Motor-racing driver, born in Hürth-Hermuhlheim, Germany. He began racing karts at the age of five, became German and European Senior Kart champion in 1987, moved up to Formula Ford (1988) and Formula Three (1989), and won the German F3 Championship in 1990. He made his F1 debut with Jordan in 1990, but was immediately given a place in the Benetton team, with whom he became world champion in 1994 and 1995. He joined the (unusually) struggling Ferrari team in 1996, and achieved second place in the 1997 championship, but lost this position following an enquiry into a driving incident in which his car hit Villeneuve's. In 1999, while in contention for the driver's championship, he suffered a broken leg at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, which ended his challenge for the season. He won the world championship for Ferrari in 20002, overtaking Alain Prost's all-time record of 51 Grand Prix wins, and in 2003 gained a record sixth world title, surpassing Juan Fangio's total of five world championship wins. He became the first driver to win the world championship seven times with victory at the Canadian Grand Prix in 2004. He retired at the end of the 2006 season. His brother, Ralf Schumacher (1975 ), is also a F1 motor-racing driver.
As of 2006, Schumacher holds nearly every record in Formula One, including most drivers' championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, and most races won in a single season. Schumacher won one race, the Portuguese Grand Prix and retired in seven of the other 15 races. However, Schumacher led the Championship through the mid season, winning five races, and entered the last Grand Prix of the season at Jerez with a one point advantage over Villeneuve. Schumacher won six races during the season, equalling the Finn with 80 points by the 14th of 16 races. At the post race press conference, Schumacher broke into tears when asked about his feelings on equalling his idol Ayrton Senna's record of 41 race wins. Season highlights included the Canadian Grand Prix, where Schumacher finished 2nd to his brother Ralf, thus scoring the first ever 1-2 finish with two brothers and the Belgian Grand Prix where Schumacher scored his 52nd career win, breaking Alain Prost's record for most career wins. Ferrari won 15 out of 17 races and Schumacher won the title with six races remaining in the season. Schumacher also broke Nigel Mansell's and his own record of nine race wins in a season, scoring 11 and finishing every race on the podium.In 2004, Schumacher won a record twelve of the first thirteen races of the season, only failing to finish in Monaco after an accident with Juan Pablo Montoya during the safety car period.
2005 − 2006
In 2005 Schumacher's sole win was at the United States Grand Prix, a race contested by only six cars due to safety concerns about the Michelin tyres used by most teams.
Retirement
While Schumacher was on the podium after winning the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari issued a press release stating that he would retire from racing at the end of the 2006 season.
Championship deciding collisions
Going into the 1994 Australian Grand Prix, the final race of the 1994 season, Schumacher led Damon Hill by a single point in the Drivers' Championship.
At the 1997 European Grand Prix at Jerez, the last race of the season, Schumacher led Jacques Villeneuve by one point in the Drivers' Championship. Schumacher retired from the race immediately while Villeneuve was able to finish the race in the third place, taking four points and so becoming the World Champion.
Other incidents
Two laps from the finish of the 1998 British Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher was leading the race when he was issued with a stop-and-go penalty for passing another driver under safety car period. In the final metres of the race, the Brazilian driver, under orders from Ferrari, slowed his car to make way for Schumacher to pass and win the race.
Although Schumacher took the pole position during the qualifying for the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix, there was controversy near the end of the session as Schumacher stopped his car in the Rascasse corner of the circuit, near the end of it, partially blocking the circuit when his main contender for the season title, Fernando Alonso, was on his qualifying lap.
