Michael Schumacher: Formula 1 Great
The life and times of F1 great, Michael Schumacher
Lewis Hamilton set a few new records in 2020, some of which were thought never to be surpassed. One of them was Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 Grand Prix wins, a world record for most Grand Prix victories in the history of the sport.
Therefore, in this week’s Formula 1 Legends series our lead F1 writer, Domagoj Vlahinic remembers the great Michael Schumacher, seven-time Formula 1 World Champion, and his most memorable on-track moments.
Schumacher’s early life and career
Michael Schumacher was born on 3 January 1969 in Hürth*, Germany, close by to the city of Cologne (Köln) and some small 90 kilometres away from the famous Nürburgring circuit.
Michael’s first love in racing was karting. He joined his local karting club when he was just four years old and won the first championship when he was six. To keep their son’s ambition alive, Michael’s father got a second job and his mother started to work at the circuit. However, they were only able to support him up to a certain degree, before he had to turn to local businessmen for help.
He got his first karting license in Luxembourg when he was 12 because he couldn’t do it in Germany before he was 14. In the next few years, Michael Schumacher won numerous German and European karting awards and championships, before eventually finding his way into single-seater German Formula Ford and Formula König series. In 1989, Schumacher made it to Formula 3 with WTS Racing and finished 3rd overall in German Formula 3 championship. The following year, Michael won the German Formula 3 championship, including the prestigious Macau Grand Prix where his rivalry with Mika Häkkinen kicked off.
Instead of going into Formula 3000 like most of his rivals, Schumacher joined the Mercedes junior racing program in the World Sports-Prototype Championship where he drove powerful cars in long-distance races. Over there, Schumacher won the season finale races in both seasons he competed (Mexico and Japan) and he also competed in 1990 Le Mans, finishing fifth with his teammates.
*Interestingly, Hürth was home to another Formula 1 driver – Wolfgang von Trips, who had 27 starts in Formula 1, 2 wins (the 1961 Dutch and British Grand Prix), 6 podiums, 1 pole position and 56 career points. von Trips died during the 1961 Italian Grand Prix in Monza after his Ferrari collided with Jim Clark’s Lotus. German driver got thrown out of his car while the car bounced back into the crowd killing 15 spectators. Wolfgang von Trips was leading the Driver’s World Championship at the time of his death.
Michael Schumacher in Formula 1 – Benetton years
Schumacher’s incredible enthusiasm for motor racing came to fruition when he was called in as a replacement for the imprisoned Bertrand Gachot* in Jordan at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix.
Despite finishing his Formula 1 qualifying debut in 7th position, Michael Schumacher had to retire in his debut race due to clutch problems. Although Jordan wanted to sign Michael for the remainder of the season, Schumacher was engaged by Benetton-Ford and their team manager Flavio Briatore. Schumacher raced in another 5 races that season, racking up 4 points in the process.
*Gachot ended up in prison for being involved in a road rage incident with a taxi driver in London. He expected a fine but instead got sentenced to 18 months in Brixton prison. His sentence was reduced to 2 months and Gauchot later described prison as “a fantastic human experience”.
Michael Schumacher continued to race for Benetton in the following seasons and didn’t have to wait too long for his maiden win. After finishing on 5 podiums and three more times in points, Michael Schumacher won the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix, finishing 36 seconds ahead of Nigel Mansell and some of the biggest Formula 1 names in history, including Senna, Brundle and Patrese.
By the end of the season, Schumacher grabbed another two podiums and finished third in the World Drivers’ Championship.
Looking in retrospect, the 1993 season was just a warm-up for what was about to come. Alain Prost was untouchable in the 1993 season, but Schumacher finished on the podium on every race he finished that season – 9 times, grabbing a win at the Portuguese Grand Prix. Nevertheless, he couldn’t climb higher than 4th in the overall standings.
The 1994 season was a momentous one for many reasons. One of them was the death of Ayrton Senna, another was that it was Michael Schumacher’s first World Champion title.
Michael was dominant from the start of 1994, running very fast in his Ford-powered Benetton and grabbing 6 wins and One 2nd place before eventually being disqualified in round 8 of the season. Schumacher made it to another 2 victories that season and 1 more second place, but also not starting, retiring or getting disqualified on 4 races in the second part of the season.
This meant that Damon Hill, driving in Williams-Renault at the time, managed to get only 1 championship point behind Michael Schumacher before the last race of the season in Adelaide, Australia. Although deemed as a racing incident at the time, Schumacher was blamed by many Formula 1 pundits and Damon Hill later on, for causing a collision which put both drivers out of the race, thus effectively handing the World Drivers’ Championship title into Schumacher’s hands. His first one!
If there was any doubt in 1994 season, there was absolutely none in the 1995 season. Benetton switched from Ford’s engine to Renault’s. That brought Michael Schumacher 9 Grand Prix victories and 2 more podiums, including his maiden victory in Monte Carlo. Michael was dominant for the entire season and although again retiring in the last race of the season, he lifted his second World Driver’s Championship with 102 championship points, without a contender in sight.
