Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher (pronounced /[[:Media:De-Michael-Schumacher.ogg|mɪçaeːl ʃumaxɐ]] /, (nicknamed Schumi in German) born January 3, 1969, in Hürth Hermülheim, near Cologne) is a German Formula One driver and seven-time Formula One world champion. He is the most successful Formula One driver ever and is considered by many to be the greatest of all time. He holds many Formula One records, including those for most drivers' championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, and most races won in a single season. Schumacher is the only German to have won the drivers' championship. He is also the world's first billionaire athlete, tens of millions of which he has donated to humanitarian causes, such as tsunami and earthquake relief. He announced his retirement as a driver on September 10 2006, and will be replaced at Ferrari by Kimi Räikkönen for the 2007 season.

Schumacher has attracted controversy during his long career in the top flight. The Benetton team was investigated several times in 1994 and 1995 for using illegal technology and Ferrari are regularly accused by the other teams of getting their own way with FIA decisions. His rivals have accused him of being excessively ruthless on the track. Although these accusations have not always been supported by the FIA, he was stripped of his second place in 1997's championship after he was judged to have deliberately driven into title rival Jacques Villeneuve at the final race of the season.

He has been noted throughout his career for his ability to produce fast laps at crucial moments in a race and for his abilities in the wet, earning him the title "Regenmeister" (rain master). As the senior driver in the Formula One world championship, Schumacher has continued to win races up to and including the 2006 season, having won at least one race every season since his first victory in 1992.

Michael Schumacher has also become a committed spokesman for road safety, most recently in support of the Make Roads Safe campaign. At the end of 2006, Ferrari will define Schumacher's new position within the reorganised Ferrari team, following his retirement as a race driver.

Early years

Schumacher began kart racing at the age of four and a half. He used a homemade kart built by his father, Rolf, who managed the local karting track in Kerpen, Schumacher's home town. He obtained his first license and began racing competitively by the age of twelve. Between 1984 and 1987, Schumacher won numerous German and European kart championships, including the Formula Konig Series. In 1988 Schumacher raced in the Formula Ford series and competed in the German Formula 3 series for the next two years, winning the title in 1990. In 1991, he continued his ascent up the racing ladder, joining the Mercedes junior racing programme in the World Endurance Championship, winning races in Mexico City and at Autopolis, at the wheel of a Sauber-Mercedes C291. He also briefly competed in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship and the German Touring Car Championship in the early 1990s.

Formula One debut

Schumacher made his Formula One "debut" with the Jordan-Ford team at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix as a replacement driver for the imprisoned Bertrand Gachot (incarcerated for spraying tear gas in a London taxi-driver's face). Schumacher was signed by Eddie Jordan after he was greatly impressed at a Silverstone test the previous week, and Schumacher assured Jordan that he had vast experience at the challenging Spa circuit, despite the fact that he had only been around the track once—and on a borrowed bicycle. Schumacher impressed the paddock by qualifying seventh in his first competition in an F1 vehicle, matching the team's season-best grid position, and out-qualifying his seasoned team mate, Andrea de Cesaris, an 11-year veteran. He retired on the first lap of the race with clutch problems.

Benetton years

1991-1993

After his impressive debut, he was quickly signed by Benetton-Ford for the next race, and immediately showed great potential. This move angered Jordan who believed Benetton had "stolen" his driver from a binding contract.

Schumacher became known as an up-and-coming driver in F1 as he claimed his maiden victory in the Belgian Grand Prix with Benetton Ford. In 1992 he finished third ahead of triple world champion Ayrton Senna in the final standings.

1993 was a year of great expectations for Benetton and Schumacher. The German won one race at the Portuguese Grand Prix, but was not able to challenge for the World Title as the Benetton machine was not fully competitive with the technically advanced Williams. The year was once again dominated by Williams and only Senna, in a largely inferior McLaren, was able to challenge Alain Prost, who had at his disposal the strongest package in terms of engine, chassis and especially electronics.

1994

Schumacher won his first World Championship in 1994 while driving for Benetton, in an extremely 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. The raw speed of the Benetton was a surprise to the other teams, who levelled allegations of cheating. They claimed Benetton had found a way to violate the FIA-imposed ban on electronic aids, including Traction Control and Launch Control. On investigation, the FIA discovered illegal software on their car (and the cars of several rival teams), but could not prove that it had been used.

After Senna's death, Damon Hill inherited the responsibility of fighting for the championship. Hill struggled to keep pace with the Benetton in his Williams-Renault, but due to several mid-season controversial disqualifications and bans for Schumacher, he began to close the gap in the standings. In the British Grand Prix, Schumacher was penalized 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. Things took a turn for the worse at Spa, where Schumacher was disqualified after winning the race, after his car was found to have illegal wear on its skidblock.

Leading by a single point going into the final race in Australia, Schumacher clinched the title after colliding with Hill in a highly controversial incident, taking both drivers out (see below).

1995

In 1995, Schumacher stayed with Benetton, which had switched to Renault engines. He successfully defended his title, accumulating 33 more points than second-placed Damon Hill. With team-mate Johnny Herbert, he took Benetton to its first Constructors' Championship. He became the youngest double world champion in F1 history.

During these two championship seasons, Schumacher's dominance of Formula One was such that he won 17 out of the 31 races and finished on the podium 21 times. Only once did he qualify worse than fourth, which was at the 1995 Belgian Grand Prix, where he qualified 16th, but went on to win the race .

Ferrari years

In 1996, Schumacher signed a contract with Ferrari, which at the time was a highly risky move, given Ferrari's championship drought (the Italian giants had not won a title since 1979).

1996-1999

In his first year at Ferrari Schumacher finished third in the Drivers' Championship, behind the two Williams drivers. He won races in Spain, Belgium and Italy, the first one in the wet. The worst moment of his season was arguably France, in which he qualified on pole position but suffered an engine failure on the formation lap.

