Michael Schumacher
.jpg) | |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  German |
| Active years | 1991 – 2006 |
| Teams | Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari |
| Entries | 250 |
| Championships | 7 (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) |
| Wins | 91 |
| Podiums | 154 |
| Pole positions | 68 |
| Fastest laps | 76 |
| First entry | 1991 Belgian Grand Prix |
| First win | 1992 Belgian Grand Prix |
| Last win | 2006 Chinese Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix |
Michael Schumacher (pronounced /[[:Media:De-Michael-Schumacher.ogg|mɪçaeːl ʃumaxɐ]] /, born January 3, 1969, in Hürth Hermülheim, Germany)[1] is a former Formula One driver, and seven-time world champion. According to the official Formula One website, he is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen".[2] He is the first German to win the Formula 1 World championship[3] and is credited with popularising Formula One in Germany.[4] In a 2006 FIA survey, Michael Schumacher was voted the most popular driver among F1 fans.[5]
After winning two championships with Benetton, Schumacher moved to the Ferrari and won five consecutive drivers' titles with them. Schumacher currently holds nearly every record in Formula One, including most drivers' championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, points scored and most races won in a single season. His driving sometimes created controversy, most notably his disqualification from the 1997 championship for causing a collision with Jacques Villeneuve.[6]
Off the track, Schumacher is an ambassador for UNESCO and a spokesman for driver safety. He has also been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts throughout his life.[7]
On September 10 2006, Schumacher announced his retirement as a driver.[8] Schumacher currently assists Scuderia Ferrari CEO Jean Todt for the 2007 Formula One Season.
Early years
Schumacher is the son of Rolf, a bricklayer, and Elisabeth. When Schumacher was four, his father modified the young boy's pedal kart by adding a small motorcycle engine. After the young Schumacher crashed it into a lamp post in Kerpen, his parents took him to the local karting track instead, where he became the youngest member of the karting club. His father soon built him a proper kart from discarded parts and at the age of six Schumacher won his first club championship. To support his son's racing, Rolf Schumacher took on a second job renting and repairing karts at the circuit, while his wife worked at the track's canteen. Despite the extra income, when Schumacher needed a new engine costing DM800 his parents were unable to afford it, but their son was able to continue racing through support offered by several local businessmen.[9]
From 1984, Schumacher won numerous German and European kart championships. By 1987 he was the German and European kart champion, at which point he withdrew from school and began working as a mechanic. In 1988 Schumacher made his first step into single-seat car racing by racing in the German Formula Ford and Formula König series, the second of which he won. For the next two years he competed in the German Formula 3 series, winning the title in 1990. Towards the end of 1990 he joined the Mercedes junior racing programme in the World Sports-Prototype Championship, gaining a victory at the season finale at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in a Sauber-Mercedes C11 and finishing fifth in the drivers' championship. He continued with the team into the 1991 season, winning again at the season finale at Autopolis in Japan with a Sauber-Mercedes-Benz C291, leading to a ninth place finish in the drivers championship. In 1991 he also competed in one race in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship, finishing second.[10]
Formula One career
Schumacher was noted throughout his career for his ability to produce fast laps at crucial moments in a race, to push his car to the very limit for sustained periods. Motor sport author Christopher Hilton observed in 2003 that "A measure of a driver's capabilities is his performance in wet races, because the most delicate car control and sensitivity are needed," and noted that like other great drivers, Schumacher's record in wet races shows very few mistakes: up to the end of the 2003 season, Schumacher won 17 of the 30 wet races he contested.[11] Some of Schumacher's best performances occurred in such conditions, earning him the title "Regenkönig" (rain king) or "Regenmeister" (rain master).[12] He is also known as "the Red Baron", due to his red Ferrari and in reference to the German Manfred von Richthofen, the famous flying ace of World War I. Schumacher's nicknames also include "Schumi",[13] "Schuey"[14] and "Schu".[15]
Schumacher is credited with popularising Formula One in Germany, where it was formerly considered a fringe sport.[4] In 2006, three of the top ten drivers were German, more than any other nationality and more than have ever been present in Formula One history. Younger German drivers, such as Sebastian Vettel, feel Schumacher was key in their becoming Formula One drivers.[16]
In the latter part of his Formula One career, and as one of the senior drivers, Schumacher was the president of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.
