Michael Schumacher

We all thought that the era of Schumi was over when he announced his retirement at the end of the 2006 season. And we all were startled when he announced his returned to F1 in a Mercedes outfit. All in all, Schumi never fails to surprise us! The Seven-time World Champion is the most successful driver in the history of Formula 1 and has most of the records to his name. Always seen as a Ferrari man, Schumi sent shockwaves through the tifosi when Mercedes announced its return to Formula 1 with the ace driver. Schumacher is undoubtedly the most loved and respected of all the drivers, with ardent followers all across the world.

A bricklayer's son, Schumacher had an early initiation into the world of motorsports thanks to his father who also ran the local kart racing track. Starting at the age of just 4, Schumacher went on to win his first title - the local kart championship - at the age of 6! Soon enough, he was racing in kart championships all over Europe and by 1987, was the German and European kart champion. A natural progression to the next level had to follow. Schumacher entered Formula 1 in 1991 with the Jordan-Ford team in the Belgian GP. It wasn't the best initiation, though. After managing to qualify seventh in his first F1 race, he had to retire in the first lap owing to clutch problems. But by this time, he had done enough to impress Eddie Jordan and although he was still contracted with Mercedes, he managed to have a test lap at Silverstone that made the difference. Things were now moving faster and after his debut with Jordan, Schumacher signed a contract with Benetton. And although this reached the courts with Jordan challenging Benetton, Schumacher was able to join Benetton for the 1992 season.

After two tough initial seasons, Schumacher's moment in the spotlight beckoned. In a season marred by controversy and the death of Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher won his first World Championship. One of the major rule changes in 1994 was the ban of driver aids like traction control and this was the year when refuelling during pit-stops became mandatory. Schumacher wasn't even given a chance in pre-season betting with Ayrton Senna being the overwhelming favourite. Schumacher's team made a difference in the race by servicing his car faster than Senna's thus putting him in the lead. Here on in, Schumacher led till the finish and sealed the win. A season that was marred with accidents and controversy, Schumacher kept his head about him and managed to emerge victorious. As the season progressed, Schumacher went from strength to strength until finally he was in a position to seal the championship in the last race of the season in Australia. Under extremely controversial circumstances, when he is said to have run Damon Hill off the track, to ensure he retained his one point lead, he was crowned the youngest World Champion and the first German ever to achieve this feat. It has often been said that the most exciting race takes place behind Schumacher. So total was his domination of a race on his day that most challengers stood no chance. Combined with the might of the Ferrari in later years, this was something that definitely came true. At one time, there were also rumours that the FIA officials were planning to change the rules to suit his opponents!

The 1995 season proved that Schumacher's win in 1994 was no achievement of cunning or luck. There was no technical superiority with the Benetton team but in Schumacher they had a talent that could best cover this inferiority. In fact, so complete was the domination that Schumacher finished 33 points ahead of Damon Hill despite Hill having the superior vehicle. Schumacher won 9 of the 17 races in the season only once qualifying lower than fourth. Even in that race, the Belgian Grand Prix, when he qualified at 16th, he went on to win. 1995 would mark the end of Schumacher's association with Benetton and Benetton would only win one more race before being bought over by Renault in 2000. 1996 marked the beginning of an association that would go on to redefine the way Formula 1 was seen and conducted. Schumacher signed up with Ferrari, then considered to be inferior to most other teams. Until 1999, controversies followed and in 1997, Schumacher was even disqualified from the Driver's Championship for colliding with Jacques Villeneuve in a race that decided the championship. Villenueve eventually went on to win the title, but Schumacher was left with much to ponder over… An accident put paid to Schumacher's efforts in 1999 when he ended up playing support role to Eddie Irvine who had a realistic chance of winning the championship, eventually lost out to Mika Hakkinen. Schumacher has since gone on record to state that Hakkinen was the opponent he respected the most.