In 1997, he again took the title fight down to the last race, narrowly leading the points for the Drivers' Championship title. Schumacher uncompromisingly crashed into Jacques Villeneuve's Williams Renault after Villeneuve attempted to overtake Schumacher, when the German left the door open under braking into the right-hand 'Dry Sac' hairpin curve at the end of the back-straight of the Jerez circuit. Schumacher ended up on the gravel and out of the race. Villeneuve's badly damaged Williams eventually finished third in the race, thereby winning the Drivers Championship title that year. In a controversial decision by the FIA, Schumacher was disqualified from the World Championship final classification that year, but his results and points were nevertheless kept in the official records.

In 1998, there were tire rule changes in Formula 1 which seemed to favour tire manufacturer Bridgestone over rival manufacturer Goodyear. Early into the season, it was evident that McLaren, who chose to compete with Bridgestone tires that year, had the better car. It was then left to Schumacher to challenge the McLaren domination and the fight for the title continued well into the last race. Schumacher had won six races that year, the most memorable of which was in Hungary, where he pitted three times and had to do a whole stint lapping the circuit at qualifying speed, more than a second faster than anyone else to catch up with the McLaren. He also set the record of being the only driver to win a race from the pit lane which he did in the British Grand Prix. Despite the inferiority of the Ferrari, Schumacher pushed hard all the way until the final race in Japan where, after having secured the pole position, he subsequently stalled his Ferrari on the starting grid and had to restart from the back of the grid. He eventually regained lost ground, only to retire some laps later due to a punctured tire, thereby yielding the title to Mika Häkkinen. Some fans argue that it was not only bad luck that prevented Schumacher from winning the 1998 Drivers' Championship, but also because of Häkkinen's teammate, David Coulthard, whose collision with Schumacher in Belgium, while a lap behind Schumacher, caused the German to retire and lose vital Championship points. This incident caused a great deal of controversy with Schumacher storming into the McLaren garage after retiring and allegedly accusing Coulthard of trying to kill him. This drew criticism, not least because Schumacher had been involved in several other controversial collisions in previous years.

After several rebuilding years, Schumacher's efforts helped Ferrari win the Constructors title in 1999. However, his hopes for another Drivers' Championship were dashed at that year's British Grand Prix, where he broke his leg. A rear brake failure caused him to exit the track on the first lap of the race while facing the high-speed, right-hand 'Stowe' corner, and he crashed heavily into a tire barrier. This accident prevented Schumacher from competing in the next six races. After his return, he assumed the role of a second driver, yielding to his teammate, Eddie Irvine, in order to help his team win a Drivers' Championship title. However, they were once again beaten by Mika Häkkinen in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

2000

In 2000 Schumacher won his third World Championship and more significantly, Ferrari's first since Jody Scheckter in 1979, after a hard-fought year-long battle with Mika Häkkinen. A few races into the 2000 season, Schumacher changed his helmet colours from a white base with a blue top and German flag, to a red base with a red top and German flag. The design and pattern remained the same. This was to avoid confusion between himself and his new team-mate, Rubens Barichello, who had a similar white and blue helmet.

Schumacher won the first 3 races of the season, and 5 of the first 8. Midway through the year, he experienced a run of bad luck, which included being hit from behind at the first corner in two consecutive races. This allowed Häkkinen to overtake Schumacher in the championship standings, but a resounding win at the Italian Grand Prix brought him back on track.

The immense pressure of fighting for the world title showed, when at the post-race press conference at the end of the Italian Grand Prix, Schumacher broke into tears when asked about his feelings on equaling 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, but a combination of strong mid-race pace and excellent Ferrari pit-work ensured that he came out ahead of Häkkinen after his second pit-stop and went on to win the race and the Championship.

2001

Schumacher took his fourth drivers' title in a season that lacked the championship drama that had defined the previous four seasons. David Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher (Michael's younger brother), Mika Häkkinen, and rookie Juan Montoya all won races, but none was able to sustain 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.

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 several on-track battles for the lead with Montoya. At the Belgian Grand Prix Schumacher scored his 52nd career win, thus breaking Alain Prost's record for most career wins.

2002

In a dominant year, Schumacher took his fifth Drivers' title (equaling the record set by Juan Manuel Fangio). Ferrari won 15 out of 17 races and Schumacher wrapped up the title with six races remaining in the season. Schumacher also broke Nigel Mansell's and his own record of 9 race wins for most victories in a season, scoring 11 and finishing every race on the podium.

Again, just Williams' Ralf Schumacher and McLaren Mercedes's Coulthard could take something from Ferrari. Montoya remained someone to battle with, finishing third behind the two Ferraris.

2003

Schumacher broke Fangio's record by winning the Drivers' title for the sixth time in a closely contested season.

The biggest threats once again came from the McLaren Mercedes and BMW Williams F1 teams. His brother Ralf and Juan Pablo Montoya, became regular race contenders and scored some victories. Montoya and Raikkonen became title challengers, but Ferrari reacted from the Italian Grand Prix onwards and gained two more decisive wins. After Montoya was penalized in the US GP he was out of the title contention; leaving the title fight between Kimi Räikkönen and Schumacher. Räikkönen performed strongly and consistently all year, in an inferior car, benefitting from the newest points system and giving Schumacher a challenge all the way to the final round. Schumacher took his hotly contested sixth World Driving Title, barely clinching it at the final round in Suzuka, finishing a mere two points ahead of his rival, although he had just a single victory to his credit compared to Schumacher's six.

