Netflix have released the official trailer for their new Michael Schumacher documentary and it looks like it’s going to be a must-watch for F1 fans.
Schumacher ’94: The Birth of a Legend is set to be released on the popular streaming platform on Friday, October 2, digging into the 1994 F1 season – the year that Schumacher won the first of his seven world championships while driving for Benetton.
The 1994 season remains one of the most dramatic and controversial in F1 history, with the documentary set to not only highlight Schumacher’s meteoric rise, but also revisit the dark moments of the Imola race weekend, when fatal crashes claimed the lives of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger.
Schumacher ’94 is also set to examine allegations of technical foul play and the use of alleged ‘illegal’ electronic aids within the Benetton team, which were never proven.
Of course, that controversial end to the season in Adelaide will also be under the microscope, with Schumacher’s wife, Corinna, also set to offer personal insights into their early romance and ‘Schumi mania’.
Schumacher ’94: The Birth of a Legend official trailer
Netflix released a first look at all of the above in its official trailer for the documentary over the course of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, where Ferrari also paid tribute to their former star by running a retro-inspired livery on the SF-26.
You can watch the full one-minute-and-46-second trailer below on Netflix UK and Ireland’s official X account.
One goal. One season. The start of something great.
The 1994 F1 season was a hugely significant one for the sport, with Schumacher really starting to cement himself as the leading driver on the grid. Having only won two races prior to that year, the German went on to win eight grands prix in 1994, quickly becoming the man everyone was trying to beat.
On track, Damon Hill emerged as Schumacher’s biggest rival, winning six races himself and keeping the championship fight alive until the final round, which ended in hugely controversial circumstances in Adelaide.
Schumacher led the championship by a point heading into that finale, and, after he damaged his car and lost pace, many felt he deliberately collided with Hill to take him out of the race and secure the world title.
Away from the racing, the season was also a hugely emotional one for devastating reasons.
1994 was a hugely emotional season.
The deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna at Imola were truly shocking and left a huge impact on the sport, highlighting just how dangerous it still was and pushing teams and the FIA to continue to advance driver safety on the cars and at circuits moving forward.