F1 | The story of an 80-year-old driving Michael Schumacher's Ferrari

Racing Day was held last weekend in Assen, which featured not only David Coulthard – who did some demonstration laps – but also a Ferrari that took fans back in time: the 310B. This is the car with which Michael Schumacher won the Monaco Grand Prix 27 years ago.

The owner of the Rossa is Erich Zech, born in 1944, who was also present at the Racing Day last year, but was unable to get on the track due to some modifications that the car needed before entering into action. This year Zech’s dream came true and the eighty-year-old – excited – was able to drive his 310B.

“It was phenomenal. The thing that I liked the most and that moved me the most was the reaction of the fans. They stood up and applauded, which was fantastic. The thing that I like the most is to be able to show this car to people again. My main goal is to make the experience as similar as possible to what it was like back then with Schumacher.”

Zech’s tribute, in fact, also consisted in the choice of a special helmet: a replica of that of the seven-time German world champion, a true return to the past that those present experienced with emotion. The only difference? Schumacher drove this car at the age of 28, while Zech is 80.

“Unfortunately, that’s the way it is!” he laughs to Motorsport.com. “But it’s special, isn’t it? Driving a car like that is a challenge, but I still feel incredibly good. I had to get my driver’s license to drive it, and for that, I had to pass a health check. It was a surprise to me that I was still so fit.”

Erich Zech in Michael Schumacher’s 1997 Ferrari 310B

Photo by: Angelo Poletto

Zech’s 310B is the only historic Ferrari racing without customer F1 support from Maranello and getting it running again was a lot of work, but it was worth it, because in early 2024 Zech was able to drive it for the first time at the Jim Clark Revival in Hockenheim.

“It was like Easter and Christmas fell on the same day, so beautiful!” she smiles.
“Hockenheim is like a home event for me, as I live only 30km away. After Hockenheim, we took the car to Spielberg (where the photos for this article were taken) and then the Assen weekend was the third time we drove it. I honestly enjoyed Assen, especially for the fans.”

Despite his advanced age, Zech has no intention of stopping: he would like to return to the TT Circuit during the Classic GP in September and next year during the Racing Day. “I have reached an age where you can’t say what tomorrow will bring, but if everything goes well, I would like to come back.”

The 80-year-old describes what happened as a dream come true. “I watched Schumacher races and also went to the Grand Prix when he was still in Hockenheim. I remember it well, those were good times for F1, also for the sound. When the races were abroad, we watched the TV and crossed our fingers that he would win.”

Decades later, Zech himself is driving the car of one of Formula 1’s greats.