Debut
Schumacher made his Formula One debut with the Jordan-Ford team at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix as a replacement for the imprisoned Bertrand Gachot. Schumacher, still a contracted Mercedes driver, was signed by Eddie Jordan after Mercedes paid Jordan $150,000 for his debut.[17] The week before the race, Schumacher impressed Jordan designer Gary Anderson and team manager Trevor Foster at a Silverstone test. His manager Willi Weber assured Jordan that though Schumacher had only seen the challenging Spa track as a spectator, he knew it well. During the race weekend, teammate Andrea de Cesaris was meant to show Schumacher the circuit but was held up with contract negotiations. Schumacher then learned the track on his own, by cycling around the track on a fold-up bike he had brought with him.[18] He impressed the paddock by qualifying seventh in this race, his first competition in a Formula One car. This matched the team's season-best grid position, and out-qualified 11-year veteran de Cesaris. Schumacher retired on the first lap of the race with clutch problems.[19] In 2006 Eddie Jordan would state that when Schumacher first drove the car, there was "absolutely no doubt that... [Schumacher] was miles ahead" of Ayrton Senna, who had driven for Jordan at the Macau Grand Prix in 1983.[20]
Benetton years
1991-1993
After his debut, Schumacher 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.[21] Schumacher finished the 1991 season with four points in six races. His best result was a fifth place finish in his second race, the Italian Grand Prix, in which he also outpaced his teammate and three-time World Champion Nelson Piquet.
Schumacher then claimed his first podium in the 1992 Mexican Grand Prix. His first victory came at the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix, at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, which would become his favourite track.[1] He finished third in the Drivers' Championship in 1992 with 53 points, only 3 points behind runner-up Riccardo Patrese.
In 1993, Benetton was not fully competitive. Their cars could not match the more advanced and powerful Williams of Hill and Prost, nor had they the "electronic trickery" found in Ayrton Senna's McLaren.[22] Further, for the first part of the season, the team's cars lacked the traction control used by other top teams.[23] Nonetheless, Schumacher won one race, the Portuguese Grand Prix, but retired in seven of the other 15 races. He finished the season in fourth, with 52 points.
1994 − 1995
In 1994, Schumacher won his first Drivers' World Championship. The season, however, was a controversial one, marred by allegations of cheating and the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger during the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.
Schumacher started the season strongly, winning six of the first seven races. The Benetton team, among others, was investigated on suspicion of breaking the FIA-imposed ban on electronic aids. During an investigation, the FIA discovered illegal software in the Benetton and other teams' cars, but found no evidence that it had been used in a race. These teams received little or no punishment.[24] At the British Grand Prix, Schumacher was penalised for overtaking on the formation lap.[25] 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, a measure used after the accidents at Imola to limit downforce and hence cornering speed.[26] Benetton protested that the skidblock had been damaged when Schumacher spun over a curb, 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 and Hill collided, both drivers taken out of the race. Schumacher thus became the first German to win the Formula One world championship.[3]
In 1995 he successfully defended his title with Benetton.[27] He accumulated 33 more points than second-placed Damon Hill. With teammate Johnny Herbert, he took Benetton to its first Constructors' Championship and became the youngest two-time world champion in Formula One history. In 2006, Fernando Alonso bettered that record.
Schumacher won 9 out of the 17 races, and finished on the podium 11 times. Only once did he qualify worse than fourth; at the 1995 Belgian Grand Prix, he qualified 16th, but went on to win the race.[28] After Schumacher left Benetton, the team would win only one more race before being bought by Renault in 2000.