2004

Schumacher at Indianapolis in 2004

Schumacher won a record twelve of the first thirteen races of the season, only failing to finish in Monaco after a controversial accident with Juan Pablo Montoya under the safety car period. He clinched a record seventh drivers title at the Belgian Grand Prix. Bridgestone had been the key as the tire was superior to Michelin over the season. He would finish this season with a record 148 points, and a new record of 13 race wins out of 18 that season, surpassing the previous best of 11, which he had scored in the 2002 Formula One season.

2005

The 2005 season was a struggle for Schumacher, as the Ferrari package was far from ideal, especially in the use of its Bridgestone tires, which had been dominant in past years but were now of inferior quality. Ferrari and Bridgestone attributed this to the 2005 rule changes, which required tires to last the distance of the whole race, a change some observers believe was targeted to end the domination of Ferrari and Schumacher.

Less than half-way through the season, the German admitted he didn't have the potential to defend his title. In an interview he said "It's hard to put up a fight when you don't have the same weapons".

Despite this, Schumacher had some moments, most notably his fight with Fernando Alonso in the San Marino GP and a pole in Hungary.

Ultimately and most importantly he finished third in the World Championship standings, barely ahead of McLaren's Juan Pablo Montoya. His points total included the 10 points from his only victory of the season, the United States Grand Prix, which was only contested by 6 cars due to Michelin tire problems. (The subsequent anger at the lack of the usual spectacle led to unrest at Indianapolis circuit over the duration of the race, and the organisation of further US Grands Prix has been cast into doubt.)

There were many on-track problems for the German, including collisions with Mark Webber (Turkish GP), Nick Heidfeld (Australian GP), Takuma Sato (Belgian GP) and Christijan Albers (Chinese GP).

2006

Schumacher started 2006 well, narrowly edging out new Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa to take pole position at the first grand prix in Bahrain. Doing so, he equaled Ayrton Senna's record of 65 pole positions that had stood for 12 years after Senna's death. He went on to finish second, behind the Renault of reigning drivers' champion Fernando Alonso, making it his first podium finish in seven races, the last being a second place at the 2005 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Ferrari's engine troubles resulted in an engine change for Schumacher before qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix, demoting him to 14th on the starting grid. He finished the race in 6th, just behind team-mate Felipe Massa. He qualified 11th in changing weather conditions at the Australian Grand Prix. Mid-way through the race, while chasing Jenson Button for 5th place, Schumacher ran wide on the exit of the final corner, hitting a large bump while trying to pull the car back to the circuit and launching the car into the wall, ending his race.

At the San Marino Grand Prix, Schumacher took his 66th pole position, breaking Senna's record of 65. In a reverse situation from last year, he held off an intense challenge from Fernando Alonso for more than 30 laps and two pit-stops, despite struggling with a "bad set" of tyres in the middle stages of the race, to win the race. Barring the boycott marred 2005 United States Grand Prix, this was his first win since the 2004 Japanese Grand Prix, 18 months earlier. With this win, Schumacher tied his own record with his 7th win at the same track, the other ones being Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal and Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in Magny-Cours.

Schumacher's strong form continued at the European Grand Prix, where he beat Alonso in a closely contested battle, putting in a series of fast laps before his second pit-stop to emerge in front of Alonso. The Spanish Grand Prix, was rather different for Schumacher, as he finished second, some 18 seconds behind eventual home race winner Fernando Alonso. Schumacher has commented that this is a "blip".

In the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix, although Schumacher took pole position with Fernando Alonso 0.064 seconds behind him, there was an uproar in the paddock after the end of qualifying, after he stopped his car at the Rascasse hairpin causing an obstruction for his rivals who were trying to set a faster time. Alonso failed to set a faster laptime than Schumacher's best. After interviewing Schumacher and Ferrari personnel, and reviewing evidence and data provided by the FIA and Ferrari, the race stewards stripped Schumacher of all of his qualifying times after deciding he had deliberately stopped his car to disadvantage his competitors. The stewards said Schumacher's actions breached Article 112 of the FIA sporting regulations and that therefore their ruling was final and would not be subject to appeal. Ferrari's director Jean Todt strongly disputed the decision, claiming that "[w]ith no real evidence, the stewards have assumed he is guilty.".

During the race itself, Schumacher persevered through the penalty and battled back from the 22nd spot, passing 5 cars on the opening laps, moving him to 17th. By lap 12 he aggressively passed Jenson Button into the Nouvelle chicane for 15th and made up several spots with the fastest laps during the crucial pit-window stages. He finished fifth after further retirements of cars in front of him.

At the British Grand Prix he salvaged second by passing Kimi Räikkönen after the second round of stops after being trapped behind the Finn for most of the race. The Canadian Grand Prix was much of the same for Schumacher as he was stuck behind Jarno Trulli at the start of the race. He passed Trulli at the final chicane before he made his first stop and snatched second from Kimi Räikkönen when the Finn ran wide at the hairpin with two laps to go. After qualifying on Pole position for the US Grand Prix, Schumacher was passed by team-mate Felipe Massa at the first corner but by lap 30 was back in front, going on to win the race. After his win, he is the only racing driver ever, in any racing class, to win five times on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

After winning the French GP on July 16th, 2006, Michael Schumacher became the only driver in history to win the same Grand Prix eight times. Schumacher then proceeded to win the German GP, a result that gave him a hat-trick of wins following those of France and America. With championship rival Fernando Alonso finishing the race 5th, Schumacher reduced the gap between the two to 11 points with 6 races remaining. Schumacher is now only three wins short of the combined total of wins of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.

