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For well over a decade, Michael Schumacher has dominated the world of Formula One like a colossus, claiming one record after another. We present here a detailed biography of this truly great driver, undoubtedly the greatest of his generation, as he begins his 16th year in F1.
Michael Schumacher, like many modern day F1 drivers, began racing with karts. His first kart was built by his father, and he drove it at the tender age of four and a half. He received his license to race by the age of twelve and between 1984 and 1987 Michael won several German and European kart championships.
From 1988 to 1990 Michael raced in the Formula Ford series and competed in the German championship, which he won in 1990. Thereafter he joined the Mercedes junior racing programme in the World Endurance Championship and won races at the wheel of a Sauber-Mercedes C291.
His entry into F1 was at Spa-Francorchamps in 1991 as a last minute replacement for Jordan’s regular driver, who had been sent to prison after spraying mace at a taxicab driver! Michael was an unknown entity in both F1 and Formula 3000 and he had never raced at Spa, having gone around the circuit just once and that, too, on a bicycle! But he told Eddie Jordan that he had a lot of experience of the track and convinced the Irishman to give him the drive. His debut was one of the best ever. He qualified 7th well ahead of his teammate, Andrea de Cesaris, who had 11 years in F1 behind him. However, a clutch failure on the very first lap robbed the motor racing world of what may have been the best ever debut in F1. But the world took notice! Eddie Jordan wanted to sign him on immediately but Michael was advised by Willi Weber, his manager, not to do so because Jordan was expected to switch to uncompetitive Yamaha engines. The Benetton-Ford team signed him on for Monza, the very next race, and for the races thereafter. Michael showed his great talent, finishing the year with 3 points finishes and 13th overall – in a year in which Ayrton Senna won the last of his 3 world titles.
In 1992, which was Michael’s first full year in F1, he continued with the Benetton-Ford and notched up his maiden F1 win at Spa, where it had all begun the year before. With that victory and 7 more podium finishes and 53 points, he was 3rd in the championship behind the champion Nigel Mansell and runner up Ricardo Patrese, but ahead of his team mate Martin Brundle who came 6th and triple world champion Ayrton Senna, who was 4th.
He was still with Benetton-Ford in 1993 and, amazingly, was on the podium in all the races he finished – 9 times in all, including a win at Estoril - which got him 52 points in all and ensured that he was 4th in the championship - behind Prost, Senna and Hill.
1994, the year in which Ayrton Senna died, Michael was either 1st or 2nd in all the races he finished. In spite of controversial disqualifications, such as the one at Spa, and bans and Nigel Mansell helping Damon Hill, Michael’s 8 wins at Aida, Imola, Interlagos, Hungaroring, Jerez, Magny-Cours, Monaco and Montreal and 2 runner-up slots ensured Michael his 1st Formula One World Driver’s Championship, albeit by a single point. He also notched up 92 points and the first 6 of his record-equaling 65 pole positions. At 25 Michael also became the youngest driver and the only German to wear the crown. The year also saw the first of the controversies involving Michael – his collision with Damon in Australia.
In 1995, although Benetton changed their engine suppliers - Ford to Renault - Michael kept his winning streak going. With 9 wins – at Aida, Catalunya, Hockenheim, Interlagos, Magny-Cours, Monaco, Nurburgring, Spa and Suzuka - and 102 points, he retained the World Driver’s Championship by a thumping 30 point lead. In the process he became the youngest double world champion in the history of F1 - a record that is yet to be broken.
1996 saw Michael switching to Ferrari. Ferrari had long been F1’s most celebrated team, but it had last won the championship 16 years before - in 1979. Michael’s presence and perhaps the astounding salary of over $2 million per race seemed to wake the team from its slumber and in spite of having a very poor car under him Michael was able to notch up 3 wins – at Catalunya, Monza and Spa. With 59 points he was 3rd in the championships behind champion Damon Hill and runner-up Jacques Villeneuve. His first team mate at Ferrari was Eddie Irvine who was a distant 10th.
In 1997 Michael contended with Jacques Villeneuve for the world title. With 5 wins at Magny-Cours, Monaco, Montreal, Spa and Suzuka, he was very close to winning the title. However, the controversial collision with Jacques at Jerez led to Michael being disqualified for the rest of the season.
1998 saw Mika Hakkinen emerging from the shadow of the controversy at Jerez, where both Jacques Vileneuve and David Coulthard moved over to allow him to take his maiden F1 win. In spite of 6 wins – at Buenos Aires, Hungaroring, Magny-Cours, Montreal, Monza and Silverstone – Michael had to settle for 2nd place in the championship behind Mika Hakkinen. Ferrari, though, claimed a historic 1-2 at Imola that year. The enduring image from the year is Spa, where Michael in blinding rain drove faster than everything on the track in sight, in blinding rain till he collided with David Coulthard - a controversy that hasn’t quite died down.
1999 was the year in which Michael should have won his 1st WDC with Ferrari, but although he notched 2 early wins at Imola and Monaco, his missing 6 races after breaking his leg at Silverstone in a crash caused by brake failure, dropped him out of the title contention. When Michael returned to the track for the final 2 races of the year, he came 2nd in both. He could have easily won at Sepang, but helped Eddie Irvine to win the race and thereby kept the Irishman in the hunt for the championship, which Eddie lost by just 2 points. In spite of being out for almost half the season, he was 5th in the driver’s standings, his lowest placing since 1992. Ferrari, thanks to Michael’s performance, won the world constructor’s championship that year after a gap of 17 years.
