As covered by F1-Fansite, the Monza celebration commemorated both the 30th anniversary of Schumacher’s arrival at Ferrari in 1996 and the 20th anniversary of his last win for the team, which came at the 2006 Chinese Grand Prix. The tribute extended across the entire weekend, and Ferrari also brought parts of Schumacher’s story into the way it presented its current Formula 1 operation.
The numbers behind that story explain why Monza chose to celebrate it so publicly. During his years in red, Schumacher achieved milestones that still define Ferrari’s modern history:
- five consecutive Drivers’ Championships, won from 2000 through 2004;
- five Italian Grand Prix victories for Ferrari at Monza, in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006;
- a podium finish in every one of the 17 races of the 2002 season, a record that has never been equaled;
- a central role in turning Ferrari into the leading team of that period.
Vettel’s drive, scheduled shortly before the start of Sunday’s Grand Prix, gave the tribute its most personal note. The four-time world champion grew up treating Schumacher as his childhood hero, and over the years the two Germans became friends. Vettel, who drove for Ferrari from 2015 to 2020, called the experience of taking Schumacher’s car onto the circuit an emotional one. Formula 1 reported that he approached the run as a way to honor both the driver who inspired him and the friend he came to know in the paddock. For the Tifosi, it was a rare moment that placed two German Ferrari champions in the same frame at a track where each had enjoyed memorable days.
The car Vettel drove is one of the most decorated in the team’s history. The F2002 arrived during the 2002 season and carried Ferrari to both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ titles, with Schumacher sealing his third straight crown for the team while several rounds were still to be run. Its naturally aspirated V10 engine gave the demonstration a character of its own, producing a sound that modern Formula 1 cars no longer make and that many fans at Monza had not heard live for years.
A day earlier, on Saturday afternoon, the same F2002 had been driven by Barrichello, who knew the car from the inside. He partnered Schumacher at Ferrari between 2000 and 2005 and won the 2002 Italian Grand Prix in an F2002, crossing the line ahead of his teammate in a Ferrari one-two. It was the first of his three Monza victories, followed by another with Ferrari in 2004 and a third with Brawn GP in 2009. His return to the cockpit also carried a message about the next generation. His demonstration helmet featured design elements from the helmet of his son, Fernando Barrichello, who was racing at Monza that weekend in Formula 3. Fernando’s own special helmet combined his green, yellow and blue colors with his father’s famous red, white and blue pattern. A CryptoProcessing brand ambassador since 2025, he competed for AIX Racing in the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship, keeping the Barrichello name present in international single-seater racing. With a former teammate, a champion inspired by Schumacher and a young driver from a racing family all connected to one car, the F2002’s return turned into a reminder of how long the legacy of Ferrari’s most successful era continues to reach.
