Michael Schumacher, the Formula 1 driver, has held records for 20 years, which is why he is considered the greatest racer in history. Schumacher has won the championship title seven times in the main racing series, and he remains the only driver to have achieved this five times in a row. The German driver has set numerous other records, but for the past ten years, he has been confined to bed after a skiing accident where he suffered a head injury. On the occasion of his 55th birthday, "Gazeta.Ru" remembers his major achievements and the most interesting stories from his career and life.
On January 3, legendary German Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher turns 55. He is a seven-time world champion and holds records in various categories of "royal auto racing". Some of his records have already been broken by British driver Lewis Hamilton, but not all of them. Schumacher's journey in motorsport was not easy, just like any great champion's. However, his talent was evident from the beginning, which made him a controversial figure early in his career.
A Surprising Debut in Formula 1
In a way, Michael Schumacher's fate was predetermined. His father worked as the director of a karting track and built his son's first kart, putting him behind the wheel at the age of four. Achieving success at a young age, Schumacher obtained a racing license from Luxembourg at the age of 14 (where the age limit was lower than in Germany), and at 15, he became the champion of his home country in karting, followed by the European karting championship.
He entered the world of open-wheel racing, known as "formula" championships, at the age of 19. His major achievements at this stage included winning the German Formula 3 championship and finishing second in his only race in the Japanese Formula 3000 series, which was the second-highest level series after Formula 1 at that time.
In 1991, Schumi participated in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing fifth with his team. It was the young German driver who set the fastest lap time in the race.
One of the champions of that Le Mans race was Belgian driver Bertrand Gachot, who also competed in Formula 1 for the "Jordan" team. It was his best season in his career but not the best year in his life. He was accused of attacking a taxi driver, Eric Wright, with a gas canister in London and was sentenced to 18 months with immediate effect. The verdict was delivered after the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Gachot set the fastest lap, and just before his home race, the Belgian Grand Prix. The pilot managed to make a detour to attend the trial on his way to tests in Imola, being confident that he would receive either a fine or a suspended sentence.
In the end, Eddie Jordan, who was considering various candidates to replace Gachot, chose Schumacher. Talent, of course, played a role, but the main factor was money: Schumi was paid a large sum of £150,000 for his participation in the race at that time.
Michael immediately showed that the choice was justified. He surprised the team during practice sessions, even though he had never raced on the Spa circuit before (he had cycled around it for two laps before his debut). In qualifying, the future Red Baron set the seventh fastest time, while his experienced teammate Andrea de Cesaris, who was competing in his 160th Grand Prix, only managed 11th. Furthermore, the German driver would have likely been fifth, as he was improving on his final attempt, but it was interrupted by yellow flags due to Jean Alesi's spin.
For many years, it was believed that he burned the clutch due to inexperience and the desire to make an immediate impact and advance as much as possible. However, it was later discovered that the aluminum hub, which was essentially stolen from a set provided by Williams, was to blame in the Jordan car.
At Williams, they made the decision to use a titanium hub in the clutch, accurately assessing the high load on the component. But Eddie Jordan's team had a limited budget and finished seasons with deficits, so they chose to save money and stick with the aluminum hub, which led to its failure.
The Importance of an Article
Despite the unsuccessful race, Schumacher's first Grand Prix impressed the racing world to such an extent that it immediately caused a frenzy. There are many versions of what happened next over the years, but the indisputable fact is as follows: that Belgian race became the only one for the German driver with Jordan, and from the next Grand Prix onwards, he raced for Benetton.
Naturally, the transfer was highly scandalous, leading to strained relations between Eddie Jordan and the head of Benetton, Flavio Briatore. Moreover, the Irish team manager blamed Bernie Ecclestone, the head and ideologist of Formula 1, for "stealing" the talent. Here, the story becomes even more interesting. Schumacher's side actually signed a document during the first Grand Prix that was supposed to be a legally binding preliminary contract.
"Dear Eddie! I confirm that if you allow me to debut at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, I will sign a contract with you as a driver for the Monza races in 1991, 1992, and 1993, as well as for 1994, taking into account Mercedes' first option. The contract will be signed in the form of an agreement on your conditions, but any points can be discussed personally," the letter stated. "I am aware that Sauber will pay you £150,000 for each race in 1991. I am also aware that you demand $3.5 million for the 1992 and 1993 seasons, and if I or my sponsors do not provide you with these funds, you will have the full right to refuse my services for these seasons. Sincerely, Michael Schumacher."
In the last sentence of the first paragraph (regarding the conditions and "personal discussion"), it is crossed out, but the stumbling block was not that, but... the article. Whether it was a deliberate trick on the part of Willi Weber, who was already serving as the driver's manager at that time, or whether it happened unintentionally, the phrase "a driver contract" ended up with an indefinite article "a" instead of the definite article "the".
