When we remember the legends of Formula 1 we never forget to mention the name of Michael Schumacher. Schumacher was a German driver and was only four years old when he started karting. After winning his first club championship in karting, businessmen from the town financially supported him to continue his races.
He made his first-ever Formula 1 debut in 1991 with Jordan Ford. He was signed to Mercedes but after Bertrand Gachot was imprisoned, he replaced him. For the rest of the season, he was driving for Jordan Ford and had qualified 7th but had to retire from the first lap at the Belgian Grand Prix. In 1992 Michael moved to Benetton.
Sauber team with Mercedes had been planning to make their Formula 1 debut. And had wanted Michael Schumacher to be driving for Mercedes if they ever entered Formula 1. However, Schumacher decided to stay with Benetton. With Benetton that season, he won his first-ever podium at the Mexican Grand Prix after he finished 3rd.
Michael Schumacher’s first-ever win in Formula 1
His first-ever win came at the age of 23 at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1992. He ended up finishing Third in the Driver’s Championship with 53 points, three points in front of Ayrton Senna. In 1994, Michael Schumacher won his first-ever World Champion title at the age of 25. However, his celebration had taken hold as he witnessed the death of Ayrton Senna.
Soon, Schumacher had won 6 of the 7 races for the 1995 season. He was leading the Spanish Grand Prix when his gearbox had failed which had not allowed him to race further. For the next few races, Schumacher was not given a chance to race due to a series of unfortunate events that took place for the team and the German racer himself.
At the last race of the season, Michael Schumacher was ready to race his close competitor, Damon Hill who was only 1 point behind Schumacher. During the race, Damon Hill had tried to overtake Schumacher which made the racers collide and they both retired. This caused Schumacher to win his second championship title and finish first at the Driver’s Championship.
The making of a 7 time World Champion
In 1996, Schumacher moved to Ferrari and in the Driver’s Championship was only able to finish third. In 1999, Schumacher had failed to compete due to a broken leg from a crash but in the following year, he made a comeback by winning his third World Champion title. This was also Ferrari’s first Driver’s Championship title ever since 1979.
After his godly win in 2000, Schumacher made history by winning 5 consecutive Championship titles from 2000 to 2004. He had become the first ever German driver to become a 7 time World Champion. The German driver broke a 70-year-long record of 5 World Championships by winning 7 World Championships.
He had no luck after his 7th World title and had finished third and second in 2005 and 1006 seasons. Schumacher had announced his retirement with a record of 91 victories in Grand Prix which had surpassed the previous record of 51 by Alain Prost. Schumacher soon returned to the world of Formula 1 and joined Mercedes in 2010.
Even after his comeback he had not been able to win any races and had only finished 8th in the Driver’s Standings. He announced his retirement again in 2012 after spending three seasons with Mercedes. Even though he had retired he was said to be one of the highest-paid drivers, receiving $100 million as an annual income.
In December 2013, a piece of unfortunate news had fallen on the headlines. Schumacher had fallen into a coma after hitting his head on a rock while skiing. He soon recovered but his family has kept his life private and no updates had been given on his health after.
