Willi Weber
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm "Willi" Friedrich Weber (born March 11, 1942 in Regensburg
, Germany
) is the manager
of numerous German racing drivers including seven-time Formula One
champion Michael Schumacher
, his brother Ralf Schumacher
(until November 2005) and Timo Scheider
. He is also the franchise holder for A1 Team Germany
.
Willi Weber made himself a name in the motorsport world for discovering and promoting talents like the Schumacher brothers and for being a shrewd negotiator. Besides taking care of his clients' contractual issues he also proved to be quite a talent in finding ways to make money for his clients with creative merchandising deals.
s and selling those off to collectors. At the same time he was in an apprenticeship in hotel management in order to learn the business with the target to run his own gastronomic establishment. He succeeded as an entrepreneur
with his businesses being based near Stuttgart
, Germany
, and became a wealthy man with franchises.
As a motorsport fan he spent time and good part of his wealth by enjoying himself behind the wheel of race cars
as gentleman driver. In 1983 engineer Klaus Trella talked Weber into a partnership and they founded their Formula 3 team WTS (Weber-Trella Stuttgart). Realising that he wasn't exactly a front-runner
on the track, Weber made room for ambitious youngsters, and enjoyed his status as team owner. The first big success came in 1988 with talented Swabian driver Joachim Winkelhock
who won the team's first German F3 Championship
title.
race at the Salzburgring
in Austria
later that year Willi, on the search for his next top driver as Winkelhock moved on to Formula One
, he spotted a talented young man who was racing for the first time in that category and comfortably won the race. It was the teenage Michael Schumacher
from Kerpen
. Weber invited Schumacher to test his F3 car in Hockenheim and, from what he saw, was convinced this young man would go far.
It was Weber's sole credit that Schumacher would be able to continue his career as his humble origins would not have allowed to come up with the funds for a season in the German F3 Championship. And, in his second season in the series, Schumacher duly won the title which propelled his career further.
It was also thanks to connections of a close friend of Weber's to motorsport returnee Mercedes-Benz
that Schumacher ended up in their Junior Team in Group C
racing and later had the financial guarantees to back his Grand Prix debut in Spa in 1991 for Jordan Grand Prix
.
Michael Schumacher
winning the Formula One World Championship in 1994 transformed Germany
into a motor racing mad nation. The following was enormous and therefore the business opportunities arising meant a heavy workload. When the first ever German F1 World Champion successfully defended his title in 1995, Weber decided to focus all of his time on F1 and sold his F3 outfit.
Willi Weber has since been responsible, thanks to his shrewd negotiation skills, for Michael Schumacher
turning into one of the highest earning sport stars ever. And, given his 15% commission for every deal he finalised for his clients, made him an even wealthier man. Schumacher won a further five titles in the 21st century.
On the day before Schumacher agreed to be a temporary replacement for Felipe Massa
for Ferrari in 2009, Weber famously told the Daily Mail
newspaper that he was "200 per cent sure" that Schumacher would not replace the Brazilian. Ironically, Schumacher cancelled the plan a couple of weeks later due to a neck injury.
like Claudia Schiffer
and Naomi Campbell
have also been represented by Weber’s management firm, which is based right next to Stuttgart Airport
In 1999 Weber, ever passionate about gastronomy, inaugurated his Restaurant Weber's Gourmet im Turm at the Fernsehturm Stuttgart
but after a couple of years discontinued the project.
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) is the manager
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
of numerous German racing drivers including seven-time Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
champion Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
, his brother Ralf Schumacher
Ralf Schumacher
Ralf Schumacher is a German racing driver, and the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher...
(until November 2005) and Timo Scheider
Timo Scheider
Timo Scheider is a German racing driver who competes in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters for Audi. He won the title in 2008 and 2009.-Karting:...
. He is also the franchise holder for A1 Team Germany
A1 Team Germany
A1 Team Germany was the German team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. The team were the A1 Grand Prix champions for the second season, 2006-07. They were run by the English Super Nova Racing team until the end of 2007-08...
.
Willi Weber made himself a name in the motorsport world for discovering and promoting talents like the Schumacher brothers and for being a shrewd negotiator. Besides taking care of his clients' contractual issues he also proved to be quite a talent in finding ways to make money for his clients with creative merchandising deals.
Before driver management
As a teenager Willi Weber discovered and trained his negotiating skills and made some extra money buying up worn military uniformMilitary uniform
Military uniforms comprises standardised dress worn by members of the armed forces and paramilitaries of various nations. Military dress and military styles have gone through great changes over the centuries from colourful and elaborate to extremely utilitarian...
s and selling those off to collectors. At the same time he was in an apprenticeship in hotel management in order to learn the business with the target to run his own gastronomic establishment. He succeeded as an entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
with his businesses being based near Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and became a wealthy man with franchises.