From the perspective of English jurisprudence, with a definite article, it would refer to a specific driver contract in Formula 1, whereas with the article "a", it could imply any contract between Schumacher and the team. Schumacher scored points in the first three races with Benetton (when only the top six drivers scored points), while struggling Jordan made a mistake with the engine supplier for the next season and suffered for many years waiting for success.
As for Schumacher, in the following two seasons with Benetton, he won races and finished third and fourth in the overall championship standings before moving to Ferrari and winning two consecutive championships.
Records and Greatness
Michael Schumacher is a great racer, and everyone knows that. It is not necessary to be interested in Formula 1, as in Russia, his name has long become synonymous. Fast or particularly daring drivers on the road are still referred to as "Schumachers."
The German driver has left a truly rich legacy. During his career, he rewrote most of the major records in Formula 1. No one had previously won seven consecutive World Championships. Lewis Hamilton has now matched this achievement. However, he risks losing one of his titles due to a legal process initiated by Felipe Massa regarding the 2008 season.
But regardless of the outcome of that process, Hamilton has not been able to, and now seems unlikely to even match another Schumacher record - five consecutive championships, which the Red Baron won with Ferrari from 2000 to 2004. At the time of his retirement, Schumacher was leading, and now he holds the second position in wins (91), podium finishes (155), and pole positions (68). These achievements have been surpassed by Lewis Hamilton.
But the number of consecutive seasons with at least one Grand Prix win remained a record for the German. Hamilton was able to match his record with 15 consecutive seasons with at least one win. However, the British driver was let down by a struggling Mercedes in the past two years, as he failed to win any races.
Furthermore, Hamilton was unable to reach another great record held by Schumacher - the number of races in which he set the fastest lap. Schumacher achieved this in 77 races.
Double fracture
The great domination might not have happened. In 1999 (already with Ferrari but not yet a champion), Schumacher had a fierce battle with Mika Hakkinen from McLaren for the title. The German always respected the Finn (they raced against each other in the junior series). At the eighth stage of the season in Silverstone, they had 40 and 32 points, favoring Hakkinen.
In the British Grand Prix, almost immediately after the start, Schumacher crashed off the track and hit the barrier head-on. The car heavily impacted the side, and the German suffered a double leg fracture. Instead, Schumacher, after missing six races, returned for the last two races of the season. He no longer had a chance for the title, but he wanted to help his teammate and, so to speak, gun-bearer Eddie Irvine. The Irishman had 60 points, only two points behind Hakkinen. In the first race after Schumacher's return, the Malaysian Grand Prix, Ferrari secured a one-two finish, with Schumacher giving the victory to his teammate to put him in the lead.
However, in the final race of the season, Hakkinen, who needed a win to secure the title, managed to leave all competitors behind and claimed the trophy. Schumacher finished second again. But from the following season, he began his era of dominance.
Unique season
Neither Hamilton, nor Verstappen (yet?), nor anyone else has been able to accomplish one more thing that Schumacher achieved.
In the 2002 season, the dominance of Ferrari and their leading driver reached its peak. Michael won 11 races, finished second in five races, and ended one race in third place. Thus, he stood on the podium in every race of the season!
Max Verstappen came closest to replicating this achievement in the 2023 campaign but could only finish fifth in the Singapore Grand Prix.
Symbolically, both Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc finishing the race in fourth place and Carlos Sainz Jr. securing the Scuderia's only victory of the season, kept him off the podium in Asia.
Fatal Crash in the Alps
Michael Schumacher was always visible not only on the track. Even during his career, he became well-known for charity football matches, leading a Formula 1 team.
In his childhood, the German actively practiced judo. Perhaps partly due to this, he tried to settle disputes with his opponents using his fists on several occasions during his career.
One of the most memorable incidents was in 1998 when he retired from the race due to a collision with David Coulthard, who was lapped at the time. Schumacher immediately ran to confront his rival, whose car was being repaired in the pits. The McLaren mechanics managed to intervene before the enraged Schumi arrived.
The Red Baron also enjoyed other sporting activities. One of his main pastimes was skiing. It was on a skiing trip to the French Alps that a tragedy occurred, forever changing his life and the lives of his family.
Since then, Schumacher has been confined to a bed in his family home in Switzerland. His wife, Corinna, leads a very private life, not even allowing his longtime manager and friend, Willi Weber, to visit him. As a result, Weber has repeatedly spoken to the media about his suffering.
In 2021, Schumacher's family confirmed in a Netflix documentary film that he is still unable to move independently and communicate fully with his loved ones, and more than £20 million has been spent on his treatment.
However, always attentive to details, Schumacher once insured his life for £90 million. According to the terms of the contract, in the event of an accident resulting in the legendary driver's disability, his wife, as well as his daughter and son, were supposed to receive £10 million each.
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