Reluctant hero’s drive for perfection
The man, whose remarkable 13-year career at the top has shredded the sports record books, just wants to be "like everyone else, I just happen to be able to drive fast".
Drive fast he certainly does, with Schumacher taking virtually every record on offer in the past decade or so from six title wins, 79 grand prix triumphs to 1,128 points.
His win total equates to over four full seasons of victories.
Schumacher's success has made him a marketing phenomenon, with the Ferrari driver's image used to sell mobile phones and petrol, plus a plethora of personal merchandise.
But the world's second highest-paid sportsman his £45m a year is just short of Tiger Woods' pay packet cannot understand the "hysteria" which follows him everywhere.
He says: "Hero status makes me uncomfortable. I don't want it, I have a problem with it, just as I do with the hysteria surrounding my person.
"I appreciate what people think of my achievements and how it lifts them but I don't see myself as a hero. I am like everyone else, I just happen to be able to drive fast."
Remarkably for a man who spends a huge amount of time in front of the cameras, Schumacher insists he is shy and does not appreciate the attention.
The German has often been characterised as a cold, clinical man with little emotion, particularly in Britain.
There have been times when he has opened up, the most memorable coming when he broke down in tears after taking Ayrton Senna's record for the most wins.
Schumacher claims his aloof public persona is down to a reluctance to expose his inner thoughts to strangers.
"It is difficult to get to know me," he says. "It takes time. I find it very difficult to open up straightaway. I can only do that when I know people.
"My general attitude is one of healthy scepticism and this has been strengthened by certain events. Formula One has shaped me in this respect."
The British Grand Prix at Silverstone holds bad memories for Schumacher, but the way he dealt with the shock of breaking his leg in 1999 epitomises his focus.
Early in the race, Schumacher's Ferrari plunged head-on into a barrier, leaving him stranded in his cockpit. He has since admitted he thought he was dying in the aftermath of the shunt, but even as he recovered.
Schumacher was clinical.
He said: "Silverstone was one of the worst moments of my career, if not the worst. It was so strange.
"After the impact I tried immediately to get out of the car. It was instinctive to get out but I was stuck. It was terrifying, I was trying but not succeeding.
"I had had several accidents before, some of them serious, but until Silverstone nothing had happened to me. But as soon as I knew what had caused the accident, had analysed and could explain it, I was able to cope.
Schumacher insists he is still keen to race. Some had suggested he may hang up his helmet after taking Juan Manuel Fangio's world titles record last year, but Schumacher gives short shrift to statistics.
"I don't drive for statistics. If they happen they make me proud but that's not what keeps me going. It's not something that's important to me."
