David Coulthard reveals Michael Schumacher accused him of attempted murder in 1998 F1 collision

David Coulthard has revealed that Michael Schumacher believed he intended to kill him during a Formula 1 race, a shocking revelation featured in the upcoming docuseries 'Being Michael Schumacher.' The series, set to be released by German broadcaster ARD next month, delves into the incident that occurred at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix.

Following the collision with Coulthard, Schumacher was compelled to retire, leading to his intense fury and claims that the crash was deliberate. Coulthard, who was teammates with Schumacher's title rival Hakkinen at McLaren, dismissed any conspiracy, describing it as a mere accident.

Hakkinen also retired during the Belgian GP. Coulthard, as quoted by The Sun, shared in the docuseries: "Michael thought it was some sort of conspiracy to kill him and try to help my teammate Mika. But it was simply an accident. It was just one of those things."


The aftermath of the incident left Schumacher trailing Hakkinen by seven points with three races remaining. Despite this setback, Hakkinen went on to secure his first world title with victories in Luxembourg and Japan, followed by consecutive triumphs the next year.


The docuseries also features footage of Coulthard addressing reporters in 1998. He said: "I can’t understand him (Schumacher), he has just accused me again of wanting to kill him. He has to take that back, it can't be true. I hope he has some regret over his comments."

Ultimately, Schumacher asserted his dominance in Formula 1 with Ferrari, securing five consecutive championships from 2000 to 2004, in addition to the two he won with Benetton in 1994 and 1995. According to Coulthard, Schumacher's success was attributed to his relentless and ruthless approach.

He further said in the docuseries: "Schumacher could be very ruthless, he could be cold, he could be distant. I think that's probably the level you need to be at to be that successful. My understanding of where the limit was perhaps more in line with the rest of the drivers."

Schumacher concluded his Formula 1 career in 2012 and faced a tragic skiing accident in the French Alps a year later, resulting in a severe brain injury. Since then, updates from his family have been scarce, and he has not been seen in public.

In a 2021 Netflix documentary chronicling his life and career, Schumacher's wife, Corinna, shared that her husband is "different, but he's still here." She further noted, "He still shows me how strong he is every day. We're trying to carry on as a family."