The practice sessions of the Hungarian GP brought a lot of controversy. Fernando Alonso was penalised for two incidents in the second free practice, receiving a two second penalty in every qualifying round. Schumacher, who could have used the opportunity to reduce Alonso's lead further, also suffered a two second penalty for overtaking two cars, one of them being Alonso, during a red flag situation. Schumacher qualified in 11th position, while Alonso qualified 15th on the grid. This was the first time in its 20 year history that the Hungarian GP was rain soaked and set the stage for the most exciting race of the year. Schumacher and Alonso were extremely fast and aggressive from the start, pulling up to fifth and seventh after the opening lap. However, it was clear that the Bridgestone tyres were far inferior to the Michelin tires in wet conditions, and Schumacher slowly drifted backwards to 8th place, and was lapped by Alonso until a safety car incident allowed him to regain the lap. As the track dried, Schumacher began setting the fastest laps of the race and began to regain positions from Michelin cars which were slower in dry conditions. He retired only 2 laps from home after colliding with Nick Heidfeld. This was failed chance to make up a huge deficit in the points, to points leader, Alonso, who had retired earlier with a broken drive-shaft whilst leading. He was classified 9th but was soon promoted to 8th following Robert Kubica's disqualification.

At the Turkish Grand Prix Ferrari looked very strong against the opposition and they even set the fastest time through Michael Schumacher in the third practice session in the Saturday morning. For the three 15 minute qualifying sessions Schumacher was the fastest for the first two sessions under a light fuel load. However, at the start of his hot laps in the third session Schumacher made a mistake by out braking himself down into the first corner. At the end of the final session Schumacher qualified second just behind his teammate Felipe Massa for Massa's first pole of the season and, more importantly he qualified in front of Fernando Alonso who qualified third without the controversial mass dampers in his Renault. At the start he nearly made contact with Fernando Alonso but managed to hold him off and was comfortably ahead of him until Liuzzi from Scuderia Toro Rosso had a spin off at the first corner and the safety car had to come out to assist the marshals as the car was on the racing line. This bunched up the pack again and because Felipe Massa was leading Schumacher had to come into the pits and wait 6 seconds for Massa to make his stop while Alonso was able to pit and leave. However, Schumacher was slower in the second phase of the race and could not maintain pace with Alonso. He started lapping more quickly in the latter stages of race and closed Alonso down but was unable to pass. Felipe Massa won by 6 seconds with Schumacher less than a tenth of a second behind Alonso in second.

Immediately after beating Kimi Räikkönen to win the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, on September 10, 2006, Schumacher announced that he would retire at the end of the 2006 season, ending the career of the most statistically successful driver in history. His seat at Ferrari will be taken over by current McLaren driver Kimi Räikkönen, who will be replaced by the current defending champion Fernando Alonso from Renault.

However in the Press Release stating his retirement, it also mentioned that Schumacher would stay on as part of the team, but it did not state his future role in the release.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Team	WDC	Points
1991	Jordan	USA DNP	BRA DNP	SMR DNP	MON DNP	CAN DNP	MEX DNP	FRA DNP	GBR DNP	GER DNP	HUN DNP	BEL Ret	ITA 5	POR 6	ESP 6	JPN Ret	AUS Ret				Benetton	14th	4
1992	Benetton	RSA 4	MEX 3	BRA 3	ESP 2	SMR Ret	MON 4	CAN 2	FRA Ret	GBR 4	GER 3	HUN Ret	BEL 1	ITA 3	POR 7	JPN Ret	AUS 2				Benetton	3rd	53
1993	Benetton	RSA Ret	BRA 3	EUR Ret	SMR 2	ESP 3	MON Ret	CAN 2	FRA 3	GBR 2	GER 2	HUN Ret	BEL 2	ITA Ret	POR 1	JPN Ret	AUS Ret				Benetton	4th	52
1994	Benetton	BRA 1	PFC 1	SMR 1	MON 1	ESP 2	CAN 1	FRA 1	GBR DSQ	GER Ret	HUN 1	BEL DSQ	ITA EX	POR EX	EUR 1	JPN 2	AUS Ret				Benetton	1st	92
1995	Benetton	BRA 1	ARG 3	SMR Ret	ESP 1	MON 1	CAN 5	FRA 1	GBR Ret	GER 1	HUN Ret	BEL 1	ITA Ret	POR 2	EUR 1	PFC 1	JPN 1	AUS Ret			Benetton	1st	102
1996	Ferrari	AUS Ret	BRA 3	ARG Ret	EUR 2	SMR 2	MON Ret	ESP 1	CAN Ret	FRA DNS	GBR Ret	GER 4	HUN 9	BEL 1	ITA 1	POR 3	JPN 2				Ferrari	3rd	59
1997	Ferrari	AUS 2	BRA 5	ARG Ret	SMR 2	MON 1	ESP 4	CAN 1	FRA 1	GBR Ret	GER 2	HUN 4	BEL 1	ITA 6	AUT 6	LUX Ret	JPN 1	EUR Ret			Ferrari	DSQ**	78
1998	Ferrari	AUS Ret	BRA 3	ARG 1	SMR 2	ESP 3	MON 10	CAN 1	FRA 1	GBR 1	AUT 3	GER 5	HUN 1	BEL Ret	ITA 1	LUX 2	JPN Ret				Ferrari	2nd	86
1999	Ferrari	AUS 8	BRA 2	SMR 1	MON 1	ESP 3	CAN Ret	FRA 5	GBR Ret	AUT INJ	GER INJ	HUN INJ	BEL INJ	ITA INJ	EUR INJ	MYS 2	JPN 2				Ferrari	5th	44
2000	Ferrari	AUS 1	BRA 1	SMR 1	GBR 3	ESP 5	EUR 1	MON Ret	CAN 1	FRA Ret	AUT Ret	GER Ret	HUN 2	BEL 2	ITA 1	USA 1	JPN 1	MYS 1			Ferrari	1st	108
2001	Ferrari	AUS 1	MYS 1	BRA 2	SMR Ret	ESP 1	AUT 2	MON 1	CAN 2	EUR 1	FRA 1	GBR 2	GER Ret	HUN 1	BEL 1	ITA 4	USA 2	JPN 1			Ferrari	1st	123
2002	Ferrari	AUS 1	MYS 3	BRA 1	SMR 1	ESP 1	AUT 1	MON 2	CAN 1	EUR 2	GBR 1	FRA 1	GER 1	HUN 2	BEL 1	ITA 2	USA 2	JPN 1			Ferrari	1st	144
2003	Ferrari	AUS 4	MYS 6	BRA Ret	SMR 1	ESP 1	AUT 1	MON 3	CAN 1	EUR 5	FRA 3	GBR 4	GER 7	HUN 8	ITA 1	USA 1	JPN 8				Ferrari	1st	93
2004	Ferrari	AUS 1	MYS 1	BAH 1	SMR 1	ESP 1	MON Ret	EUR 1	CAN 1	USA 1	FRA 1	GBR 1	GER 1	HUN 1	BEL 2	ITA 2	CHN 12	JPN 1	BRA 7		Ferrari	1st	148
2005	Ferrari	AUS Ret	MYS 7	BAH Ret	SMR 2	ESP Ret	MON 7	EUR 5	CAN 2	USA 1	FRA 3	GBR 6	GER 5	HUN 2	TUR Ret	ITA 10	BEL Ret	BRA 4	JPN 7	CHN Ret	Ferrari	2nd	62
2006	Ferrari	BAH 2	MYS 6	AUS Ret	SMR 1	EUR 1	ESP 2	MON 5	GBR 2	CAN 2	USA 1	FRA 1	GER 1	HUN 8	TUR 3	ITA 1	CHN	JPN	BRA		Ferrari	2nd*	106*

