Michael Schumacher

Date of Birth: 3rd January 1969
Nationality: German
Place of Birth: Hürth-Hermülheim, Germany
Height: 1.74m
Weight: 68kg
Residency: Vufflens-le-Château, Switzerland
Status: Married to Corinna Betsch since Tuesday 1st August 1995
Children: Gina-Maria, daughter (DOB 19/01/97) and son Mick (DOB 22/03/99).
Family: Rolf, Father, Elizabeth, Mother and Ralf, Brother (DOB 30/6/75).

Michael Schumacher was born on the third of January 1969 to Rolf and Elisabeth Schumacher. The family move to the town of Kerpin-Manheim, a working class town near Cologne, Germany. It was there that the family became involved with karting. Michael, only four at the time was given a kart powered by an old lawn-mower engine by his father. From so humble a beginning was a World Champion's career launched. Karting became a family obsession fed by the resourcefulness of the elder Schumacher and the spirit of young Michael. Rolf Schumacher's mechanical ability led him to work part-time repairing other go-karts at the local track. In 1980 he traveled to Nivelles, Belgium for the World Karting Championship and saw a driver that impressed him deeply, that driver was Ayrton Senna. Michael was soon making a name for himself and in 1984 he won the German Junior Championship. The European championship came his way in 1987.

The path to car racing started with Formula Ford or Formula Koenig as it was known in Germany. To compete at this level Schumacher would need sponsors and lucky for him several sponsors including Jurgen Dik had noticed the young German.His first full year competing in the series saw him win nine out of ten rounds. Willie Weber, his future manager, was running his own Formula Three team and gave Michael a test in one of his cars. After seven or eight laps he was setting times 1 1/2 seconds faster than Webber's regular driver. Schumacher's first year in Formula Three saw him competing against future Formula 1 drivers, Karl Wendlinger and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Wendlinger eventually nosed out his compatriots for the title. The next year was all Schumacher. Instead of graduating to Formula 3000 Webber placed his young protégé in the Mercedes junior team driving a sports car for Sauber along with his former Formula Three rivals.   Under the watchful eyes of Jochen Neerspasch and Jochen Mass he was schooled in the art of race car driving.  During this period Schumacher learned much of what would later become his trademark smooth style.

Opportunity arrived when Jordan's Formula One drive Bertrand Gachot found himself in jail and Schumacher was given a test with the Irish team.His times were a revelation and he was quickly signed or so it was thought. Jordan wanted to sign the young driver to a three year contract but Schumacher's advisors urged caution. Eventually a temporary deal was done and the rest as the saying goes is history. He made a brilliant debut at Spa in Belgium in a Jordan, where he qualified 7th ahead of his more experienced teammate. After some legal wrangling that was only recently resolved he finished the year at Benetton. The next year he won his first race at Spa. Showing signs of brilliance his time would come in the black year of 1994 when he became World Champion. In 1995 after a hard and sometimes controversial battle with Damon Hill he became the youngest double champion. 1996 saw him move to Ferrari and marked the start of his biggest challenge.

Due to the tragic death of Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher stands preeminent in Formula 1. The apparent lack of any real challengers to his supremacy should not be held against this very talented driver. Is Michael Schumacher one of the very best? Only time will tell just as assuredly there will arise a contender to his throne. How he reacts to this will define his career.

After his debut, he was signed by Benetton-Ford for the following race. Although Jordan had an agreement in principle with Schumacher's Mercedes management for the remainder of the season, they had not yet signed a contract. Jordan challenged Benetton in the UK courts, but lost the case. Schumacher finished the 1991 season with four points in six races.

Schumacher became known as an up-and-coming driver in F1 as he claimed his maiden victory in the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, which would become his favourite track. He finished third in the Drivers' Championship in 1992 with 53 points, three behind the runner-up Riccardo Patrese.

Benetton was not fully competitive in 1993 with the more advanced and powerful Willims of Hill and Prost or the "loads of electronic trickery" found in the McLaren of Senna. For the first part of the season the team also lacked the traction control used by other top teams. Schumacher won one race, the Portuguese Grand Prix and retired in seven of the other 15 races. He finished the season in fourth, with 52 points.

1994 − 1995

Schumacher won his first Drivers' World Championship in 1994 while driving for Benetton in a controversial season marred by allegations of cheating and the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.

