IL VIAGGIO DELLA NOSTRA AMICA RITA PER IL GP DI MONZA

My trip to Monza 2012

After his pole position in Montecarlo 2012 on the 26th of May Michael Schumacher has said on the radio just in front of me “Wow, what a feeling” …

Yes, Michael, that was a unique feeling, one of those you can never forget, a pole and a pole like that in front of my astonished and pleased eyes that were able just to cry tears of a huge happiness. But you have to agree with me that when you’ve arrived in Monza this year (also in the past, I agree, but this year it was more special) you could have repeated this phrase and you could have said it during the whole week-end.

The atmosphere you breath in Monza is unique, the track is unique, the fans are unique and Michael was simply and always the best.

My trip has began on Thursday from home. I haven’t been able to reach Monza for the autograph session, but my friends of the fans group were there and my heart was totally with them.

There was a huge crowd around all the boxes, but a huge and huge around Michael’s one. Schumi once was “the king of Monza”, but I can say he is still “the King of Monza” according to the hearts of his true fans. People were asking for him even in front of Raikonen’s box as Michael’s one was too small for that crowd. People from everywhere just asking for him. With my friends we’ve given to him a cup with stars on it and on the bottom “Michael! Sempre e comunque. Monza 2012. 1° classificato nei nostri cuori” (“always and anyway Michael - Monza 2012 - 1^st ranked in our hearts”) and a T-shirt of our group A fan has given to him a book with 300+1  messages that I’ve helped to collect all over the world and put together just to tell Michael how strong is our love for him and how much we need that he keeps on staying with us.

I arrive in Monza on Friday morning for free practice one and I can immediately see how many flags and banners are just for my driver. In Italy everybody is for Ferrari, or better everybody is for Alonso. But when you arrive in Monza you realize that not exactly everybody is “red”. There are a huge number of Michael’s fans and even the “red” ones still love him a lot. So what a beautiful surprise to see Michael first at the end of FP1.

My feelings this year were double. I was really happy to be in Monza again. I’ve been everywhere (I’ll even fly to Singapore) to follow Michael since 1991 – nine GP and tests only in 2012 – but this could have been Michael’s last Monza and you can imagine my last Monza. What would be F1 without Michael? Like a TV that doesn’t speak anymore  or like the sun if he loses his heat and his light. My heart was really divided into two parts and the one that has already decided to go to Brazil if that should be his last race was really desperate. But there is another part, the one that has met Michael in Monza and has looked at his eyes, at his smile …. He will never leave us … he can’t … he won’t !!!!!!

That’s what all the people that have waited for five hours outside the paddock on Friday and Saturday evening have immediately felt looking at him, hearing him speaking with his loved “tifosi” and even creating problems to “traffic” inside the paddock due to the huge crowd that was simply asking him to stay .

An we’re on Saturaday. In the morning Michael’s car suffers of everything, but in the qualifying session Mercedes does a perfect job and our cars end Michael P4 Nico P6. Well done. I cross my fingers for the race and like Michael I dream of …. a podium.

And finally the race day. Like everybody in Monza, like every true fan I wait for Michael outside the paddock, immediately after the tunnel. It’s almost ten o’ clock in the morning, he’s to arrive …. You can hear the crowd shouting “Schumi, Schumi …” We shout more and more …. And finally he appears on his motorbike, a pair of grey jeans, his Petronas shirt, his helmet, his sunglasses and … his HEART beyond everything. He hears the crowd shouting for him, he hasn’t fear … he’s alone among the people (his team helps him only in the last few meters) and he comes out with a SMILE that I’ve never seen on his face, a smile that for a while let my heart become one again and erases the part that isn’t sure of Michael’s future. He goes beyond the crowd control barriers, he disappears. The crowd is still shouting “Schumi don’t leave …”.

It’s too much even for him … He stops. He gets down his motorcycle, takes off his helmet and reaches the crowd …

The KING and his subjects … like ones … together  …. forever.

The race is to come, it’s half past twelve and the drivers parade begins. I’m on my tribune, always the same, in front of his box, I take some pictures then I stop. It could be his last parade in Monza, I just need to fix my memories in my heart. So I simply … dream … looking at him. With two friends of mine I’m behind a yellow banner made for him. When he passes we shout “Schumi here …” pointing to us and the banner, he moves his face up, looks towards the banner and towards us and … he sends a kiss.

It’s impossible to write about what I feel. To be a fan of Michael Schumacher isn’t easy, he ‘s an extra pilot, he’s an extra person … he’s simply THE BEST. I’m “simply” proud and proud of the pilot and of the man.

And the races begins. No crashed, luckily. Michael can’t reach the podium he deserves, but he fights as strongly as he can and I appreciate his battle with Kimi a lot, just a few meters more and he would have overtaken him.

It doesn’t matter. He end 6^th. For me, as always, he’s the winner.

I can’t wait for a podium ceremony without him , I’ll wait in 2013  when he WILL win in Monza.

Everything is over, I collect my feelings in my heart, say “see you in Singapore” and go to the airport.

Will there be a Monza 2013? Will I write my memories again next year? Or my dream sadly out?

Like I’ve told to Aldo Costa shall I need to go to Brazil 2012 and unchain myself to Michael’s WO3?

I don’t know, I hope my dream starts now, F1 has to hope so. But I’m sure that I’ll follow my King everywhere, even where the wheels have never rolled before.

RITA XIUME'