Michael Schumacher’s early Ferrari years
When Michael left for Ferrari in the 1996 season, he took a big part of Benetton’s personnel with him, which meant that Benetton started to decline in performance. Ferrari, on the other hand, was also lacking race pace and Schumacher struggled. By the end of the season, the car became more competitive and Schumacher eventually finished the season with 3 victories and four more podiums. That was enough for a third place in the World Driver’s Championship.
1997 season was another highly controversial year in Formula 1 history. Ferrari and Michael Schumacher were on pace for the entire season, together with Jacques Villeneuve in his Williams-Renault. Schumacher racked up five Grand Prix wins in the process, with another 3 podiums and entered the last race of the season with one point ahead of Jacques Villeneuve in the World Driver’s Championship. And then – the drama.
Very similar to the 1994 finisher, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve battled for the lead in the last race of the season in the European Grand Prix held in Jerez, when a collision happened between the two drivers, putting Schumacher out of the race. Villeneuve managed to finished third, which was enough for him to surpass Schumacher in the Championship and claim the title.
After the race, FIA attributed the blame for the incident to Schumacher. They way they saw it, Schumacher tried to intentionally put both drivers out of the race, which would hand the title to Schumacher. Therefore, the FIA stripped Schumacher of his Championship standing and disqualified him from the competition.
1998 Formula 1 season was yet another one where Schumacher missed out on the title in a close fashion. Mika Häkkinen in his McLaren took the early lead in the season, although Michael did win 1 race and finished on the podium three more times.
However, in the mid-season, Schumacher racked up 5 Grand Prix victories and managed to put himself level with Mika Häkkinen. In the Luxembourg Grand Prix, second-to-last round of the season, Häkkinen put in a crucial win with Schumacher finishing second, just two seconds ahead of Schumacher who actually won the pole position in the qualifying!
In the last race of the season in Japan, Michal Schumacher got yet another pole and had every chance to win the Championship, but his engine stalled at the start and he suffered puncture later on which made him retire. Häkkinen won the last race and won his first title with McLaren.
After winning at San Marino and Monaco Grand Prix in the 1999 season, Michael Schumacher crashed at the Stowe corner in the 1999 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The crash was due to brake failure, which caused him a broken leg, which effectively put him out of the racing car for a few months.
Schumacher eventually returned two rounds before the end of the season in the Malaysian Grand Prix finishing second, as well as in the last race of the season in Japan. Due to his absence, Michael Schumacher finished the 1999 season on 5th place in the World Driver’s Championship.
Schumacher driving for Ferrari at the British Grand Prix in 2006
The Red Baron
2000 Formula 1 season marked a start of another era. Having fully healed after a broken leg, Michael Schumacher and his Ferrari finally clicked together.
Michael and the Ferrari were dominant from the start of the season, making 3 Grand Prix victories in first 3 races. Despite retiring in four races in five rounds, and Mika Häkkinen getting very close in the World Driver’s Championship, Michael Schumacher and Ferrari showed us a glimpse of that what was to come. At the end of the season, Michael racked up four more victories and finished the season in style as a World Champion for the third time, but first time with Ferrari who finally got their World Champion after 21 years of wait.
The 2001 and 2002 Formula 1 seasons were some of the best ever for Ferrari and Michael Schumacher. He was such a dominant driver in a dominant car that if he finished the race, he would have finished it as a winner or on the podium. Schumacher finished these two seasons as a champion without any contenders in sight as he got almost the double amount of points more than his runner-up – an incredible feat. This also meant that reliable Ferrari engine was clinching Constructor’s titles as well.
Ferrari and Michael Schumacher get some proper competition in 2003 Formula 1 season, though. Young Kimi Räikkönen in McLaren and Juan Pablo Montoya in Williams were very determined to dethrone the Red Baron. For most of the season, all three drivers were in a position to challenge the title.
Schumacher’s Ferrari was very reliable, having to retire only once and mostly in part due to the monsoon conditions that weekend in Brazil. Schumacher managed to rack up five Grand Prix victories that season which was more than enough as Kimi, as his first runner up, only managed to get one. Nevertheless, the run for the Championship was very intense and Kimi Räikkönen could have mathematically won the 2003 season in the last Grand Prix of the season in Japan if Schumacher didn’t win any points and if Kimi won the race. Schumacher finished 8th, and Räikkönen 2nd behind Ruben Barrichello in Ferrari, which meant that Schumacher won his sixth World Driver’s Championship just 2 points ahead of Kimi.
The 2004 Formula 1 season was the last one in which Michael Schumacher became the World Champion, for incredible seventh time in his career. But this season was also testament of just how fast Ferrari and Michael actually were. In 18 races of that season, Michael Schumacher won 13 of them!
His teammate, Rubens Barrichello won two more, meaning that Ferrari did not win on only three races in 2004. Renault, McLaren and Williams all made one victory. Schumacher finished the season with more than 30 points ahead of Rubens Barrichello.
What made Michael Schumacher so special?