Eddie Irvine left Ferrari at the start of the 2000 season and his place was taken by Brazilian driver, Rubens Barrichello. A record equaling 9 wins - at Imola, Indianapolis, Interlagos, Melbourne, Montreal, Monza, Nurburgring, Sepang and Suzuka - ensured Michael the 1st of his world titles with Ferrari and with Rubens coming in 4th, Ferrari was able to retain the constructor’s title.
In 2001 Michael repeated his record equaling 9 wins with victories at Catalunya, Hungaroring, Magny-Cours, Melbourne, Monaco, Nurburgring, Sepang, Spa and Suzuka. He also broke Alain Prost’s record of 51 Grand Prix wins.
2002 was the first year in which Michael was truly dominant. He won a record 11 races – at A1-Ring, Catalunya, Hockenheim, Imola, Interlagos, Magny-Cours, Melbourne, Montreal, Spa, Silverstone and Suzuka and equaled Fangio’s 5 world titles.
By comparison 2003 was a tough one. In spite of winning six races - at the A1-Ring, Catalunya, Imola, Indianapolis, Montreal and Monza – to Kimi Raikkonen’s solitary win at Sepang, with a new points system in place, Michael won the title only by a whisker. A mere 2 points separated him from Kimi at the end of the year, but Michael won his 6th world title and in the process broke Fangio’s record which had stood for 46 years. He also equaled Fangio’s record of winning 4 back to back world titles. However, the chaotic race at Interlagos will be remembered as one of the few in which Michael crashed in rain drenched conditions instead of converting it into a win.
2004 was Michael’s most dominant year. He won 12 of the first 13 races in the calendar losing only at Monaco after a controversial collision with Juan Pablo Montoya in the tunnel. He ended the year with a record 13 wins - at Bahrain, Catalunya, Hockenheim, Hungaroring, Imola, Indianapolis, Magny-Cours, Melbourne, Montreal, Nurburgring, Sepang, Silverstone, and Suzuka. Michael won his 7th world title and with 5 titles on the trot broke Fangio’s record of 4 back to back titles - a record that had stood since 1957. He also gave Ferrari its 6th consecutive constructor’s title.
2005 was Michael’s worst season in 11 years. Although he was the leading runner on Bridgestones, the new tyre rule, which permitted no change of tyres during a race, made Ferrari uncompetitive in comparison to the Renaults and McLarens. Michael won only one race – at Indianapolis, where the Michelin shod runners, fearing that their tyres would not stand up to the demands of the circuit, pulled into the pits after the warm up lap. That victory ensured that Michael’s record of at least one win every year for 14 years - 1992 to 2005 - remained intact. In spite of having an uncompetitive car Michael managed to come 3rd in the world driver’s standings, far ahead of the nearest Bridgestone runner, his team mate Rubens Barichello, who managed only 8th place.
As a driver Michael has no known weakness, though some say that he has occasional lapses of concentration brought about by boredom when running alone at the head of a race! He is awesome in the rain and is rated along with the late Ayrton Senna as the best there has ever been. No other driver trains as hard and no driver has worked harder for the Ferrari team as Michael has. His relationship is exceptional and he is by far the most popular driver the Ferrari team has ever had. In spite of being the oldest driver currently in Formula One, he shows no signs of slowing down - it is still the younger drivers that have to match his pace.
Michael loves spending time with his wife Corinna and children Gina-Marie and Mick at their home in Switzerland, but his heart lies in motor racing for that is where he reigns. His supreme confidence in himself, his intelligence and natural racing brain, which he has honed to the highest degree, enables him to make split second changes while driving on the limit. He has great technical knowledge and his teams have always benefited from his input. He also knows when to push for it and when to ease off and conserve his tyres and his engine. His 84 wins and 69 fastest laps stand testimony to that. His love for racing in all its forms – he still goes karting for the fun of it – his motivation, dedication, incisiveness and determination are what sets him apart from the rest. So few drivers have been able to combine all these qualities.
At 37 Michael Schumacher has no more worlds to conquer, at least not in Formula One. Michael Schumacher holds the record for the most: fastest laps (71), pole positions (66), podium appearances (148), race wins (86) and World Championships (7) among many other various records.
If Michael stays on in F1 till end 2007 he will certainly overhaul Ricardo Patrese’s record of 256 race starts. He has a record 7 hat tricks of victories at the same venue, at – Catalunya 2001-2004, Imola 2002-2004, Indianapolis 2003-2005, Melbourne 2000-2002, Montreal 2002-2004, Spa 1995-1997 and Suzuka 2002-2004 as well as the maximum wins at any circuit – 7 each at Magny-Cours 1994-1995, 1997-1998, 2001-2002 and 2004 and Montreal 1994, 1997-1998, 2000, 2002-2004. He and his younger brother Ralf, who has won 6 races, are the only brothers who have won races in F1.
The 2006 season saw Rubens Barrichello leaving Ferrari to be replaced by yet another Brazilian, the young Felipe Massa. The start has been good with Michael posting a record equaling pole position at the opening race at Bahrain. He led for much of the race distance and was beaten into 2nd place by Fernando Alonso, who managed to get ahead during the pit stops.
At the next race in Malaysia, a problem with pistons required Ferrari to change his engine. Although he qualified 4th, he had to drop 10 places and start 14th on the grid. Michael made progress up the order and managed to come home in 7th place.
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