* Denotes present season standing.
** Schumacher was disqualified due to dangerous driving in the European GP, causing an avoidable collision with Villeneuve.

Formula One records

File:M schumacher win 2006.jpg

Schumacher celebrates his win at the 2006 USGP

As of the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher holds the following F1 records:

Career Records:

• Most championship titles: 7
• Most consecutive championship titles: 5
• Most race wins: 90
• Most consecutive race wins: 7 (in 2004 - European GP, Canadian GP, United States GP, French GP, British GP, German GP, Hungarian GP; shared with Ascari)
• Most race wins with one team: 71 with Ferrari
• Most race wins at the same GP: 8 at the French Grand Prix (Magny-Course)
• Most time between first and last race wins: 13 years, 11 months, and 3 days
• Most second place finishes: 43
• Most podium finishes: 153
• Most consecutive podium finishes: 19 (from the 2001 United States Grand Prix, until the 2002 Japanese Grand Prix)
• Most points finishes: 188
• Most laps leading: 4726 (in 130 Grand Prix with a total of 22,072.693 km)
• Most pole positions: 68
• Most starts from first row: 108
• Most fastest laps: 75
• Most doubles (pole position and race win): 40
• Most hat-trick (pole position, race win and fastest lap): 22
• Most championship points: 1,354
• Most consecutive race finished without retirement: 24 (from the 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix, until the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix)
• Only racing driver ever, in any racing class, to win 5 times at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
• Only racing driver ever, in any racing class, to win 5 times at Italy, Monza

2004:

• Most race wins in a season: 13 (out 18 races)
• Most fastest laps in a season: 10 (out of 18 races; tied by Räikkönen in 2005)
• Most championship points in a season: 148 (out of a maximum of 180)

2002:

• Most podium finishes in a season: 17 (out of 17 races)

The one major record Schumacher is set to miss out on is the record for most Grands Prix competed in. His final race will be his 250th so he will finish 6 short of Riccardo Patrese's record of 256.

Retirement

While Schumacher was still on the podium after his win at the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari issued a press release stating that he would retire from racing at the end of the 2006 season. Schumacher personally confirmed his retirement in a very emotional statement during the post-race press conference, which is posted below. The press release also stated that Schumacher would continue working for Ferrari in some capacity after his official retirement as a racing driver, and full details of this will be made clear by the end of 2006. The team also announced that Kimi Räikkönen will replace him at Scuderia Ferrari.

The announcement

Michael's post-race press conference:

“It has been a very special day and to finish it in this style as we have been doing today, looking at the championship as well, but much more at what’s going to happen somehow in the future.

I mean there has been a lot of discussion for sometime which concerns my future and so on, and I think all the fans and motorsport interested people, they have a right to be explained what’s going to happen.

I’m sorry, it may have taken longer than some of you wanted but you have to find the right moment and we feel this is the right moment.

To make it short, this is going to be my last Monza race. At the end of this year I have decided together with the team that I’m going to retire from racing.

It has been an exceptional, really exceptional time what motorsport in more than 30 years has given to me.

I really loved every single moment of the good and the bad ones. Those moments make life so special.

In particular I should thank my family starting with obviously my Dad, my passed-away Mum and obviously my wife and my kids who at all times supported what I was doing.

And without their support, without their strengths to survive in this business and this sport, and to perform, I think it would have been impossible.

I can’t be thankful enough to my family, but as well to all my mates at the Benetton time and obviously especially at the Ferrari days when I have made so many friends.

I have so many great guys in that team and it has been a really tough decision to decide to not work together at this level with all my friends and engineers and everybody.

They are just so great.

But one day the day has to come, and I felt at a point that this is the moment.

As well, in terms of timing the decision I thought that it was fair to find that moment that Felipe Massa has a chance to decide his future, because I think he is a very great guy.

He has been doing a very great job to the team, very supportive, a great team-mate and there was a moment for him to decide his future and there was no point for me to take my decision any later than his decision has been taken.

And this was the conclusion.

As well, of in a way my future replacement, it’s a driver that at some stage the team will tell, but I always was pleased and I know a long time ago, to hear that he was the person.

And now I would just like to concentrate on this last three wins and make it, or finish it in style, and hopefully win the championship.

We have done a big step today for that and I really look forward.

