Cheating allegations surrounding Michael Schumacher's first Formula 1 title have been re-examined more than 30 years on in a new Netflix documentary. The German claimed the first of his seven world championships during an acrimonious and tragic 1994 season.
Roland Ratzenberger and the sport's biggest name at the time, Ayrton Senna, died in crashes during the San Marino Grand Prix weekend at Imola. Schumacher was chasing Senna when the Brazilian icon's Williams plunged into the wall at the infamous Tamburello corner and lost his life at the age of 34.
Controversial Season
Schumacher's Benetton team were at the centre of various controversies, which saw the German disqualified from two races and hit with a two-race ban, allowing Damon Hill into the title fight. Schumacher eventually won the crown in contentious fashion.
After sliding into a wall at the season-ending race in Australia, Schumacher got back onto the track, only to collide with Hill, taking them both out of the race. Arguably, the biggest controversy of the season revolved around Benetton's alleged use of traction control, which had been banned for 1994.
Traction Control Allegations
Traction control cuts the engine at certain times to reduce wheelspin and improve grip out of a slow corner. That issue, and many more, are covered in the new Netflix documentary about that season, Schumacher '94: The Birth of a Legend, which features many key figures from that year.
The traction control rumours gathered pace at the second round of the season in Aida, Japan, when Senna, watching from trackside, became convinced that Schumacher's Benetton wasn't legal. Journalist and former ITV F1 commentator James Allen recalled: "Aida was where the problems really started to emerge around whether or not there were some issues with the Benetton car. Senna was convinced there was something not right about the way Schumacher's car sounded when he was standing by the side of the track."
Benetton mechanic Steve Matchett added: "Senna finds himself at the side of the track and becomes convinced that he's hearing something that resembles, to him, traction control, and this would worry him."
Defending the Car
Pat Symonds, Schumacher's race engineer at the time, insists the car was legal, saying: "This is a very interesting time in the season and one that I think is very misreported. Firstly, it didn't have traction control. And secondly, if it did have, he couldn't have heard it."
Benetton's then-team boss, Flavio Briatore, put the accusations down to jealousy at the fact that Schumacher had quickly gone from an occasional race winner to a championship contender. The Italian, who is back at the Enstone-based team as Alpine's de facto team principal, told the documentary: "All this suspicion, you know? Cheating, no cheating. Because Formula 1 is quite simple. If the big team is winning, no problem. If the new entry is winning, it's cheating. It's always like this."
Allen added: "I think the way Benetton had suddenly come to the top, there was always a bit of suspicion about how they had done that. People were prepared to believe there was something strange going on with that car."
Schumacher's wife, Corinna, struck a similar tone, saying: "They all realised straight away that Michael may be more capable than the others. And they weren't too happy about that because it creates problems."
Meanwhile, Schumacher's long-serving manager, Willi Weber, said the only traction control Benetton were using was a human with phenomenal throttle control. He said: "He made the claim afterwards that there was something not right with the Benetton. That it had traction control, yes, it was true. But the traction control was sitting in the car. And his name was Schumacher."
Senna's death at Imola that year not only robbed the sport of its biggest name but also denied fans what was developing into a thrilling rivalry that should have headlined F1 for years. Symonds said: "I don't think Senna and Michael were ever going to be the best of friends. I think there was a grudging respect. It's like they say, you shouldn't meet your heroes. Maybe it's a bit like that."
Schumacher '94: The Birth of a Legend drops on Netflix on October 2.
