Michael Schumacher
By James Raasclaaat
Michael Schumacher was born January 3, 1969 in the Western German town of Hürth to humble origins. Compared to most F1 drivers, Michael was not from a wealthy family. His father built his first kart, and he raced mostly with support from local businessmen in his town. He would have much success in the lower formulas like F3 and F3000, and would make his debut in F1 with the Ford-Jordan team in 1991 under strange circumstances. He would replace Bertrand Gachot, who had been imprisoned before the Belgian Grand Prix. Michael would qualify in 7th place but had to retire his car due to brake failure. Schumacher would sign with the Benetton team for the remainder of 1991 and would average sixth place finishes to end the year. Michael would re-sign with Benetton for 1992, and would achieve a podium finish in only his eighth race and win for the first time at the Belgian Grand Prix. 1994 marked the first Championship win for the young Schumacher who won 8 races out of the 16. 1995 would see the rivalry between Schumacher and Damon Hill become even more tense, but Schumacher would win the World Championship yet again with 9 race wins. Wanting a challenge, Schumacher joined a struggling Ferrari team in 1996. Due to the unreliable car and impeccable competition from McLaren’s Mika Hӓkkinen, Michael would place third in the Championship.
The 2000 season would mark the beginning of one of the most infamous championship reigns in racing history. In the 2000 season, Hӓkkinen would fight Michael all season, but Schumacher would eventually win despite disqualifying in three races. 2001 was absolutely dominated by Schumacher, and the next season of 2002 being the most commanding season to date for Michael. Ferrari won 15 of 17 races that season, with Schumacher beating his closest competitor by nearly twice the points. In 2003, Schumacher broke Fangio’s record by winning six World Championships. In 2004, a crash with Juan Pablo Montoya would end Schumacher’s streak of 12 race wins to start the year. Though Michael would win thirteen of eighteen races in the season and take the title again. 2005 would see Schumacher’s stranglehold on F1 slip, As Renault driver Fernando Alonso would take the 2005 and 2006 Championship with his superior Renault car. Schumacher would retire after 2006, but returned for a brief stint with Mercedes from 2010 to 2012.
In December, 2013, Michael’s life would take a tragic turn. During a visit to one of his favorite ski slopes in Meribel, France, he decided to ski down an off track trail. Schumacher went to help another skier as he went, but hit an exposed rock and lost control which caused him to lose control and collide head first with a rock 10 meters away. Though Michael survived, he accumulated significant brain damage, and has not been seen publicly since the accident.
Though Michael’s life would end dismally, I believe his accomplishments outweighed his terrible accident tenfold. In his career, Schumacher would acquire 91 race wins, and take the World Driver’s Championship seven times while most drivers never even get the chance to taste a win. Michael Schumacher is quite possibly the greatest F1 driver of all time, and at the microscopic least, the finest of his generation. I hope this sparked your interest in F1, or possibly reminded you of the superhuman talent that graced motorsport decades ago.