It’s not every day that the greatest footballer and racing driver of all time combine in a crossover, but that happened multiple times in the early 2000s.
Pele is renowned for his goal-scoring abilities, as well as being a part of three winning Brazilian World Cup teams.
But not everyone knows that he was quite the Formula 1 fan, too. He attended countless races, including ones in Monaco and Japan.
As the saying goes, home is where the heart is, and the Brazilian Grand Prix is where he was spotted most often.
His appearances coincided with some of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari’s years. It was a time when they trounced their opposition and forged their place in the history books.
Winning was something that Pele and Schumacher both had in common, and looking back, they remain two of the most remarkable athletes of all time, even in 2026.
Pele waved the chequered flag too late and nearly cost Michael Schumacher the 2002 Brazilian Grand Prix
25 years on from playing his last ever game of football, Pele found himself back in Sao Paulo, and ready to watch a 22-strong grid battle it out for victory.
The 2002 Brazilian Grand Prix was absolute chaos, and at the time, it was held much earlier in the season. In fact, it was the third race of the campaign.
There were just five drivers classified on the lead lap, but the top two were separated by just under six tenths across the line.
Schumacher led home his brother and Williams driver Ralf, but they didn’t see the chequered flag. In fact, it came out a while after they had passed the start-finish line.
The reason why? Pele hadn’t waved the flag in time, and only did so when Takuma Sato passed. Fortunately, Schumacher was allowed to keep the win.
But at the Chinese Grand Prix in 2014, when the flag was waved two laps earlier than anticipated, the earlier classification was kept.
When Pele awarded Michael Schumacher a special award at the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix
Four years after his chequered flag incident, Pele returned to the Brazilian Grand Prix for another special occasion.
This time, he presented Schumacher with a lifetime achievement award at the very race he would bow out of the sport for the first time.
Of course, he made a comeback four years later with Mercedes, which didn’t quite pan out as he would have hoped.
But, it was another heartwarming moment between two of sports’ greatest stars. Schumacher finished his last race with Ferrari in second, behind home hero and teammate Felipe Massa, which was still a great way to sign off.
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