In recent years, F1 has gained immense recognition from the entire world, thanks to the highly theatrical documentary series Formula 1: Drive to Survive. Subsequently, the entire Hollywood fraternity is slowly leaning toward supporting the elite motorsport series and its growth in the United States. However, what a majority of the fans don’t know is that F1’s sudden burst in fame isn’t entirely because of the Netflix masterpiece that made its debut in 2019, but also because of Michael Schumacher.
Prior to the world-renowned F1 docu-series, there were several other films that made their way to the top of the box office. For instance, the movie Rush arrived in the theatres in 2013, featuring prominent actors Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl, which depicted the insane and brutal rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt in the 1970s.
Similarly, a documentary movie called Senna made it to the big screens in 2010 which contained several unseen footage of the legendary Brazilian world champion, Ayrton Senna. But before the likes of Senna, Lauda, and Hunt, it was indeed the seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher who sowed the seed in the active collaboration of Formula 1 and cinema.
The iconic Ferrari hero was one of the first F1 drivers to feature in a Hollywood movie, and the German legend managed to do so in a subtle fashion, making his brief cameo go unnoticed.
Michael Schumacher, the first F1 driver to feature in Hollywood movie
Schumacher played a meagrely significant cameo role in one of Disney’s best trilogies, Cars. The first edition of the series witnessed a Ferrari show up on the screen right at the end of the movie. One of the characters, Luigi, who was seemingly Italian and hence fond of Ferraris, can be seen on cloud nine coming across a Ferrari F430. Luigi says, “There is a real Michael Schumacher Ferrari in my store.”
It was eventually revealed that the strange Ferrari F430 was indeed the legend Michael Schumacher himself. Years later, when Disney released Cars 2, there was another F1 driver making his formal debut in the world of Hollywood – Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion was portrayed as a McLaren sportscar and had a more significant role compared to Schumacher’s in Cars.
Hamilton can also be seen engaging in a conversation with the lead protagonist, Lightning Mcqueen aka Owen Wilson famously known for his amusing roles in Night at the Museum and Zoolander. Over a decade later, Hamilton is on the verge of featuring in yet another massive Hollywood movie, Apex, which revolves entirely around the world of Formula 1.