I want to thank everybody who has been on my way, or supporting me at all stages, there has been a lot of people.

Thank you very much."

Responses to Schumachers retirement

Following the announcement of his retirement, many people in Formula One have responded to his decission and the impact it will have on Formula One.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo:

"I always said that the decision to retire would be his alone but now that decision has been taken I feel a sense of sadness. We have lived through some unforgettable times together, some good and some bad, achieving results that will be hard to equal."

Ferrari team boss Jean Todt:

"Michael has been the author of a unique chapter in the history of Formula 1 and of Ferrari in particular. It has yet to reach its conclusion and what he has achieved extends over and above the results obtained. He is an exceptional man and will become a legend as a driver."

Formula One Boss Ross Brawn:

"Everybody will miss Michael, whoever they are. It is a big event for everyone. I think someone of his ability, someone of his experience, and someone of his involvement will be very badly missed. But F1 goes on, Ferrari goes on."

Ferrari chief designer Rory Byrne, who designed all of Schumachers championship cars:

"He will be missed as a friend and colleague and as the ultimate professional. It's the end of Michael's career in Formula One so in that sense, it is the end of an era. When you look at his record, that's going to be difficult to beat."

Formule One Driver and brother Ralf Schumacher:

"I am sure he has thought long and hard about his decision and I respect it. I've enjoyed racing with him and I wish him all the best both for the championship and the future."

Three-times Formula One world champion Niki Lauda:

"If the best guy in the world retires it is certainly a sad day. You can say whatever you want, he won seven world championships and he might win another one. There is nobody like him in the world, he is unique. It's sad that he retires. But I know you have to retire one day and I respect that."

Formula One Boss Bernie Ecclestone:

"People have said to me that F1 is boring because he wins everything. So presumably when he's not here, people will be happy. But we'll miss him, because he is a superstar."

Formula One world champion and ex-rival Damon Hill:

"It's a brave decision to stop doing something he loves. We sort of know how he'll be remembered but over time his successes will mark an era when his dedication to winning gave the championship colour. I think he'll be doubly motivated to win the championship. He's certainly capable of winning races. I think it's hard to give that up. I think he's doing the right thing for himself."

Formula One world champion and rival Fernando Alonso:

"Zidane retired with more glory than Schumacher. Michael is the man with the most sanctions and the most unsporting driver in the history of Formula One. That doesn't mean he hasn't been the best driver, and fighting against him has been an honour and a pleasure."

Former teammate Gerhard Berger:

"It is a pity for F1 to lose such a great champion, but the time to stop comes to everyone."

Formula One Driver David Coulthard:

"Winning at Monza was a fitting way to announce his departure. Irrespective of whether people are believers in Michael's race ethics or not, you have to recognise he's been a great champion and it's the end of an era."

Formula One Legend Stirling Moss:

"He's done some fantastic drives, he's made some stupid mistakes. He's not a great in my mind like [Juan Manuel] Fangio, but is one of the most talented drivers."

Mercedes motorsport head Norbert Haug:

"For me it is sad to learn that he will retire. With his retirement, an era of Formula One racing ends."

Renowned Formula One commentator Ron Bennington:

"Who the hell is that guy, Fez?"

Attributes

Schumacher is noted for his ability to get the most out of his team and car, for his wet weather abilities, and for his ability to turn fast laps at key parts of the race (such as around pitstops).

Schumacher is also known for his ability to unite the team around him. This ability often leads to increased success for Schumacher and the team, but can also alienate his teammates. Johnny Herbert (Michael's teammate at Benetton in 1995) in particular complained publicly about what he saw as favoritism for Schumacher from the team. Schumacher's supporters claim there is nothing wrong with the team being centered around Schumacher, as Schumacher has invariably been faster than his teammates and thus more capable of bringing success to the team.

On the track, Schumacher has a very on-the-edge driving style.

Schumacher's wet weather abilities are legendary. One example of this talent was the 1996 Spanish Grand Prix, where Schumacher took his first victory for Ferrari in dominant fashion, despite the fact that his car was notably inferior to the Williams cars. At one point, Schumacher was pulling away by several seconds per lap in the torrential downpour. Another notable win was the 2001 Malaysian Grand Prix, where Schumacher took intermediate tires while everybody else took full wet tires after a monsoon hit half the track. Within a handful of laps Schumacher had charged from 11th place to the lead, eventually taking a dominant win.

Schumacher often uses his ability to produce fast laps at important times in a race to pass opponents during pitstops, an important talent in Formula 1, where overtaking is notoriously difficult. When Schumacher catches an opponent on the track, he will often wait behind him until the opponent has to make a pitstop to refuel. While the opponent is struggling to get up to speed in a car that is heavy with fuel, Schumacher will take advantage of the clear track in front of him and his car's lighter weight to turn a series of fast laps. Often these fast laps will create enough of a gap between Schumacher and the opponent so that Schumacher can make his own pitstop and come out in front of the opponent. Schumacher has used this tactic countless times, with the most famous example coming at the 2000 Japanese Grand Prix where Schumacher used the tactic to overtake Mika Häkkinen and clinch Ferrari's first World Drivers' Championship since 1979. Similar tactics used in a much different situation also brought him victory in the 1998 Hungarian Grand Prix, which Schumacher said at the time was one of his greatest victories.

Controversy

Since the death of Ayrton Senna in 1994 , Schumacher has been widely regarded as the fastest driver in F1 and the dominant driver of recent times. However, much like Senna, his career has at times been controversial, with many critics and fans questioning his sportsmanship and driving tactics and the apparent standing team orders which require his teammates to play a subservient role.

