At the European Grand Prix of 2012, Michael Schumacher behind the wheel of a Mercedes, gloriously ended his six-year podium drought in an exciting turn of events. The seasoned driver took a stellar third position thanks to his outstanding performance. This was the very same race that ended up being one of the most volatile races in Formula 1 history where Fernando Alonso won his 29th race.
Alonso grew emotional on that historic podium as the Spanish national anthem began to play. Schumacher stood next to him, savoring a landmark victory. The German driver’s stellar career came to an end in this race, which was the 155th and last occasion he found himself on F1 podium. A couple of months after this grand win, Schumacher was struck with an ill-fated accident.
Last time the legendary F1 driver stood on the podium
For Schumacher, the campaign of 2012 had been painful due to unfavorable circumstances that dampened the thrill of his Mercedes comeback. When Schumacher arrived in Valencia, the year had yielded just two points, a long cry from the performance that a seven-time world champion ought to deliver.
Alonso’s best win and F1’s best podium by being joined by Raikkonen & Schumacher. Valencia 2012 – CLASSIC race! #F1. pic.twitter.com/2O0zdWdP0e
— Paul McGinnes 🏁 (@PaulMcG92) March 27, 2013
The street track in Valencia, which hosted the Formula 1 event in 2012, posed another set of challenges. Alongside Alonso, Schumacher had a difficult qualifying session, starting 12th on the grid. Then 43-year-old German had an uphill start to the race, losing places and suffering a hit from Bruno Senna. After making a tactical adjustment during his first pit stop, he fell to 17th place, but a safety car period allowed him to move up to seventh.
Following Sebastian Vettel’s mishap and a calculated pit stop, he further solidified his position. With fresher tires, Schumacher launched a late surge that saw him overtake rivals and take third place on the podium.
Did Michael Schumacher win a race with Mercedes?
A great deal of his victories came from his partnership with Ferrari, where he won five straight championships from 2000 and 2004. After initially retiring from Formula 1 in 2006, Schumacher returned to the sport in 2010 and signed a three-year contract with Mercedes. However, the German driver did not win a Grand Prix event during his association with Silver Arrows.
Michael Schumacher celebrates winning the China Grand Prix 2006 (Last Victory in Ferrari) pic.twitter.com/X8mxrQfT3E
— Sam Nauta (@Sam__Nauta) February 6, 2014
The 2006 Chinese Grand Prix marked a dramatic turnaround for Schumacher as if he were making amends for past losses. This race, which had many of his unique traits, proved to be the finale of his record 91 Formula 1 wins. As the race started, the reigning champion from Renault, Alonso along with Schumacher was engaged in a one-on-one brawl.
Refusing to give up, the Spaniard began closing the distance fast, and the race grew thrilling with the rain that fell late in the race. With an impressive solo effort, Schumacher took advantage of a tactical pit stop to quickly overtake Giancarlo Fisichella for the lead and went on to win the race.