Schumacher started the season strongly, winning six of the first seven races. His Benetton team, among others, was investigated on suspicion of breaking the FIA-imposed ban on electronic aids. On investigation, the FIA discovered illegal software in the Benetton and other teams' cars, but no evidence that it had been used in a race. The teams investigated received little to no punishment.[22]

At the British Grand Prix, Schumacher was penalised for overtaking on the formation lap. He then ignored the penalty and the subsequent black flag during the race, for which he was disqualified and later given a two-race ban. Benetton blamed the fiasco on a communication error between the stewards and the team. Schumacher was also disqualified after winning the Belgian Grand Prix after his car was found to have illegal wear on its skidblock.[24] Benetton protested that the skidblock had been damaged when Schumacher spun over a kerb, but the FIA rejected their appeal. These incidents helped Damon Hill close the points gap. Leading by a single point going into the final race in Australia, Schumacher won first World Champio

nship after colliding with Hill in a controversial incident, taking out both drivers. Schumacher became the first German to win the Formula One world championship.

In 1995, Schumacher stayed with Benetton. He successfully defended his title, accumulating 33 more points than second-placed Damon Hill, despite Hill having the superior vehicle. With team-mate Johnny Herbert, he took Benetton to its first Constructors' Championship. He became the youngest double world champion in Formula One history, until Fernando Alonso beat the record in 2006.

During these two championship seasons, the Benetton was not the best car in the field; Nonetheless Schumacher won 17 out of the 31 races and finished on the podium 21 times. Only once did he qualify worse than fourth, at the 1995 Belgian Grand Prix, where he qualified 16th, but went on to win the race. After Schumacher left, Benetton would only win one more race before it was bought by Renault in 2000.

Ferrari years

In 1996, Schumacher signed with Ferrari, then considered technologically and organisationally inferior to front running teams such as Benetton and Williams. Ferrari had not won the Drivers' Championship since Jody Scheckter in 1979. Various Ferraris since then had been labelled "a truck", "a pig", and "an accident waiting to happen" by their drivers, notably Alain Prost. The poor performance of the Ferrari pit crews was considered a running joke. Schumacher is often credited along with Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne and Jean Todt with turning this once struggling team into the most successful team in Formula One history. Triple World Champion Jackie Stewart believes the transformation of the Ferrari team was Schumacher's greatest feat.[7]

1996 − 1999

In 1996 Schumacher finished third in the Drivers' Championship. He won three races, more than the team's total tally for the period from 1991 to 1995. The team's reliability troubles continued - Schumacher did not finish six of the 18 races. In the French Grand Prix Schumacher qualified on pole position but suffered an engine failure on the formation lap.[

Schumacher and Villeneuve fought for the title in 1997. In the first part of the season, Villeneuve gained the advantage, driving the superior FW19. However, Schumacher led the Championship through the mid season, winning five races, and entered the last Grand Prix of the season at Jerez with a one point advantage over Villeneuve. During the race Schumacher and Villeneuve collided as the Canadian driver attempted to overtake. Schumacher retired from the race and Villeneuve scored four points to take the championship by three points. Schumacher was held to be at fault and was disqualified from the Drivers' Championship.[31]

Mika Häkkinen joined the list of Schumacher's rivals in 1998. Häkkinen won the first two races of the season, gaining a 16 point advantage over Schumacher. Schumacher won six races during the season, equalling the Finn with 80 points by the 14th of 16 races. Häkkinen won the last two races of the season and became World Champion. After a race-ending collision during the Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher stormed into the MLaren garage and accused Häkkinen's team mate David Coulthard of trying to kill him.[32]

Schumacher's efforts helped Ferrari win the Constructors' title in 1999. His hopes for the Drivers' Championship were dashed at the British Grand Prix, where he broke his leg after a rear brake failure sent him off the circuit at the high speed Stowe Corner. After missing six races, he assumed the role of a second driver, assisting team mate Eddie Irvine's bid to win the Drivers' Championship for Ferrari. Irvine lost the title to Häkkinen in the last race, the Japanese Grand Prix. Schumacher would later say that Häkkinen was the opponent he respected the most.[34]

2000 − 2002

In 2000 Schumacher won his third World Championship after a hard-fought year-long battle with Mika Häkkinen. Schumacher won the first three races of the season, and five of the first eight. Midway through the year, three consecutive non-finishes, included being hit from behind at the first corner in Austria and Germany, allowed Häkkinen to close the gap in the championship standings. Häkkinen took another two victories before Schumacher won at the Italian Grand Prix. At the post race press conference, Schumacher broke into tears when asked about his feelings on equalling his idol Ayrton Senna's record of 41 race wins. The championship fight went down to the penultimate race in Japan. Starting from pole position, Schumacher lost his lead to Häkkinen early in the race. He came out ahead of Häkkinen after his second pit-stop and went on to win the race and the Championship.