Complete Formula One results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 |
Jordan* Benetton |
USA - |
BRA - |
SMR - |
MON - |
CAN - |
MEX - |
FRA - |
GBR - |
GER - |
HUN - |
BEL RET |
ITA 5 |
POR 6 |
ESP 6 |
JPN RET |
AUS RET |
14th | 4 | |||
| 1992 | Benetton |
RSA 4 |
MEX 3 |
BRA 3 |
ESP 2 |
SMR RET |
MON 4 |
CAN 2 |
FRA RET |
GBR 4 |
GER 3 |
HUN RET |
BEL 1 |
ITA 3 |
POR 7 |
JPN RET |
AUS 2 |
3rd | 53 | |||
| 1993 | Benetton |
RSA RET |
BRA 3 |
EUR RET |
SMR 2 |
ESP 3 |
MON RET |
CAN 2 |
FRA 3 |
GBR 2 |
GER 2 |
HUN RET |
BEL 2 |
ITA RET |
POR 1 |
JPN RET |
AUS RET |
4th | 52 | |||
| 1994 | Benetton |
BRA 1 |
PFC 1 |
SMR 1 |
MON 1 |
ESP 2 |
CAN 1 |
FRA 1 |
GBR DSQ |
GER RET |
HUN 1 |
BEL DSQ |
ITA EX |
POR EX |
EUR 1 |
JPN 2 |
AUS RET |
1st | 92 | |||
| 1995 | Benetton |
BRA 1 |
ARG 3 |
SMR RET |
ESP 1 |
MON 1 |
CAN 5 |
FRA 1 |
GBR RET |
GER 1 |
HUN RET |
BEL 1 |
ITA RET |
POR 2 |
EUR 1 |
PFC 1 |
JPN 1 |
AUS RET |
1st | 102 | ||
| 1996 | Ferrari |
AUS RET |
BRA 3 |
ARG RET |
EUR 2 |
SMR 2 |
MON RET |
ESP 1 |
CAN RET |
FRA DNS |
GBR RET |
GER 4 |
HUN 9 |
BEL 1 |
ITA 1 |
POR 3 |
JPN 2 |
3rd | 59 | |||
| 1997 | Ferrari |
AUS 2 |
BRA 5 |
ARG RET |
SMR 2 |
MON 1 |
ESP 4 |
CAN 1 |
FRA 1 |
GBR RET |
GER 2 |
HUN 4 |
BEL 1 |
ITA 6 |
AUT 6 |
LUX RET |
JPN 1 |
EUR RET |
DSQ** | 78 | ||
| 1998 | Ferrari |
AUS RET |
BRA 3 |
ARG 1 |
SMR 2 |
ESP 3 |
MON 10 |
CAN 1 |
FRA 1 |
GBR 1 |
AUT 3 |
GER 5 |
HUN 1 |
BEL RET |
ITA 1 |
LUX 2 |
JPN RET |
2nd | 86 | |||
| 1999 | Ferrari |
AUS 8 |
BRA 2 |
SMR 1 |
MON 1 |
ESP 3 |
CAN RET |
FRA 5 |
GBR DNS |
AUT Inj |
GER Inj |
HUN Inj |
BEL Inj |
ITA Inj |
EUR Inj |
MYS 2 |
JPN 2 |
5th | 44 | |||
| 2000 | Ferrari |
AUS 1 |
BRA 1 |
SMR 1 |
GBR 3 |
ESP 5 |
EUR 1 |
MON RET |
CAN 1 |
FRA RET |
AUT RET |
GER RET |
HUN 2 |
BEL 2 |
ITA 1 |
USA 1 |
JPN 1 |
MYS 1 |
1st | 108 | ||
| 2001 | Ferrari |
AUS 1 |
MYS 1 |
BRA 2 |
SMR RET |
ESP 1 |
AUT 2 |
MON 1 |
CAN 2 |
EUR 1 |
FRA 1 |
GBR 2 |
GER RET |
HUN 1 |
BEL 1 |
ITA 4 |
USA 2 |
JPN 1 |
1st | 123 | ||
| 2002 | Ferrari |
AUS 1 |
MYS 3 |
BRA 1 |
SMR 1 |
ESP 1 |
AUT 1 |
MON 2 |
CAN 1 |
EUR 2 |
GBR 1 |
FRA 1 |
GER 1 |
HUN 2 |
BEL 1 |
ITA 2 |
USA 2 |
JPN 1 |
1st | 144 | ||
| 2003 | Ferrari |
AUS 4 |
MYS 6 |
BRA RET |
SMR 1 |
ESP 1 |
AUT 1 |
MON 3 |
CAN 1 |
EUR 5 |
FRA 3 |
GBR 4 |
GER 7 |
HUN 8 |
ITA 1 |
USA 1 |
JPN 8 |
1st | 93 | |||
| 2004 | Ferrari |
AUS 1 |
MYS 1 |
BAH 1 |
SMR 1 |
ESP 1 |
MON Ret |
EUR 1 |
CAN 1 |
USA 1 |
FRA 1 |
GBR 1 |
GER 1 |
HUN 1 |
BEL 2 |
ITA 2 |
CHN 12 |
JPN 1 |
BRA 7 |
1st | 148 | |
| 2005 | Ferrari |
AUS RET |
MYS 7 |
BAH RET |
SMR 2 |
ESP RET |
MON 7 |
EUR 5 |
CAN 2 |
USA 1 |
FRA 3 |
GBR 6 |
GER 5 |
HUN 2 |
TUR RET |
ITA 10 |
BEL RET |
BRA 4 |
JPN 7 |
CHN RET |
3rd | 62 |
| 2006 | Ferrari |
BAH 2 |
MYS 6 |
AUS RET |
SMR 1 |
