Abu Dhabi: The world of Formula One and motorsport in general could have been denied the genius of Michael Schumacher, was it not for the unfortunate circumstances surrounding a certain Bertrand Gachot.
Born in Luxembourg two days before Christmas of 1962, the son of a French European Commission official and a German mother, Gachot was considered one of the sport’s most promising young drivers when he was signed by the newly formed Onyx team alongside the experienced Stefan Johansson.
As a new entrant, he was consigned to the pre-qualifying sessions of Friday morning, and it wasn’t until the French Grand Prix that Gachot made it on to the grid where he impressed. Despite qualifying for four of the next five events, Gachot was fired by his sponsor Jean-Pierre van Rossem citing a “lack of testing time”, and was replaced with JJ Lehto.
Subsequently, Gachot was signed to lead the new Jordan Grand Prix team using Ford HB engines that became regular points scorers. Gachot finished fifth once and sixth on two occasions to gather considerable acclaim for his Grand Prix performances and for winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in a Mazda — alongside co-drivers Johnny Herbert and Volker Weidler.
However, fate intervened.
Shortly after setting the fastest lap at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Gachot’s season was cut short by a two-month prison stint that was received for spraying tear gas on a London taxi driver for over-charging him. His race seat was filled temporarily by then-unknown Michael Schumacher, who went on to make his Formula One debut and never looked back.
“Michael was the racing machine that was waiting to happen. I doubt anyone or anything could have stopped him. He had the talent and he had the backing [from Mercedes] to make him a great driver,” Gachot told Gulf News on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“Perhaps he may not have become a seven-time world champion. Maybe he would have been a ten-time world champion without that break. My absence only facilitated his entry into the sport, which I think, would have happened anyway.”
When Gachot was finally released from prison, he had missed four grands prix including his home race in Belgium. He travelled to Suzuka to try to re-take his Jordan seat from Alessandro Zanardi. The team refused, though Gachot found employment with Larrousse.
“One of my most pleasant memories after flying in for the Japanese Grand Prix is when Michael came up to me and assured me that he was willing to do anything for me. I appreciate this gesture as there were other drivers who were not willing to even look me in the eye. They found it an embarrassment to associate with me, just because of the two months in jail,” Gachot recounted.
By 1993, Gachot was out of F1 racing. Though he has stayed in touch with the sport, Gachot has chosen the UAE as his main base while concentrating on his business interests that include marketing Hype Energy, a high-energy beverage that also is a sponsor of the Sahara Force India Team. He owns a house on The Palm and operates from his office and warehouse in the Jebel Ali Free Zone.
“Life is like a deck of cards and each one has to play this game to his best ability,” he said.