In 2001, Schumacher took his fourth drivers' title. Four other drivers won races, but none sustained a season-long challenge for the championship. Schumacher scored a record-tying nine wins and clinched the world championship with four races yet to run. He finished the championship with 123 points, 58 ahead of runner-up Coulthard. Season highlights included the Canadian Grand Prix, where Schumacher finished 2nd to his brother Ralf, thus scoring the first ever 1-2 finish with two brothers and the Belgian Grand Prix where Schumacher scored his 52nd career win, breaking Alain Prost's record for most career wins.

In 2002, a dominant year, Schumacher used the Ferrari F2002 to retain his Drivers' Championship. In doing so he equalled the record set by Juan Manuel Fangio of 5 world championships. Ferrari won 15 out of 17 races and Schumacher won the title with six races remaining in the season. Schumacher also broke Nigel Mansell's and his own record of nine race wins in a season, scoring 11 and finishing every race on the podium. He finished with 144 points, 60 head of runner-up team mate Rubens Barrichello. Schumacher and Barrichello finished 9 of the 17 races in the first two places.

2003 − 2004

Schumacher broke Juan Manuel Fangio's record for championship wins by winning the drivers' title for the sixth time in 2003, a closely contested season. The biggest competition came once again from the McLaren and BMW Williams. Schumacher ran off track in the first race and was involved in collisions in the following two and fell 13 points behind Kimi Räikkönen. Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix and the next two races to close within two points of Räikkönen. Aside from a victory in Canada, and Barrichello's victory in Britain, the mid-season was dominated by the Williams of Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya who each claimed two victories.

fter the Hungarian Grand Prix Schumacher led Montoya and Räikkönen by only one and two points respectively. Schumacher took two more decisive wins and after Montoya was penalized in the United States, only he and Räikkönen remained in contention for the title. At the final round, the Japanese Grand Prix, Schumacher needed only one point whilst Räikkönen needed to win. The German driver took a single point for eighth place and won his sixth World Drivers' title, finishing two points ahead of Räikkönen.

In 2004, Schumacher won a record twelve of the first thirteen races of the season, only failing to finish in Monaco after an accident with Juan Pablo Montoya during the safety car period. He clinched a record seventh drivers' title at the Belgian Grand Prix. He would finish this season with a record 148 points, 34 points ahead of the runner-up, his team mate Rubens Barrichello, and a new record of 13 race wins out of 18 that season, surpassing his previous best of 11 in the 2002 season.

2005 − 2006
In 2005 Schumacher's sole win was at the United States Grand Prix, a race contested by only six cars due to safety concerns about the Michelin tyres used by most teams. Over the season, Ferrari's Bridgestone tyres worked less well than their Michelin counterparts under new rules requiring tyres to last the whole race. According to the Associated Press, the rule changes were intended to end the domination of Ferrari and Schumacher.

Less than half-way through the season, Schumacher said "I don't think I can count myself in this battle any more. It was like trying to fight with a blunted weapon.(...) If your weapons are weak you don't have a chance." The most notable moments of the season for Schumacher was his battle with Fernando Alonso in San Marino, where he qualified 14th and ended in second, only 0.2 seconds behind the Spanish driver.[41]Schumacher retired in six of the 19 races. He finished the season in third with 62 points, less than half the points of the champion Fernando Alonso.

2006 would become the last season of Schumacher's racing career. Although he did better than in 2005, it still wasn't enough and he lost the title to Fernando Alonso in the last race of the season. After three races, he had 11 points and was already 17 points behind Alonso. He won the two following races, which were his first wins in 18 months barring the boycott-marred 2005 United States Grand Prix. His pole position at San Marino was his 66th, breaking Ayrton Senna's 12 year old record. By the Canadian Grand Prix, the ninth race of the season he was 25 points behind Alonso, but the three wins that followed helped him reduce his disadvantage to 11. After two races where his advantage was increased by one point, the victories in Italy and China made him the leader of the championship for the only time during the season. Although he and Alonso had the same points, Schumacher was in front because he had won more races. A series of misfortunes and problems would come and make him lose the title.

The Japanese Grand Prix saw Schumacher retiring after his first engine failure in five years with only 16 laps to go. Alonso, who was behind him, would go on to win the race and almost the Championship, by getting a 10 point advantage before the last race of the season. The only way Schumacher could win the championship was if he won the race and if Alonso didn't manage to score a single point. Schumacher himself conceded the title to Alonso after the race.[42]

In the last race, the Brazilian Grand Prix, Schumacher finished fourth. Before the race he was awarded a trophy by football legend Pelé for his years of dedication to F1. During the qualifying session, he managed to get the best time of all drivers in the first two sessions, but a fuel pressure problem prevented him from completing a single lap during the third part, forcing him to start tenth. Schumacher managed to push forward early to the 6th Position. However, after overtaking Giancarlo Fisichella, teammate of Fernando Alonso, on lap 9, Schumacher experienced a puncture ca