EUR 1 |
ESP 2 |
MON 5 |
GBR 2 |
CAN 2 |
USA 1 |
FRA 1 |
GER 1 |
HUN 8 |
TUR 3 |
ITA 1 |
CHN 1 |
JPN RET |
BRA 4 |
2nd | 121 |
* Schumacher only raced for Jordan in the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix
** Schumacher was disqualified from the 1997 WDC due to dangerous driving in the European Grand Prix, where he caused an avoidable accident with Villeneuve. ."
Formula One records
As of the end of the 2006 Formula One Season, Michael Schumacher holds the following F1 records:
Career Records:
Most championship titles: 7 Most consecutive championship titles: 5 Most race wins: 91 Most consecutive race wins: 7 (in 2004 - European GP, Canadian GP, United States GP, French GP, British GP, German GP, Hungarian GP; record shared with Alberto Ascari) Most race wins with one team: 72 with Ferrari Most race wins at the same GP: 8 at the French Grand Prix (Magny-Cours) Most different GPs (by country) won: 20 Most time between first and last race wins: 14 years, 1 month and 2 days Most second place finishes: 43 Most podium finishes: 154 Most consecutive podium finishes: 19 (from the 2001 United States Grand Prix, until the 2002 Japanese Grand Prix) Most points finishes: 190 Most laps leading: 4741 (with a total of 22,155 km (13,758 mi) in 131 Grands Prix) Most pole positions: 68 Most starts from first row: 115 Most fastest laps: 76 Most doubles (pole position and race win): 40 Most hat-trick (pole position, race win and fastest lap): 22 Most championship points: 1,369 Most consecutive race finished without retirement: 24 (from the 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix, until the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix) Most championship points in a season for a vice-world champion: 121 (out of a maximum of 180) Most wins in a season for a vice-world champion: 7 (ties Alain Prost and Kimi Räikkönen) Most appearances for the same constructor and the same engine builder - both Ferrari: 180 Only racing driver ever, in any racing class, to win 5 times at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Only Formula One driver to win 5 times at Autodromo Nazionale Monza2004:
Most race wins in a season: 13 (out of 18 races) Most fastest laps in a season: 10 (out of 18 races; tied by Räikkönen in 2005) Most championship points in a season: 148 (out of a maximum of 180)2002:
Most podium finishes in a season: 17 (out of 17 races) Won the championship with more rounds to spare than any other driver: 6He was the youngest double World Champion when he won the championship in 1995 aged 26 years, 9 months and 19 days, but this record was beaten by Fernando Alonso in 2006, when he won his 2nd championship aged 25 years, 3 months and 24 days.
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