Championship-deciding collisions

Michael Schumacher deliberately blocked and crashed Mika Hakkinen out of the Formula 3 race at Macau Grand Prix in 1990. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvWq29WjFOs&NR http://www.worldracingforum.com/about162.html

For those who question Schumacher's driving style, the two most noted incidents are the 1994 Australian Grand Prix crash with Damon Hill and the 1997 European Grand Prix crash with Jacques Villeneuve. Both of these incidents decided the World Championship, and Schumacher's critics allege that both incidents were intentional attempts by Schumacher to crash his rival out of the race.

The 1994 Australian Grand Prix was the final round of the 1994 season, and Schumacher entered the race with a single point advantage over Damon Hill. Schumacher led the race from the start, but with Hill applying heavy pressure late in the race, Schumacher made an error and ran wide off the track, bumping the wall. Whether the car was damaged in the impact is unknown, and still the subject of considerable debate. Schumacher managed to get his car back on track in front of Hill but had lost momentum as a result of his driving error. Hill took the opportunity to go for the overtaking manoeuver and moved for the inside on the next corner. Schumacher turned into Hill's car, with Schumacher's right rear tire striking Hill's left front. Schumacher's car crashed into the outside wall, while Hill was forced to pull out due to suspension damage. [1] The double-retirement meant that Schumacher won the 1994 World Championship. Schumacher's critics allege that, knowing his car was damaged, he intentionally drove his car into Hill's in order to take the Briton out of the race. Schumacher denies this allegation, and the FIA took no action against him. Williams has since claimed that they did not protest the result due to a lack of concrete evidence and the fact that they were still trying to get over the death of Ayrton Senna, who died earlier in the season, and felt that Hill winning in the court of appeal would be disrespectful to Senna.

During the 1997 European Grand Prix Schumacher was leading the race, followed by Villeneuve. Similar to the 1994 incident, a win for either driver would guarantee him the World Championship. Villeneuve attempted to overtake Schumacher approaching a right-handed corner; as the French Canadian passed, Schumacher's car turned sharply into the side of his car. Villeneuve managed to keep control of his car, but Schumacher's car bounced off Villeneuve's and into the gravel trap, where it became stuck. Villeneuve went on to finish third, behind Mika Häkkinen (his first F1 win) and David Coulthard, which was sufficient to win the World Championship. Once again, Schumacher denied any wrongdoing, but this time the FIA took action, stripping him of his second place in the final World Championship standings (with Heinz-Harald Frentzen moving from third to second), while retaining his results and points for the season.

Sportsmanship

Schumacher's critics allege that Schumacher ocassionally displays poor sportsmanship to gain an unfair advantage over his rivals.

In qualifying for the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix after setting the fastest lap Schumacher drove round slowly on the racing line almost causing a collision with Gerhard Berger who was still on a fast lap. Berger had to spin his car to avoid a collision. Schumacher claimed afterwards that he believed that the session had finished and apologized to Berger. Berger was furious and referred the matter to the Stewards but they took no action.

In 1998 season, Schumacher created controversy by winning the British GP in the pit lane. He was issued a 10s stop-and-go penalty for overtaking during the Safety Car laps. Knowing that a conventional in-stop-out penalty would lose him the race to championship contender Mika Häkkinen, the team delayed him going into the pit for the penalty the allowed number of laps (3) and only served the penalty at the end of the race, thus avoided the slow out lap from the pit that would have caused him to lose the race. However, because the stewards had incorrectly issued the penalty Schumacher escaped punishment as the stewards later rescinded the penalty. The penalty (for overtaking Alex Wurz under safety car on lap 43 of 60) should have been issued within 25 minutes but Ferrari were informed 6 minutes after the limit had expired. The handwritten notification was also unclear as to which penalty was actually being issued: a 10s stop/go, or 10 seconds added to Schumacher's race time (a penalty which could only be used to punish an infraction in the last 12 laps). As a result the three stewards involved handed in their licences at an extraordinary meeting of the FIA World Council.

In 2003 European Grand Prix, Schumacher was helped back to the track by marshals (one a tractor driver in civilian clothing) when he ended up high-sided on the kerb after a spin. Many fans believed that this was illegal, as drivers may not receive outside assistance to get back on the track. However, an exception is made if a car is in a dangerous position, and the FIA judged that this was indeed the case. Schumacher's critics complained of a double-standard, which they believe was substantiated by the marshals' refusal to aid Fernando Alonso in the 2004 Italian Grand Prix when he was in a similar situation. However, the rules for this situation had changed as the exception in the 2003 rules had been removed in the 2004 version. Schumacher also received a push from the marshals in the 2005 Australian Grand Prix, although he retired anyway due to suspension damage after driving back to the pits. However, Nick Heidfeld, who was involved in the same incident, received no help from the marshals and had to retire. Schumacher's supporters note that he isn't the first driver to be helped by a push from a dangerous situation, indeed Riccardo Patrese won the 1982 Monaco Grand Prix having got a push from the marshals after a spin on the penultimate lap.

In qualifying for the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix Schumacher set the fastest lap time. He then took the Rascasse corner wide, narrowly avoided contacting the wall, before stalling his engine. The subsequent yellow flag prevented other runners from completing their qualifying runs. His main championship opponent, Fernando Alonso was on a qualifying run at the time, and looked set to post a faster time than Schumacher. Three times world champion Jackie Stewart accused Schumacher of leaving his car there on purpose to ensure his competitors could not better his lap time. As a result of an inquiry by stewards into the incident Schumacher was stripped of all times set in the qualifying session. This forced him to start from back of the grid, whereas his arch-rival Fernando Alonso was promoted to pole position. Schumacher and Ferrari maintain that the incident was accidental.