The Decline of the Schumacher and Ferrari era
And then, as with every great champion, a period of decline must ensue.
Ferrari’s and Michael’s decline were also hastened by “wrong” choice of tire manufacturer for the 2005 Formula 1 season. As most of their rivals decided on Michelin, Ferrari and few other put their trust in Bridgestone. That proved to be fatal for Ferrari’s hopes of clinching another title as the tires were underperforming for the whole season. Schumacher managed to grab four podiums, including one Grand Prix victory in the USA, but only because all cars driving on Michelin tires were put out of the race due to the security and reliability issues with Michelin tires. Schumacher and Ferrari finished the 2005 season of third place.
The 2006 season was highlighted, more then ever, by Ferrari – Renault rivalry. Renault, having won the last season constructors’ championship and Fernando Alonso then being the youngest F1 champion in history had high hopes of the 2006 season. Only driver able to put a monkey wrench in their plans was Michael Schumacher and his Ferrari.
Despite both drivers managing to get seven Grand Prix victories that year and retiring just two times, it was Fernando Alonso and Renault who emerged victorious in the end of the season. It was a great season which saw Alonso and Schumacher battling it out for the first place in the race on many occasions, but the Red Baron eventually had to forfeit to the young Spaniard and the new generation of drivers that were coming up. At the end of the season, Michael Schumacher announced his retirement from Formula 1.
Setting up a dynasty – Mercedes years
In 2010, Mercedes GP decided to return to the Formula 1 championship. Return, because the team had participated for two seasons in the octane circus in the far 1954 and 1955 seasons. The German team decided on all-German drivers as Nico Rosberg and returning seventh-time champion Michael Schumacher took the driving position in Silver Arrows.
Schumacher turned 41 years old when he re-joined Formula 1 and pundits were interested to see if Michael can keep up with younger drivers of that time. Schumacher and Rosberg signed a three-year contract with the Mercedes team and were crucial in setting up a new record-braking team that would dominate the sport in the following years.
However, Schumacher’s time with the Mercedes was far from dominant. In the course of three seasons in which Schumacher drove for Mercedes after coming back from his retirement, the car itself was not fast and reliable enough. Schumacher finished in the points many times, but many times outside them as well. Car reliability was an issue which saw Schumacher retire much more than he was used to or would have liked. Having his teammate Nico Rosberg finish in all three seasons ahead of him in the World Drivers’ Championship did not help.
However, Schumacher managed to have one notable highlight in his second stint in Formula 1. At the 2012 European Grand Prix held in Valencia, Schumacher finished third, making that the only podium after his return. A series of out of points finishes at the end of that season saw Schumacher retire for his second and last time from Formula 1.
Michael’s Legacy
Most unfortunately, just one year later, Michael Schumacher suffered a terrible head injury while skiing in French Alps. Schumacher was put into a medically induced come because of his brain injuries.
To this day, Michael has not and most probably will not fully recover from those injuries. Latest reports show that he is alive, but his brain injury has left him with severe repercussions to his health and body. His family has urged the press and the public to be left alone as much as possible.
Michael Schumacher’s Formula 1 career spanned from 1991 to 2006 and then from 2010 to 2012 seasons. His Formula 1 worldwide superstar influence is unmeasurable by any standards. Many would argue that his ‘proper’ F1 career stopped after his first retirement, but I personally disagree.
Michael Schumacher was called up for Mercedes as the most experienced driver who was instrumental in development of the Mercedes car. It is safe to say that without his input, Mercedes might not be dominant as they are today.
During his career and especially during his golden era while driving for Ferrari, Schumacher broke a number of records that were thought never to be surpassed by any other driver. As mentioned, some of them were surpassed by Lewis Hamilton, but nevertheless, at the time of writing of this article, Michael Schumacher still holds (or shares) a number of important F1 records.
Michael Schumacher - Notable stats and facts
To name a few. Schumacher still holds the title for most Championship titles – seven. Most notably, he won the most consecutive titles – five! 13 wins in one season is the record highest, Michael achieved that in the 2004 season.
So far, Michael Schumacher still holds the record for the most pole positions and most wins at the same Grand Prix (Pole positions – 8 in Japan, race wins – 8 in France.
He achieved an incredible 15 seasons with at least one victory.
Schumacher shares a record for most podium finishes in a season – 17, but his success coming with fewer total races in that season than his rivals. Michael Schumacher still holds a record for most laps led in Formula 1 – 5.111 laps at the head of the pack.
There are many more records that Michael still holds, but we will finish this record overview with one that depicts just how iconic this duo was. Michael Schumacher still holds the record for most races with a single constructor – 181 with Ferrari.
Michael Schumacher had 306 Formula 1 race starts in his career. In that time, he had 91 Grand Prix victories which is just below 30% of all his career races! He had 155 podiums, which means that he stood on the podium in more than half of the races he entered in his career.
He racked up an impressive 1.566 career points. He put in 68 pole positions and recorded 77 fastest laps in the race. Whatever the outcome…
Keep fighting Michael!
