a car is a challenging job, but I still feel incredibly fit. I had to obtain an official racing license to drive this car and go through a health check for it. Being this fit is a surprise for me as well.”

“I started with that car and drove Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari for the first time in May. We presented the 310B here in Assen last year, but it wasn’t operational at that time.”

“It seemed like a lot of data had been erased. Ingo Gerstl has amazing connections in Italy, and thanks to him, the car was able to work for the first time in his workshop in March. That was an extraordinary moment for all of us. This is the only historic Ferrari that operates without support from Maranello’s ‘F1 clienti’.”

Zech’s story of owning this valuable classic car as a passionate motorsport fan is truly heartwarming but also a bit unusual.

Zech recalls the agreement: “My response was that I was interested in something like this, but I wasn’t involved with a car that didn’t have an engine…”

“He knew there was a collection of Ferraris in Europe where the owner had passed away. All these cars were going to Sotheby’s for auction. He remembered there was a Michael Schumacher F1 car among them, but I said, ‘A Michael Schumacher F1 car? I can’t afford that because it’s too expensive.’

“Anyway, he would gather information to check if the car was sellable and what the potential cost might be. Four weeks later, he called me back, informing me that it was indeed a 1997 Schumacher F1 car and that he could arrange a deal for me.

“I asked for the price of the car and if he could send me a picture. Based on that photo, I bought the car without seeing it in real life. Three days later, Schumacher’s car was in my garage. That’s how everything unfolded.”