Schumacher

Michael Schumacher
By Simon Baggus

Schumacher pictured here in 2003

Michael Schumacher was born on the third of January 1969 in Kerpen, Germany. The birth of a champion in the making.

Michael Schumacher has rewritten the record books and many believe it will never be broken. He is the only driver to have taken five driver world championships in a row, surpassing the late great Juan Manuel Fangio. Fangio took four straight titles in a row, now being joined with Sebastian Vettel in the quadruple club.

A young Michael

His Formula One debut was at Spa Francorchamps in 1991, driving for the then active Jordan race team, owned by the ever present Eddie Jordan in the modern formula.

Schumacher had retired before the race end, but with Schumacher putting the car P7 in qualifying, he quickly turned heads in the paddock, as the Jordan was a bit of a dog in its day.

1991 was dominated by Senna and this would be the last world championship Ayrton Senna would win, with his Honda powered McLaren

He switched teams in a blink of an eye and two weeks after Spa you would see the man in a Benetton, where he rewarded them with a fifth place at Monza.

1992 was his first full season as a Formula One driver and at the year end he ended up P3 in the driver standings, regularly appearing on the podium, with a win at the track he made his debut on the previous year, Spa Francorchamps.

1993 gave him his second win of his career amongst eight other podiums that season, as Prost went on to win the world title in his Williams. Senna coming home in second place before his switch to Williams as Prost retired for good.

1994 was the beginning of Michael Schumacher and his legacy. He was world champion, although not without controversy with Damon Hill in the final race at Adelaide. He then retained his world champions status come the following season with an emphatic nine wins, showing he was the real deal.

Title rivals in 1994

He was then signed by Ferrari in 1996. This partnership was to be the best partnership to ever grace the Formula One world, alongside team mate, Rubens Barrichello, who joined the team in the year 2000.

From 1996 until the year 2000 Ferrari and Schumacher won nothing, but not without more controversy, failing in his attempt to take Jaques Villeneuve out in the title decider at Jerez. but when the new millennium hit us, all things changed.

Schumacher took five straight world drivers titles in the years 00',01',02',03' and 04'. His best year being 2004 when he won 12 of the first 13 rounds.

Schumacher in his 2006 Ferrari, his last season

Schumacher, coupled with a Ferrari engine and chassis that was the class of the field, along with Bridgestone tyres, which he and his team had mastered, made him unstoppable. Something Sebastian Vettel had also mastered in recent years. Vettel on the other hand though has been prone to abuse, claiming it was his car and not him that gave him his four championships.

The year 2005 and major rule changes were put in place to even the field out. That it did, as Schumachers reign had ended. He took only one win and five podiums that year, finishing third in the championship behind A very young and fresh faced Fernando Alonso, driving a Renault, who was your double world champion in 2005 and 2006.

2006 was to be Michaels final season in F1 and his chances of winning the title that year looked slim with a dominant Alonso, controlling the first half of the championship. Michael did begin to catch Alonso though and they were level on points with two races to go, sadly engine troubles ruled him out after all. Kimi Raikkonen took over in Michaels place and was duly crowned the champion in 2007, by one point, from rookie Lewis Hamilton.

Schumacher and his return was not a success

Three years on the sidelines and Schumacher was not satisfied. He made his comeback with the new Mercedes GP team in 2010. Mercedes GP was an evolution from Brawn GP, who had won the world drivers and constructors title in its one and only year as a team.

Mercedes wanted an all German outfit, they recruited Nico Rosberg as his team mate. Nico Rosberg actually outscored Schumacher two to one in that years world championship and what looked like a dream becoming true, turned out to be just a dream.

Schumacher in action

Two more years with the Mercedes team and still little success, one podium was all the seven time world champion could achieve, where Rosberg took the one and only Mercedes win, as there time as partners drew to a close.

What seemed to be a match made in heaven turned out to be far from it with crashes, mistakes, and a lack of race craft from the man. Three short years is all it took for his second retirement, this time for good. Making the way for one Lewis Hamilton.

Many thanks
Simon Baggus

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