Ferrari years
For 1996, Schumacher signed with Ferrari, a team which had last won the Drivers' Championship with Jody Scheckter in 1979. By 1996, Ferrari was considered to have inferior technology and crews compared to front-running teams such as Benetton and Williams. Since that last championship win, various Ferrari drivers, notably Alain Prost, had given the vehicles labels such as "truck", "pig", and "accident waiting to happen".[29] The poor performance of the Ferrari pit crews was considered a running joke.[4]
Schumacher, along with Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne and Jean Todt, has been credited as turning this once struggling team into the most successful team in Formula One history.[30] Three-time World Champion Jackie Stewart believes the transformation of the Ferrari team was Schumacher's greatest feat.[31]
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. However, the team's reliability troubles continued: Schumacher did not finish 6 of the 16 races. In the French Grand Prix Schumacher qualified on the pole position, but suffered engine failure on the race's formation lap.[32]
Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve vied for the title in 1997. In the first part of the season, Villeneuve held the advantage, driving the superior FW19.[33] However, by mid-season, Schumacher led the Championship, winning five races, and entered the season's final Grand Prix with a one-point advantage. During the race, held at Jerez, Schumacher and Villeneuve collided as Villeneuve attempted to overtake. Schumacher retired from the race and Villeneuve scored four points to take the championship. Schumacher was held to be at fault for the collision and was disqualified from the Drivers' Championship.[34]
In 1998, Finnish driver Mika Häkkinen joined the list of Schumacher's rivals. Häkkinen won the first two races of the season, gaining a 16 point advantage over Schumacher. But by the 14th of 16 races, Schumacher equaled the Finn with 80 points, having won six times. The final two races were won by Häkkinen, denying Schumacher another championship.
Schumacher's efforts helped Ferrari win the Constructors title in 1999. His hopes for the Drivers' Championship were dashed, however, at the British Grand Prix: At the high-speed Stowe Corner, his car's rear brake failed, sending him off the track and resulting in a broken leg.[35] After missing six races, he made his return at the inaugural Malaysian Grand Prix, qualifying in the pole position by almost a second. He then assumed the role of second driver, assisting team mate Eddie Irvine's bid to win the Drivers' Championship for Ferrari. In the last race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix, Häkkinen won his second consecutive title. Schumacher would later say that Häkkinen was the opponent he respected the most.[36]
2000-2002
Schumacher won his third World Championship in 2000 after a year-long battle with Häkkinen. Schumacher won the first three races of the season and five of the first eight. Mid-way through the year, Schumacher's chances suffered with three consecutive non-finishes, allowing Häkkinen to close the gap in the standings. Häkkinen then took another two victories, before Schumacher won at the Italian Grand Prix. At the post race press conference, when asked about his feelings on equaling the number of wins (41) won by his idol, Ayrton Senna, Schumacher broke into tears.[37] The championship fight came down to the race in Japan. Starting from pole position, Schumacher had the early lead, but soon lost it to Häkkinen. After his second pit-stop, however, Schumacher came out ahead of Häkkinen 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 of brothers; and the Belgian Grand Prix in which Schumacher scored his 52nd career win, breaking Alain Prost's record for most career wins.[38]
In 2002, a dominant year, Schumacher used the Ferrari F2002 to retain his Drivers' Championship. In doing so he equaled the record set by Juan Manuel Fangio of five 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 eleven and finishing every race on the podium. He finished with 144 points, 60 ahead of runner-up teammate Rubens Barrichello. This tandem 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 Mercedes and Williams BMW. In the first race, Schumacher ran off track, and in the following two, was involved in collisions.[39][40][41] He fell 13 points behind Kimi Räikkönen. Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix and the next two races, and closed within two points of Räikkönen. Aside from Schumacher's victory in Canada, and Barrichello's victory in Britain, the mid-season was dominated by Williams drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, who each claimed two victories. After the Hungarian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher led Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Räikkönen by only one and two points, respectively. Ahead of the next race, the FIA declared illegal the front tyre design used by Michelin, supplier to Williams and McLaren among others.[42] Michelin had to rapidly redesign their tyres before the Italian Grand Prix. Schumacher, running on Bridgestone tyres, won the next two races. After Montoya was penalized in the United States Grand Prix, only Schumacher 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. By finishing the race in eighth place, Schumacher took one point and assured his sixth World Drivers' title, ending the season 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 finished that season with a record 148 points, 34 points ahead of the runner-up, teammate Rubens Barrichello, and set a new record of 13 race wins out of a possible 18, surpassing his previous best of 11 wins from the 2002 season.
