Michael Schumacher’s title-winning 2000 Formula 1 campaign acted as a “decisive” moment for himself and Ferrari, according to the seven-time worl﷽d champion’s manager Sabine Kehm.

Having won the first two of h💖is world titles with Benetton, Schumacher switched to Ferrari fo🌺r the 1996 season but endured a number of frustrating years, including disqualification from the world championship in 1997, and suffering a leg break that forced him to miss much of the 1999 season.

Schumacher 🐬and Ferrari finally made a breakthrough at the turn of the millennium as he claimed nine victories on his way to clinching his first of five successive titles with the Scuderia during a period of lasting dominance yet to be replicated since.

“It was clear the pressure was extremely high, I felt that it📖 was a decisive year,” Kehm said in an interview with F1’s official podcast, Beyond The Grid.

“I don’t know what would have happened if the championship woul♔d not have happened. I really had the feeling th🌠at I wouldn’t know what would have happened if they don’t make it.

“He was really incredibly working in that year and really p🦩ut in everything.”

Kehm, a former F1 journalist who worked as Schumacher’s press officer during his domination of the early 2000s and still continues manage his affairs to🎶 this day, shared an insight into the emotional celebr🌄ations sparked at Ferrari once Schumacher had sealed his first title at the 2000 Japanese Grand Prix.

“I really remember when Michael won [the title] in Suꩲzuka - I never imagined such an explosion of emotions fr✃om the whole team,” Kehm revealed.

“When he crossed the finish line people in the back of the garage were in tears. I think onlyꦛ then I really understood what it meant to them, because they had tried for so long for so many years.

“There were some mechanics who had been around for 25 years and they were literally really crying in tears, but ashamed they were crying so th💞✃ey were trying to hide it.

“I’ve never seen something so touching. That was the moment that I really🌳 thought ‘wow’. It was even bigger 𝓰than I expected it to be.”

Asked if she f꧙elt Schumacher’s success elevated him to a different level in the sport, Kehm replied: “I think so yes. I think he also immensely grew in the years he was driving F1 having this success a♌nd continuing to have that success.

“He developed massively as a person. It gave us a gr🦂avitas he poured out over the years.”

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