As a motorsport fan he spent time and good part of his wealth by enjoying himself behind the wheel of race cars
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
as gentleman driver. In 1983 engineer Klaus Trella talked Weber into a partnership and they founded their Formula 3 team WTS (Weber-Trella Stuttgart). Realising that he wasn't exactly a front-runner
Front-runner
Front-runner is a term to describe the leader in a race, whether political or athletic. The term arose from the close symbolism between political campaigns and athletic running events. The term is used in the U.S...
on the track, Weber made room for ambitious youngsters, and enjoyed his status as team owner. The first big success came in 1988 with talented Swabian driver Joachim Winkelhock
Joachim Winkelhock
Joachim Winkelhock , is a German motor racing driver.The younger brother of the late Manfred Winkelhock, Winkelhock was born in Waiblingen, near Stuttgart...
who won the team's first German F3 Championship
Formula Three
Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers...
title.
Talent scout and manager
During a Formula FordFormula Ford
Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing....
race at the Salzburgring
Salzburgring
The Salzburgring is a permanent race track in Austria, east of Salzburg.-History:This race track had been opened in 1968. Lying in a narrow, alpine valley, it has a rather simple layout, with two long straights plus the sweeping and fast "Fahrerlagerkurve" at the bottom, and the narrow...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
later that year Willi, on the search for his next top driver as Winkelhock moved on to Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
, he spotted a talented young man who was racing for the first time in that category and comfortably won the race. It was the teenage Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
from Kerpen
Kerpen
Kerpen is a town in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia. Germany. It is located about 30 kilometers southwest from Cologne.-Division of the town:...
. Weber invited Schumacher to test his F3 car in Hockenheim and, from what he saw, was convinced this young man would go far.
It was Weber's sole credit that Schumacher would be able to continue his career as his humble origins would not have allowed to come up with the funds for a season in the German F3 Championship. And, in his second season in the series, Schumacher duly won the title which propelled his career further.
It was also thanks to connections of a close friend of Weber's to motorsport returnee Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
that Schumacher ended up in their Junior Team in Group C
Group C
Group C was a category of motorsport, introduced by the FIA in 1982 for sports car racing, along with Group A for touring cars and Group B for GTs....
racing and later had the financial guarantees to back his Grand Prix debut in Spa in 1991 for Jordan Grand Prix
Jordan Grand Prix
Jordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. The team is named after Irish businessman and founder Eddie Jordan...
.
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
winning the Formula One World Championship in 1994 transformed Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
into a motor racing mad nation. The following was enormous and therefore the business opportunities arising meant a heavy workload. When the first ever German F1 World Champion successfully defended his title in 1995, Weber decided to focus all of his time on F1 and sold his F3 outfit.
Willi Weber has since been responsible, thanks to his shrewd negotiation skills, for Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
turning into one of the highest earning sport stars ever. And, given his 15% commission for every deal he finalised for his clients, made him an even wealthier man. Schumacher won a further five titles in the 21st century.
On the day before Schumacher agreed to be a temporary replacement for Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He finished second in the Drivers' World Championship, and is under contract to race for Scuderia Ferrari until the end of the season.-Early years:...
for Ferrari in 2009, Weber famously told the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
newspaper that he was "200 per cent sure" that Schumacher would not replace the Brazilian. Ironically, Schumacher cancelled the plan a couple of weeks later due to a neck injury.
Outside motorsport
Top modelsModel (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
like Claudia Schiffer
Claudia Schiffer
Claudia Schiffer is a German model and occasional actress, who reached the peak of her popularity during the 1990s, initially due to her resemblance to Brigitte Bardot. Schiffer is one of the world's most successful models, having appeared on over 500 magazine covers...
and Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is a British model. Scouted at the age of 15, she established herself among the top three most recognisable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and she was one of six models of her generation declared "supermodels" by the fashion world...
have also been represented by Weber’s management firm, which is based right next to Stuttgart Airport
Stuttgart Airport
Stuttgart Airport is an international airport located approximately south of Stuttgart, Germany....
In 1999 Weber, ever passionate about gastronomy, inaugurated his Restaurant Weber's Gourmet im Turm at the Fernsehturm Stuttgart
Fernsehturm Stuttgart
The Fernsehturm Stuttgart is the world's first TV tower built from concrete ....
but after a couple of years discontinued the project.