Michael Schumacher: A Legendary Formula One Champion
As Michael Schumacher lays in a coma, still, with hope dwindling that he will ever return to be his normal self, we cannot help but remember all that he accomplished while he raced Formula 1 cars.
Schumacher is regarded by many as the best F1 racer of all time and his records back that belief.
During his time tearing up courses all over the world, the German amassed just about every record possible.
Seven world titles and 91 race victories — the most in the history of the sport — are almost unattainable for any other driver today and are at no risk of being tied. Frenchman Alain Prost is a distant second with 40 wins.
Michael Schumacher also holds records for the most wins in a season (13), most pole positions (68), wins with one team (72-Ferrari), fastest laps (77), wins at the same Grand Prix (8-France), and poles at the same GP (8-Japan). The list is almost unending.
Schumacher’s rise to the top of his sport was meteoric, after his beginnings in karting. He won the German drivers’ championships in Formula König and Formula Three before joining Mercedes in the World Sportscar Championship.
He finally reached F1 racing with the Jordan team at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1991 and even though he didn’t finish the race because he burned the clutch, the bosses at Benetton were impressed with what they saw and brought him on their team.
The following year, Michael Schumacher redeemed himself in Belgium winning his first F1 Grand Prix there and won consecutive world titles for Benetton in 1994-1995.
However, his first victory in F1 was shadowed by some controversy when Benetton and other constructors were accused of breaking the technical rules.
During the British Grand Prix in ’94, the German legend was issued a two-race ban, after ignoring a black penalty flag and was disqualified after winning the Belgian Grand Prix due to a technical breach.
Going into the last race of the championship at the Australian Grand Prix, he led British driver Damon Hill by a point, and won the title despite an accident in which he hit a guard rail on the 36th lap and then when Hill attempted to pass him both cars collided and were forced to retire from the race.
Schumacher and Hill would go on to have a contentious season in 1995, which involved several collisions.
In 1996 Michael Schumacher singed on with Ferrari — the Italian Scuderia that was winless since 1979 — but a victory would have to wait until 2000. The German was credited for transforming Ferrari and making it one of the most successful teams in F1 history.
He won five consecutive titles between 2000 and 2004 with Ferrari, making them one of the most revered teams of their time, but Formula 1 rule changes in 2005 hindered his efforts and he only won one race that year, he announced his retirement in 2006.
Schumacher stayed on as a consultant for Ferrari following his retirement, but returned to racing at 41-years of age for Mercedes. During his comeback he only got one podium — third place at the European Grand Prix in Valencia.
At the end of 2012, Mercedes announced that they would replace the 43-year-old in the 2013 season and the following week Michael Schumacher announced his second retirement. His last race was at the 2012 Brazil Grand Prix.
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