2005 − 2006
2006 became the last season of Schumacher's racing career. After three races, Schumacher had 11 points and was already 17 points behind Alonso. He won the following two races, his first wins in 18 months, not including the boycottted 2005 United States Grand Prix. By the Canadian Grand Prix, the ninth race of the season, he was 25 points behind Alonso, and the three wins that followed helped him reduce his disadvantage to 11. After his victories in Italy and China, in both of which Alonso was plagued by mechanical failures, Schumacher led in the championship standings for the first time during the season. Although he and Alonso had the same point total, Schumacher was in front because he had won more races.
The Japanese Grand Prix was led by Schumacher with only 16 laps to go, when for the first time since 2000 in Magnycours, France, Schumacher suffered engine failure. Alonso won the race and now led the championship standings by 10 points. With only one race left in the season, Schumacher could only win the championship if in that race he won and if Alonso did not manage to score a single point.
Before the Brazilian Grand Prix, the last race of his career, Schumacher conceded the title to Alonso.[47] In pre-race ceremonies, football legend Pelé presented an award to Schumacher for his years of dedication to F1. During the race's qualifying session, Schumacher had the best time of all drivers through the first two sessions; but a fuel pressure problem prevented him from completing a single lap during the third session, forcing him to start the race in tenth position. Early in the race Schumacher pushed forward to the sixth position. However, in overtaking Alonso's teammate, Giancarlo Fisichella, Schumacher experienced a tyre puncture caused by the front wing of Fisichella's car.[48] Schumacher pitted and consequently fell to 19th place, 70 seconds behind teammate and race leader Felipe Massa. Schumacher recovered and overtook both Fisichella and Räikkönen to secure 4th place. His performance was classified in the press as "heroic",[49] an "utterly breath-taking drive",[50] and a "performance that ... sums up his career".[51]
Retirement
While Schumacher was on the podium after winning the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari issued a press release stating that he would retire from racing at the end of the 2006 season.[52] Schumacher confirmed his retirement in the post-race press conference[8]. The press release also stated that Schumacher would continue working for Ferrari. It was revealed on 29 October 2006 that Ferrari wanted Schumacher to act as assistant to the newly appointed CEO Jean Todt.[53] This would involve selecting the team's future drivers. After Schumacher's announcement, leading F1 figures such as Niki Lauda and David Coulthard hailed Schumacher as the greatest all-round racing driver in the history of Formula 1.[54] The tifosi and the Italian press, who did not always take to Schumacher's relatively cold public persona, displayed an affectionate response after he announced his retirement.[55]
In December 2006, BusinessF1 magazine claimed Scuderia Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo pushed for Schumacher's ousting.
Awards and honours
Michael Schumacher won the coveted Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award in 2002 and 2004 for his outstanding performance in the 2001 and 2003 seasons respectively. In its 7-year history, no-one has been nominated more times than Schumacher, who also received nominations for the 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 awards.[56]
In 2006, he was awarded an FIA Gold Medal for Motor Sport in recognition of his contribution to Formula One racing.[57]
In 2007, the Nurburgring will rename one of its corners to honour Schumacher.[58] Furthermore, the Swiss Football Association appointed Schumacher as the Swiss ambassador for the 2008 European football championship.[59]
Helmet
Schumacher's helmet sports the colours of the German flag and his sponsor's decals. On the top is a blue circle with white astroids. After Schumacher joined Ferrari, a prancing horse was added on the back. In 2000 in order to differentiate his colours from new teammate Rubens Barrichello, Schumacher changed the upper blue colour and some of the white areas to red.[62] In his final Grand Prix race, Schumacher wore a special helmet that included the names of his ninety-one Grand Prix victories.[63]
Controversies and criticism
During his long career Schumacher has been involved in several incidents which caused considerable controversy. Schumacher has been vilified in the British media for his involvement in title-deciding collisions in 1994 and 1997.[64] German and Italian newspapers also widely condemned his actions in 1997.[65]
Championship deciding collisions
Going into the 1994 Australian Grand Prix, the final race of the 1994 season, Schumacher led Damon Hill by a single point in the Drivers' Championship. Schumacher led the race from the beginning with Hill closely following him. On lap 35, Schumacher went off track, hitting a wall with his right side wheels.[66] It is unknown whether Schumacher's car was damaged. He returned to the track at reduced speed but still leading the race. At the next corner, when Hill attempted a pass on the inside while Schumacher was turning into the corner, Schumacher and Hill collided. Schumacher's car was tipped up onto two wheels and eliminated on the spot. Hill pitted immediately and retired from the race with unrepairable damage. As neither driver scored, Schumacher took the title. British author Alan Henry claims Schumacher was blamed by "many F1 insiders" for the incident.[67] The race stewards judged it a racing accident and took no action against either driver.
At the 1997 European Grand Prix at Jerez, the last race of the season, Schumacher led Jacques Villeneuve by one point in the Drivers' Championship. Although Schumacher and Villeneuve had set the same time during qualifying, the Canadian driver started the race in pole position due to his being the first to set the time. By the first corner of the race, Schumacher was ahead of Villeneuve. On lap 48, Villeneuve tried to overtake Schumacher at the Dry Sac Corner. Schumacher turned into Villeneuve, the right-front wheel of Schumacher's Ferrari hitting the left sidepod of Villeneuve's Williams. Schumacher retired from the race immediately while Villeneuve was able to finish the race in the third place, taking four points and so becoming the World Champion.[66]
Two weeks after the race, Schumacher was excluded from the results for the season after a FIA disciplinary hearing disqualified him, finding that his "manoeuvre was an instinctive reaction and although deliberate not made with malice or premeditation. It was a serious error."[34] This made him the only driver in the history of the sport to be disqualified from a World Championship. Schumacher accepted the decision[68] and admitted having made a mistake.[65]
Other incidents
Two laps from the finish of the 1998 British Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher was leading the race when he was issued a stop-and-go penalty for passing another driver under the safety car period. This penalty involves going into the pit lane and stopping for 10 seconds. But as the penalty was given with fewer than 12 laps remaining, and since it was issued as a handwritten note, the Ferrari team was confused as to whether the penalty was a stop and go penalty or merely a penalty of 10 seconds to be added to Schumacher's race time. On the last lap, Schumacher turned into the pit lane, crossed the start finish line and only then stopped in his pit for ten seconds. Although there was initially some doubt about whether this met the requirements of the penalty, Schumacher's win stood.[69]
Historically, team orders had always been permitted in Formula One. During Schumacher's tenure at Ferrari, the team often employed team orders to benefit one of their drivers over the other. Usually Schumacher, as team leader, benefited. The notable exception came in the 1999 season in which he played a supporting role for Eddie Irvine after missing part of the season with a broken leg. However, at the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, Schumacher's teammate, Rubens Barrichello, took pole and led the race from the start. In the final metres of the race, the Brazilian driver, under orders from Ferrari, slowed his car to make way for Schumacher to pass and win the race.[70] This angered fans who were watching the race. At the podium ceremony, Schumacher pushed Barrichello onto the top step,[70] and for this disturbance, the Ferrari team incurred a US$1 million fine.[71] Later in the season at the end of the 2002 United States Grand Prix, Schumacher let Barrichello pass in a similar fashion, causing a similar outcry. The FIA subsequently banned "Team orders which interfere with the race result".[72][73]
Although Schumacher took the pole position during the qualifying for the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix, there was controversy near the end of the session. Schumacher stopped his car in the Rascasse corner, partially blocking the circuit, while his main contender for the season title, Fernando Alonso, was on his qualifying lap. Schumacher stated that he simply locked up the wheels going into the corner and that the car then stalled while he attempted to reverse out.[74] Alonso believed he would have been on pole if the incident had not happened.[75] Schumacher was later stripped of pole position by the race stewards and started the race at the back of the grid.[74]
Family and off-track life
Schumacher's brother Ralf is also a Formula One driver.[76][1] In August 1995, Schumacher married Corinna Betsch. They have two children, Gina-Maria (born in 1997) and Mick (born in 1999). Schumacher has always been very protective of his private life[77] and is known to dislike the celebrity spotlight, preferring a simple life. The family, as of 2007, lives in Gland, Switzerland near Lake Geneva. The family will move in 2007 to a new $50M, 7000 ft2 (650 m²) home with its own underground garage and petrol station and with a private beach on Lake Geneva.[78]
In 2005 Eurobusiness magazine identified Schumacher as the world's first billionaire athlete. His 2004 salary was reported to be around $80 million.[79][80] In the 2005 Forbes Celebrity 100, the list of "The World's Most Powerful Celebrities", he was ranked 17th.[81] A significant share of his income came from advertising. For instance, Deutsche Vermögensberatung paid him $8 million over three years from 1999 for wearing a 10 by 8 centimetre advertisement on his post-race cap.[82] The deal was extended until 2010.[83]
Schumacher plays football for his local team FC Echichens.[84] He has appeared in several football charity games[85] and organised games between the F1 drivers.[86]
Schumacher donated $10 million for aid after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.[87] His donation surpassed that of any other sports person, most sports leagues, many worldwide corporations and even some countries.[88].
Schumacher is also a special ambassador to UNESCO and has donated 1.5 million Euros to the organization.[89] Additionally, he paid for the construction of a school for poor children and for area improvements in Dakar, Senegal. He supports a hospital for child victims of war in Sarajevo, which specialises in caring for amputees. In Lima, Peru he funded the "Palace for the Poor", a centre for helping homeless street children obtain an education, clothing, food, medical attention, and shelter. He stated his interest in these various efforts was piqued both by his love for children and the fact that these causes had received little attention. While an exact figure for the amount of money he has donated throughout his life is unknown, it is known that in his last four years as a driver, he donated at least $50 million.[7]
Since his participation in a FIA European road safety campaign, as part of his punishment after the collision at the 1997 European Grand Prix, Schumacher has continued to support other campaigns, such as Make Roads Safe, which is led by the FIA Foundation and calls on G8 countries and the UN to recognise global road deaths as a major global health issue.
Schumacher delivered a vocal performance as a Rosso Corsa Ferrari F430 in Disney-Pixar's animated feature film Cars.[90] In early March 2006, it was reported that Schumacher will play a small role in the movie Asterix at the Olympic Games.[91]
Complete Formula One results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
* Schumacher only raced for Jordan in the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix
** Schumacher was disqualified from the 1997 WDC due to dangerous driving in the European Grand Prix, where he caused an avoidable accident with Villeneuve. His points tally would have placed him in second place in that year's standings[34]
Formula One records
As of the end of the 2006 Formula One Season, Michael Schumacher holds the following F1 records:
| Record | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| Titles | ||
| 1 | Championship titles | 7 (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) |
| 2 | Consecutive titles | 5 (2000-2001-2002-2003-2004) |
| 3 | Race victories | 91 |
| 4 | Consecutive wins* | 7 (2004, Europe - Hungary) |
| 5 | Wins with one team | 72 (Ferrari) |
| 6 | Wins at same GP | 8 (France) |
| 7 | Wins at different GPs | 22 |
| 8 | Longest Time between first and last wins | 14 years, 1 month and 2 days |
| 9 | Second places | 43 |
| 10 | Podiums (Top 3) | 154 |
| 11 | Consecutive podium finishes | 19 (US 2001 - Japan 2002) |
| 12 | Points finishes | 190 |
| 13 | Laps leading | 4741 (22,155 km)[92] |
| 14 | Pole positions | 68 |
| 15 | Front row starts | 115 |
| 16 | Fastest laps | 76 |
| 17 | Doubles (Pole and win) | 40 |
| 18 | Perfect Score (Pole, fastest lap and win) | 22 |
| 19 | Championship points | 1,369 |
| 20 | Consecutive race finishes | 24 (Hungary 2001 - Malaysia 2003) |
| 21 | Points in a season for vice-champion | 121 (From 180) |
| 22 | Wins in a season for vice-champion* | 7 |
| 23 | Races for same car and engine builder | 180 (Ferrari)[citation needed] |
| 24 | Wins at Indy (Any racing class) | 5 |
| 25 | Wins at Monza (Any racing class) | 5 |
| 26 | Wins in a season | 13 (2004) |
| 27 | Fastest laps in a season* | 10 (2004) |
| 28 | Points scored in a season | 148 (2004) |
| 29 | Podium finishes in a season | 17 (2002) |
| 30 | Championship won with most races left | 6 (2002) |
| 31 | Consecutive years with a win | 15 |
* Record shared with other driver
Books
- Christopher Hilton: Michael Schumacher : The Whole Story, Haynes Group 2006 ISBN 1-844250-08-3
External links
- Michael Schumacher's official website
- Formula1.com Profile
- Career statistics
- Michael Schumacher Profile and Statistics on F1db
- Michael Schumacher career statistics
- News Articles about Michael Schumacher
References and notes
- ^ a b c "Hall of Fame - World Champions: Michael Schumacher". The Official Formula 1 Website. 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-05.
- ^ "Michael Schumacher - the end of an era". The Official Formula 1 Website. 2006-09-10. Retrieved 2006-10-24.
- ^ a b Jochen Rindt, who was born in Germany, also won the Formula 1 World Championship, but he raced under the Austrian flag.
- ^ a b c Sapa (2006-09-11). "The greatest driver of all time". SuperWheels. Retrieved 2006-10-24. Cite error: The named reference "superwheels"" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Schumacher tops F1 supporter poll". BBC Sport. 2006-09-27. Retrieved 2006-10-25.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (2006-05-28). "Schumacher's chequered history". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2006-11-08.
- ^ a b Duff, Alex (2006-09-10). "Schumacher, Seven-Time Champion, to Quit Formula One (Update1)". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2007-01-18.
- ^ a b "It's official: Schumi to retire". itv.com/f1. 2006-09-11. Retrieved 2006-10-24.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ Collings, Timothy (2005). Team Schumacher. Highdown. pp. pp.35-37. ISBN 1-905156-03-0.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Domenjoz, Luc. Michael Schumacher : Rise of a genius. Parragon. pp. pp.10-12, 170–171. ISBN 0-75259-228-9.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ Hilton, Christopher (2003). Michael Schumacher : The greatest of all. Haynes. pp. pp.131-132. ISBN 1-84425-044-X.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) Hilton has defined a wet race as "all races where it rained — even if that was a shower." - ^ "Schumacher races to victory". BBC Sport. 2001-03-18. Retrieved 2006-10-24.
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