After three years of controversy, injury and an inferior car, Schumacher returned to the top spot with a bang! In 2000, a hard-fought battle between him and Hakkinen ensued that saw the fight for the title go down to the penultimate race in Japan. Ferrari's better pit-stops saw Schumacher emerge ahead of Hakkinen who, until then, was leading, and eventually win the race and title. Along the way, Schumacher equalled Ayrton Senna's record of 41 race wins after winning the Italian Grand Prix and had a tearful post-race conference when he was asked his thoughts about equalling his idol's record. If 2000 saw Schumacher return to the helm of the F1 World, 2001 put more distance between him and his challengers. After sealing the championship with four races yet to go, Schumacher continued to dominate and eventually ended the season 58 points ahead of second-placed David Coulthard. There were other drivers who won that year, but no one (or their team) could sustain a challenge that lasted long enough. One of the highlights of this season for Schumacher was breaking Alain Prost's record for the most career wins when he won his 52nd race at the Belgian Grand Prix. In 2002, Schumacher went so far ahead of the competition that he won 15 of the 17 races in the season and wrapped up the championship with six races still to go. This was his fifth World Championship and he equalled Juan Manuel Fangio's record of world championships. That, however, would be a short lived record! Only one year!

2003 was one of the more exciting seasons since Schumacher became a force to be reckoned with. In a year when the fight for the title was not just two-way, younger drivers emerged. First it was Kimi Raikkonen who took an 11-point lead only to find Schumacher claw his way back. The mid-season was dominated by Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya that saw the race for the title become a five-way fight. Soon after, though, controversy struck when the FIA ruled that Michelin was using illegal tyres. More than other teams, this hit Williams and McLaren hard and saw the title race become a two-horse race again. In the final race of the year, Raikkonen needed to win while Schumacher needed just a point. He played it safe, finished eighth for a point and sealed his sixth World Championship. 2004 was another year of records for Schumacher as he won the first 12 of 13 races, losing only in Monaco. After winning the title in Belgium he went on to finish the season amassing 148 points, another record. This was 34 points ahead of his closest competitor and teammate Rubens Barrichello. The last two seasons have not been particularly fruitful for Schumacher but this has more to do with rule changes than any loss of capability. The Associated Press has in fact gone so far as to claim that the rules were changed to end Schumacher and Ferrari's domination. The rule changes affected Schumacher's car tyres and Bridgestone were unable to match the might of the Michelin tyres. A few races into the season, Schumacher was forced to proclaim that he "is no longer a contender, for his weapons had been blunted". He would win only one race, the US Grand Prix in 2005, a year when Fernando Alonso became the champion. After announcing that 2006 would be his last season, Schumacher gave it his all. He fought till the last race and lost to Fernando Alonso in the Brazilian GP. A see-saw season saw Schumacher claw his way back into contention only to have Alonso pull away. An announcement by Ferrari after the year's Italian GP made Schumacher's intentions of retirement public. Even the normally indifferent Italian media warmed up to Schumi on this occasion!

During his 15-year career, Schumacher set many benchmarks that will take a lot of racing to erase! He proved that a Formula 1 race is not always won by the best car. A good car is only one aspect of a race and driver skills have to take over especially when the conditions negate any technical advantage the car may offer. This was where Schumacher made his mark over the years. Known for his exceptionally quick laps when the going was tough, he would pull away from challengers just when they thought they had a chance! Schumacher was also known as the "Rain Master" for his driving skills in wet conditions. Wet conditions are believed to be the ‘greatest leveller' in F1. In conditions where the driver had to prove his capabilities, Schumacher often excelled and won races that were equally poised. In the annals of F1 racing, Schumacher will be seen as someone who, apart from being an exceptional driver, had the calculating mind of a good planner who could plan a race to the end and execute it perfectly to the T.

Post a most satisfying career as a Formula 1 driver, Michael Schumacher took on the position as an advisor to the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team.

Michael also holds the F1 records for: • Most career wins: 91 • Most wins in a season • Most career pole positions • Most points during a season (148 in 2004) • Most consecutive world championships: 5 • Most consecutive race wins: 2004 • Most podium finishes: 154 • Most laps leading • Most fastest laps: 76

Fresh from the GP2 testing recently, Schumacher is poised to take F1 by the collar again! As sharp as a Katana, Schumacher will not need much time to adjust to the new playing field laid out. With new regulations, new technology, new teams, fresh talent, on and off the track, the year 2010 is going to be a mélange of surprises for sure. The only difference which Schumacher may experience is the stunned silence at Monza when he powers down the start-finish straight, the tifosi silent, watching in awe, but too stunned to throw a Mexican wave