Team orders

Schumacher in the Paddock at the USGP in 2002

During Schumacher's dominance in the first half of the 2000s, he created much controversy not only around him but also his team Ferrari and race director Jean Todt, because of the way they were manipulating the race results by swapping finishing positions with Rubens Barrichello, the other Ferrari driver at the time. This had also affected Eddie Irvine during his time partnering Schumacher in Ferrari from 1996 until 1999, for example when Schumacher in the lead let Irvine pass to win the 1999 Malaysian GP and gain critical points, when Irvine was fighting for the Driver's world championship. Yet some think Ferrari team orders was a major factor in Irvine's move to Jaguar in 2000.

The most infamous episode of usage of 'team orders' by Ferrari was at the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix where the team ordered Barrichello, who was leading the race, to move over for Schumacher to take the win. The move, embarrassing for F1 fans and media, was done after the very last corner of the last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix. This led to a disgusted reception on the podium where an embarrassed Schumacher ushered Barrichello onto the top step. It also led to trouble for bookmakers and betting agencies. The result was a ban on team orders and a $1 million fine for Ferrari for disrupting the podium ceremony($500,000 to be paid immediately, with the remainder remitted subject to "good behaviour" during the next 12 months) . Nevertheless, team orders are at times practiced by many teams and, despite bans by the FIA, can be executed discreetly.

It has also been argued that, unlike some of the great drivers of the past, Schumacher has not had much of a challenge from within the team. During much of his time at Benetton he was consistently dominant over his teammates; since moving to Ferrari, his team has guaranteed he is given a clear Number 1 status. Furthermore, his dominance over his teammates spans his entire 14-year career, including Brundle, Irvine, Barrichello, Verstappen, JJ Lehto, Herbert, and current teammate Massa.

In more recent years, however, Schumacher's success with Ferrari, moderation of his on-track tactics, and a more relaxed public persona have rehabilitated his image for most fans.

Awards

Michael Schumacher has 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. He joins a select group of sports personalities to win the award - golfer Tiger Woods, cyclist Lance Armstrong and tennis player Roger Federer. In its 7-year history, no other sportsman has been nominated more times than Schumacher, who also received nominations for the 2001, 2003 and 2005 awards.

Personal life

Schumacher married Corinna Betsch in August 1995. They have two children together, daughter Gina-Maria (b. 1997) and son Mick (b. 1999), and reside in Vufflens-le-Château, Switzerland, near Lake Geneva [2]. Schumacher is very protective of his private life and takes every effort to keep his family out of the spotlight. Michael Schumacher's younger brother Ralf, six years his junior, is also an F1 driver.

Schumacher's off-track interests include playing football (soccer) (actively in FC Echichens), watching films, karaoke, playing tennis, swimming, and skiing. He has received some nicknames along with his career, including the "Red Baron", "Schuey" and "Schumi". In Germany he is sometimes called "Schwiegermutters Liebling" (mother in law's favourite), because he is seen as a devoted family man and has never been involved in personal scandals.

Charity

In 2005, Schumacher donated US$10 million to charity for the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake in a charity show on the German television network ZDF. It was later announced that the two sons of Schumacher's bodyguard, Burkhard Cramer, had died while on holiday in Phuket, Thailand. In fact, his donation surpassed that of any other sportsperson, most sports leagues, many worldwide corporations and even some countries.

Combining his hobby of football with charity, Schumacher has participated in several friendly games together with other Formula One drivers to raise money for charity.

Road safety awareness

In 1997, the FIA tasked Schumacher to promote road safety as part of his punishment conditions for the incident in Jerez. Although initially short term, he is still an active advocate of road safety, and an iconic supporter of the FIA's initiatives to promote road safety around the world. Along with Max Mosley, he was a keynote speaker at the launch and official signing of the European Road Safety Charter in Dublin on 6 April 2004.

He also participated in the global launch of the FIA's Think Before You Drive campaign at the 2005 Spanish Grand Prix along with then Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello.

In 2005 Schumacher agreed to join the high level Commission for Global Road Safety, headed by former NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, as the representative for Germany. The Commission’s report, Make Roads Safe, published in June 2006, argued for urgent international action to tackle the 1 million annual road deaths in developing countries around the world. Schumacher has subsequently supported the Make Roads Safe campaign, led by the FIA Foundation, which is calling on G8 countries and the UN to recognise global road deaths as a major global health issue on the scale of Malaria and TB.

Special ambassador to UNESCO

Schumacher is a special ambassador to UNESCO and has donated US$3 million to the organization. He has funded projects for the construction of a school in Senegal, a clinic in Sarajevo and a centre for street children in Peru. He has even taken the rare step of visiting Sarajevo to see how his funding has benefited child victims of war. For his contribution, he was named a UNESCO Champion For Sport by its Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura in 2002.

Finances

As of 2004, Schumacher earns an estimated US$80 million annually, including all his endorsement deals. One notable deal is with the German investment company Deutsche Vermögensberatung, which will pay him US$8 million over three years for wearing a four-inch (10 cm) advertisement on his post-race hat.

Schumacher also owns a new Dassault Falcon jet, a Dassault 2000EX registration HB-JEG with a pricetag of over US$20 million.

Film cameos

In early March 2006, the Spanish press reported that Michael Schumacher will play a small role in the upcoming movie Asterix at the Olympic Games, together with football star David Beckham and retired player Zinedine Zidane.

Michael Schumacher himself delivered a vocal performance in Disney-Pixar's animated feature film Cars. His character in the film, a trademark Rosso Corsa Ferrari F430 who comes to Luigi's Casa della Tires (which makes Luigi himself and his friend Guido faint from joy), was named after him.

See also

• Formula One
• Portal:Formula One
• Jordan Grand Prix
• Benetton Formula
• Scuderia Ferrari
• List of racing drivers
• List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions
• List of Formula One records
• Ralf Schumacher
• Famous Germans

External links

• Michael Schumacher's official website
• Formula1.com Profile
• Michael Schumacher Statistics
• Michael Schumacher Profile and Statistics on F1db
• Make Roads Safe
• Commission for Global Road Safety