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F1 star takes wheel from cabbie

Michael Schumacher took over the wheel from a taxi driver when he was running late to catch a flight. Cabbie Tuncer Yilmaz watched in awe as the seven-time Formula One world champion, 38, showed him how it’s done.

“I found myself in the passenger seat, which was strange enough, but to have ‘Schumi’ behind the wheel of my cab was incredible,” Mr Yilmaz told German newspaper the Muenchner Abendzeitung.

Schumacher, who lives in Switzerland, had flown to an aerodrome near Coburg, Bavaria, and taken a taxi to Gehuelz to pick up a new puppy. On the 20 mile return journey, Schumacher felt they were short on time, and politely asked Mr Yilmaz if he could take over.

With his wife, two children and new puppy Ed, Schumacher hit the floor and raced the Opel Vivaro people carrier along the autobahn.

“He drove at full throttle around the corners and overtook in some unbelievable places,” said a white-knuckled Mr Yilmaz.

The retired champion gave the taxi driver a generous 100 euro tip on top of the 60 euro fare.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .