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With the new season a couple of months away and my annual preview in the works, I thought I might as well write a topic on Michael Schumacher, who retired from Formula 1 racing at the end of the 2006 season.
Just to point out at the start, this is a look back at Michael Schumacher’s F1 career from my standpoint. I’ve looked at a few outside sources to refresh my memory but any opinion given is my own.
Michael Schumacher’s last race was the 22nd October 2006 in Brazil. His first full season was in 1992 but he started his career in 1991. Schumacher’s career has been full of victory, controversy and the occasional struggle. What do you think about Schumacher? Is he as good as most people say he is? Do you believe the statistics that Schumacher is the greatest? Has the controversy he has courted throughout his career hurt his reputation? Should he have stayed another year? Let’s have a look back through his career and judge for yourself.
Schumacher’s career began in 1991 when he got to drive the Jordan car in Belgium. He actually lied to get that seat as he said he had extensive knowledge of the track but had only been round the track once on a bicycle. He replaced Bertrand Gachot, who had gotten himself arrested, and showed his potential right away qualifying 7th, equalling Jordan’s best qualifying of the year. Although he retired on the first lap with a clutch problem, it was obvious that big things were in the future of the German.
His career took off quickly as he was snapped up by Benetton and raced the remainder of the season with them. Benetton were accused of stealing Schumacher from a binding Jordan contract; the squabbling obvious that Schumacher was highly thought of.
1992 was Schumacher’s first full season and almost exactly a year after his first race, he gets his first career win in Belgium. The Benetton wasn’t as advanced as the Williams and the McLaren but he finished 3rd in the Championship ahead of Senna.
In 1993, I would say it was Schumacher’s break out year. He may have scored less points and finished 4th in the Championship but he showed he was a contender. With rule changes coming in for 1994, Schumacher showed he could live with the best at the time. I remember well the Belgium Grand Prix as Hill, Prost and Schumacher started trading lap records in the last 10 laps with Schumacher beating Prost for 2nd place.
1994 was a year most would like to forget. For Schumacher, it was his first World title in just his 3rd full year. Senna had victory in sight in Brazil but Schumacher took the win when Senna retired and Schumacher took victory in Aida. The third race of the season was San Marino.
San Marino will always be remembered for the tragic deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger. There were many other incidents. Barrichello literally flew off a kerb and into the top of a tyre barrier. JJ Lehto stopped on the grid and the resulting accident of someone ploughing into him caused a tyre to fly into the crowd and injure 7 people and a member of the pit crew got run over. The misery continued in Monaco when Wendlinger was put into a coma after a crash.
All this prompted many debates about safety. Schumacher took wins in San Marino and Monaco to take 4 straight wins. This put Schumacher in a strong position with Williams mourning the loss of Senna and key members of the team facing an investigation into the incident. All of this left Schumacher only facing a relative rookie in F1, Damon Hill, to win his first title.
Schumacher took 6 wins out of 7 races but the controversy had only just begun. Several teams accused Benetton of cheating; using banned electronic aids, because of their rise to the top. It was found that a few teams had this software but they couldn’t prove it was being used, so no action was taken and Benetton wasn’t one of those teams – apparently.
Schumacher was in a strong position but the British Grand Prix was the start of a number of controversial incidents. He passed a car on the formation lap, which was against the rules at the time, and was issued a penalty. He then ignored the penalty that he was given and then ignored the black flag. The excuses were quick to come from Benetton but ignoring black flags was serious and it resulted in a 2 race ban.
Benetton were in trouble again when they removed a key component from the fuel filler at the German Grand Prix, resulting in a pit lane fire. Benetton claimed that they had gotten FIA approval for their actions but the other teams were convinced that it was so Benetton could get fuel into their cars quicker.
Schumacher’s Benetton was disqualified from the Belgium Grand Prix when the skid block on the car was shown to have worn more than was legal. Benetton again made excuses but the disqualification stood and the teams accused Benetton of deliberately shaving the block to give the cars extra speed.
At this point, Schumacher, on the face of it, had little to do with the controversy but how much did he actually know about Benetton’s tactics, if they were true? Whatever your opinion, Schumacher is the only person who can take the blame for the final incident in 1994.
Schumacher’s penalties meant Hill could close the gap and a thrilling race in Japan meant the Australian Grand Prix would decide the World Championship with only 1 point between them. Schumacher led the race with Hill 2nd when Schumacher went off and hit the wall. Hill went for a pass as Schumacher recovered and they collided. Both eventually retired from the race handing the title to Schumacher. Schumacher has been roundly criticised for turning into Hill but no action was taken meaning Schumacher was World Champion.
1995 was a less controversial year as Schumacher took World Title number 2. His car was widely regarded as inferior to the Williams but the Williams struggled with reliability problems, most frequently hydraulic problems, leaving Schumacher to pick up 9 wins. He also showed his quality as a racing driver when won the Belgium Grand Prix from 16th on the grid. Schumacher and Hill weren’t best friends and this was evident when Schumacher took Hill out in Britain and Hill repaid the favour in Italy.
Schumacher signed for Ferrari for the 1996 season and it would be at Ferrari where he enjoyed his most successful years. The move was a surprise to many as the Ferrari car was considered to be really poor. Some may remember how Schumacher had to tilt his head down the straights because the airbox was too low. It turned out to be an inspired move as Benetton would fall from the heights and would eventually be bought out by Renault. Whether Schumacher knew what was going on behind the scenes is unclear.
1996 was not a good year for Schumacher. The Ferrari was unreliable and aerodynamically poor but Schumacher still hustled 3 wins out of the car, underlining his ability to get the best out of a car. Schumacher had kept his nose clean for the last 2 years but 1997 would be a return to controversy for him.
1997 was looking like a great year for Ferrari. They were fighting for the World Championship once again and it was partly credited to Schumacher’s uniting influence as teams were seemingly built around him. The Championship chase mirrored 1994 closely as Schumacher took a 1 point lead into the final race. His opponent this time was Jacques Villeneuve and once again, Schumacher was ahead.
Villeneuve was closing in and went for an overtaking manoeuvre. Schumacher deliberately turned into Villeneuve. Schumacher retired from the race immediately after the crash. Villeneuve’s car was damaged but could continue. Schumacher’s move had backfired and Villeneuve went on to win the title.
An inquest into the incident was taken after the event. Schumacher’s act was a serious mistake and he became the first driver ever to be disqualified from the World Championship. His action was condemned by many including the media in his home country, Germany, and Italy.
With all eyes on Schumacher after his disgraceful end to the previous season, Schumacher was back to his brilliant best in 1998, although there were signs of the pressure beginning to tell. At the Belgium Grand Prix, conditions were atrocious with heavy rain and poor visibility. Schumacher was approaching Coulthard to lap him when Schumacher crashed into the back of him. Schumacher got his car back to the pit lane but he was fuming. He stormed over to Coulthard’s pit garage and accused Coulthard of trying to kill him. The points were level with 2 rounds to go but Schumacher’s failure to finish the final race in Japan handed the title to Hakkinen.
1999 was one of Schumacher’s worst years. He had only 2 wins in the first 7 races and it was time for the British Grand Prix. He suffered a rear brake failure at the fastest part of the circuit and speared into the tyre wall. The accident left him with a broken leg which would end his Drivers Championship hopes, as he had to sit out 6 of the remaining 8 races.
His return in Malaysia was spectacular. It was the first time that the Formula 1 road show had been to Malaysia but Schumacher was the star as he blew every driver out of the water. He was playing second fiddle to Eddie Irvine though so he allowed Irvine to take the win. However, questions arose in the last round whether Schumacher was committed to helping Irvine to win the title. Schumacher had shown he had the pace to match and even beat Hakkinen but he didn’t put Hakkinen under any pressure and Hakkinen took the title again. Whether this was due to the fact that he wanted to bring the glory days back to Ferrari by giving them the Drivers Championship rather than someone else is unclear, but it did seem that he was uninterested in helping Irvine in Japan.
2000 saw Schumacher go up against Hakkinen once again but this time Schumacher got the upper hand. After winning the Constructors Championship for Ferrari in 1999, Ferrari’s other ambition was to win the Drivers Championship and Schumacher did that when he beat Hakkinen in a straight fight in Japan, the penultimate round, and end the 21 year wait for Ferrari. Schumacher showed emotion in the press conference when he asked about how he felt when he equalled Senna’s amount of wins after winning for the 41st time in Italy.
2001 was a much easier year for Schumacher as Ferrari’s dominance became clearer. He took nine wins and broke the record for most career wins held by Prost. No one got near Schumacher in the standings and he beat Coulthard by 58 points to take his 4th World Championship.
2002 was one of Schumacher’s and Ferrari’s most dominant performances. Ferrari won 15 of 17 and Schumacher won 11 of those as they waltzed to the title and Schumacher’s record equalling 5th World Championship. With the dominance came controversy with it.
Schumacher up to this point had never won in Austria and with Ferrari making sure that Schumacher was clear number 1 in the team and Barrichello number 2, Barrichello was given the job of letting Schumacher through to win. The crowd were not impressed and a farcical podium ceremony led to a Ferrari fine.
The issue of team orders was a sticky subject that wouldn’t go away. Schumacher, with the title almost over, tried to stage the closest finish in an F1 race when he slowed down and let Barrichello come alongside across the line in Indianapolis. It backfired as Barrichello won the race and the team was in trouble once again as they seemed to get the blame for the scenario. It led to the banning of team orders affecting the race outcome at the end of the season.
Ferrari was fast becoming one of the most hated teams in the paddock and the 2003 season didn’t help the cause. Schumacher was in trouble as he started the season off poorly but managed to claw it back and although wins were looking hard to come by, he led the Championship after the Hungarian Grand Prix by a point. The season looked very even but the FIA made the front tyres of Michelin illegal, meaning Michelin had to quickly change their tyres for the next race and this played right into the hands of Ferrari. Schumacher held on in a nervy final race to become the first ever 6 times World Champion.
2004 was Schumacher’s greatest season as he walked to the World title, winning an incredible 13 races out of 18 and 12 of the first 13. Ferrari was just as dominant as Barrichello kept following Schumacher home for many Ferrari 1-2’s. It was Schumacher’s last World Championship, his 7th in total.
The FIA were being accused of being pro-Ferrari and putting them above every other team. It was this and Ferrari’s dominance that led to a rule change that meant tyres would have to last a whole race distance.
Because of the change, Ferrari had a terrible year in 2005 and rumours were circulating that Schumacher would not return in 2006. Schumacher only managed to win 1 race in 2005 and it happened to be the Indianapolis race where only 6 cars started, due to safety concerns about Michelin tyres. A despondent looking Schumacher retired from the last race in China with his future uncertain.
Schumacher did return in 2006 and put up a brave fight to win the World Championship but it was not to be and Schumacher was once involved in a controversial incident. In Monaco, Schumacher was sitting in pole position as qualifying was drawing to a close, Alonso was out on the track trying to move up and Schumacher made a mistake at the tight Rascasse corner. He then stalled the car meaning he got pole position. The race stewards saw it as a deliberate attempt to block the track and end the session. He had to start at the back of the grid and Schumacher drew lots of criticism from fans, ex-drivers and the media.
In the race for the Championship, Alonso took an early lead but Schumacher kept pegging him back and the gap was barely changing from race to race. Wins in Italy and China made Schumacher level on points with Alonso with only 2 rounds to go and Schumacher had more wins, meaning he’d win in a tie break. After the Italian Grand Prix, news began to circulate that Schumacher had announced his retirement to the Ferrari team and a statement was released confirming that.
The Japanese Grand Prix proved to be a key race. Schumacher’s engine blew in Japan all but handing the title to Alonso. The final race would have to see Alonso not finish in the top 8 and Schumacher winning. It looked very unlikely as Alonso was circulating in a comfortable position and Schumacher a long way back after requiring a pit stop to replace a puncture. His drive to 4th was seen as a fitting end to Schumacher’s career as it showed his greatness as a driver.
Some would say that justice was done in that Schumacher did not win the Championship in his final season. The FIA were once again accuses of being in Ferrari’s camp when Alonso was penalised in qualifying for holding up Massa, even though Alonso was a long way in front. Briatore, previously a team principal in charge of Schumacher, was happy to see Schumacher leave Formula 1.
So, what do I think Michael Schumacher?
There can be no doubt that Schumacher is one of the most talented drivers of his generation. He won World titles with inferior and superior cars. In the earlier years, he had the ability to overtake in all conditions, drive a car competitively in one gear and have complete belief in wet and changeable conditions. He holds pretty much every record in F1.
However, all the controversial incidents have and will always tarnish the name of Schumacher. In my eyes, he will never be seen as the greatest driver ever, even if the records point to it. It also seemed in later years that he was uninterested in overtaking on the track. He would put in the fast laps around his pit stops and do all his overtaking in the pits.
To me, he is the most successful driver but he’ll never be the greatest.
And with that, his Formula 1 career ends. I hope you’ve enjoyed this walk through the career of Michael Schumacher. I pretty sure I’ve missed something from my final thoughts so I’ll probably adjust it later but I would like to know what you think of Schumacher and his career.
My preview of the new season will be up in the next couple of months so keep an eye out for that.
Thanks for reading.
Grandprix
Just to point out at the start, this is a look back at Michael Schumacher’s F1 career from my standpoint. I’ve looked at a few outside sources to refresh my memory but any opinion given is my own.
Michael Schumacher’s last race was the 22nd October 2006 in Brazil. His first full season was in 1992 but he started his career in 1991. Schumacher’s career has been full of victory, controversy and the occasional struggle. What do you think about Schumacher? Is he as good as most people say he is? Do you believe the statistics that Schumacher is the greatest? Has the controversy he has courted throughout his career hurt his reputation? Should he have stayed another year? Let’s have a look back through his career and judge for yourself.
Schumacher’s career began in 1991 when he got to drive the Jordan car in Belgium. He actually lied to get that seat as he said he had extensive knowledge of the track but had only been round the track once on a bicycle. He replaced Bertrand Gachot, who had gotten himself arrested, and showed his potential right away qualifying 7th, equalling Jordan’s best qualifying of the year. Although he retired on the first lap with a clutch problem, it was obvious that big things were in the future of the German.
His career took off quickly as he was snapped up by Benetton and raced the remainder of the season with them. Benetton were accused of stealing Schumacher from a binding Jordan contract; the squabbling obvious that Schumacher was highly thought of.
1992 was Schumacher’s first full season and almost exactly a year after his first race, he gets his first career win in Belgium. The Benetton wasn’t as advanced as the Williams and the McLaren but he finished 3rd in the Championship ahead of Senna.
In 1993, I would say it was Schumacher’s break out year. He may have scored less points and finished 4th in the Championship but he showed he was a contender. With rule changes coming in for 1994, Schumacher showed he could live with the best at the time. I remember well the Belgium Grand Prix as Hill, Prost and Schumacher started trading lap records in the last 10 laps with Schumacher beating Prost for 2nd place.
1994 was a year most would like to forget. For Schumacher, it was his first World title in just his 3rd full year. Senna had victory in sight in Brazil but Schumacher took the win when Senna retired and Schumacher took victory in Aida. The third race of the season was San Marino.
San Marino will always be remembered for the tragic deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger. There were many other incidents. Barrichello literally flew off a kerb and into the top of a tyre barrier. JJ Lehto stopped on the grid and the resulting accident of someone ploughing into him caused a tyre to fly into the crowd and injure 7 people and a member of the pit crew got run over. The misery continued in Monaco when Wendlinger was put into a coma after a crash.
All this prompted many debates about safety. Schumacher took wins in San Marino and Monaco to take 4 straight wins. This put Schumacher in a strong position with Williams mourning the loss of Senna and key members of the team facing an investigation into the incident. All of this left Schumacher only facing a relative rookie in F1, Damon Hill, to win his first title.
Schumacher took 6 wins out of 7 races but the controversy had only just begun. Several teams accused Benetton of cheating; using banned electronic aids, because of their rise to the top. It was found that a few teams had this software but they couldn’t prove it was being used, so no action was taken and Benetton wasn’t one of those teams – apparently.
Schumacher was in a strong position but the British Grand Prix was the start of a number of controversial incidents. He passed a car on the formation lap, which was against the rules at the time, and was issued a penalty. He then ignored the penalty that he was given and then ignored the black flag. The excuses were quick to come from Benetton but ignoring black flags was serious and it resulted in a 2 race ban.
Benetton were in trouble again when they removed a key component from the fuel filler at the German Grand Prix, resulting in a pit lane fire. Benetton claimed that they had gotten FIA approval for their actions but the other teams were convinced that it was so Benetton could get fuel into their cars quicker.
Schumacher’s Benetton was disqualified from the Belgium Grand Prix when the skid block on the car was shown to have worn more than was legal. Benetton again made excuses but the disqualification stood and the teams accused Benetton of deliberately shaving the block to give the cars extra speed.
At this point, Schumacher, on the face of it, had little to do with the controversy but how much did he actually know about Benetton’s tactics, if they were true? Whatever your opinion, Schumacher is the only person who can take the blame for the final incident in 1994.
Schumacher’s penalties meant Hill could close the gap and a thrilling race in Japan meant the Australian Grand Prix would decide the World Championship with only 1 point between them. Schumacher led the race with Hill 2nd when Schumacher went off and hit the wall. Hill went for a pass as Schumacher recovered and they collided. Both eventually retired from the race handing the title to Schumacher. Schumacher has been roundly criticised for turning into Hill but no action was taken meaning Schumacher was World Champion.
1995 was a less controversial year as Schumacher took World Title number 2. His car was widely regarded as inferior to the Williams but the Williams struggled with reliability problems, most frequently hydraulic problems, leaving Schumacher to pick up 9 wins. He also showed his quality as a racing driver when won the Belgium Grand Prix from 16th on the grid. Schumacher and Hill weren’t best friends and this was evident when Schumacher took Hill out in Britain and Hill repaid the favour in Italy.
Schumacher signed for Ferrari for the 1996 season and it would be at Ferrari where he enjoyed his most successful years. The move was a surprise to many as the Ferrari car was considered to be really poor. Some may remember how Schumacher had to tilt his head down the straights because the airbox was too low. It turned out to be an inspired move as Benetton would fall from the heights and would eventually be bought out by Renault. Whether Schumacher knew what was going on behind the scenes is unclear.
1996 was not a good year for Schumacher. The Ferrari was unreliable and aerodynamically poor but Schumacher still hustled 3 wins out of the car, underlining his ability to get the best out of a car. Schumacher had kept his nose clean for the last 2 years but 1997 would be a return to controversy for him.
1997 was looking like a great year for Ferrari. They were fighting for the World Championship once again and it was partly credited to Schumacher’s uniting influence as teams were seemingly built around him. The Championship chase mirrored 1994 closely as Schumacher took a 1 point lead into the final race. His opponent this time was Jacques Villeneuve and once again, Schumacher was ahead.
Villeneuve was closing in and went for an overtaking manoeuvre. Schumacher deliberately turned into Villeneuve. Schumacher retired from the race immediately after the crash. Villeneuve’s car was damaged but could continue. Schumacher’s move had backfired and Villeneuve went on to win the title.
An inquest into the incident was taken after the event. Schumacher’s act was a serious mistake and he became the first driver ever to be disqualified from the World Championship. His action was condemned by many including the media in his home country, Germany, and Italy.
With all eyes on Schumacher after his disgraceful end to the previous season, Schumacher was back to his brilliant best in 1998, although there were signs of the pressure beginning to tell. At the Belgium Grand Prix, conditions were atrocious with heavy rain and poor visibility. Schumacher was approaching Coulthard to lap him when Schumacher crashed into the back of him. Schumacher got his car back to the pit lane but he was fuming. He stormed over to Coulthard’s pit garage and accused Coulthard of trying to kill him. The points were level with 2 rounds to go but Schumacher’s failure to finish the final race in Japan handed the title to Hakkinen.
1999 was one of Schumacher’s worst years. He had only 2 wins in the first 7 races and it was time for the British Grand Prix. He suffered a rear brake failure at the fastest part of the circuit and speared into the tyre wall. The accident left him with a broken leg which would end his Drivers Championship hopes, as he had to sit out 6 of the remaining 8 races.
His return in Malaysia was spectacular. It was the first time that the Formula 1 road show had been to Malaysia but Schumacher was the star as he blew every driver out of the water. He was playing second fiddle to Eddie Irvine though so he allowed Irvine to take the win. However, questions arose in the last round whether Schumacher was committed to helping Irvine to win the title. Schumacher had shown he had the pace to match and even beat Hakkinen but he didn’t put Hakkinen under any pressure and Hakkinen took the title again. Whether this was due to the fact that he wanted to bring the glory days back to Ferrari by giving them the Drivers Championship rather than someone else is unclear, but it did seem that he was uninterested in helping Irvine in Japan.
2000 saw Schumacher go up against Hakkinen once again but this time Schumacher got the upper hand. After winning the Constructors Championship for Ferrari in 1999, Ferrari’s other ambition was to win the Drivers Championship and Schumacher did that when he beat Hakkinen in a straight fight in Japan, the penultimate round, and end the 21 year wait for Ferrari. Schumacher showed emotion in the press conference when he asked about how he felt when he equalled Senna’s amount of wins after winning for the 41st time in Italy.
2001 was a much easier year for Schumacher as Ferrari’s dominance became clearer. He took nine wins and broke the record for most career wins held by Prost. No one got near Schumacher in the standings and he beat Coulthard by 58 points to take his 4th World Championship.
2002 was one of Schumacher’s and Ferrari’s most dominant performances. Ferrari won 15 of 17 and Schumacher won 11 of those as they waltzed to the title and Schumacher’s record equalling 5th World Championship. With the dominance came controversy with it.
Schumacher up to this point had never won in Austria and with Ferrari making sure that Schumacher was clear number 1 in the team and Barrichello number 2, Barrichello was given the job of letting Schumacher through to win. The crowd were not impressed and a farcical podium ceremony led to a Ferrari fine.
The issue of team orders was a sticky subject that wouldn’t go away. Schumacher, with the title almost over, tried to stage the closest finish in an F1 race when he slowed down and let Barrichello come alongside across the line in Indianapolis. It backfired as Barrichello won the race and the team was in trouble once again as they seemed to get the blame for the scenario. It led to the banning of team orders affecting the race outcome at the end of the season.
Ferrari was fast becoming one of the most hated teams in the paddock and the 2003 season didn’t help the cause. Schumacher was in trouble as he started the season off poorly but managed to claw it back and although wins were looking hard to come by, he led the Championship after the Hungarian Grand Prix by a point. The season looked very even but the FIA made the front tyres of Michelin illegal, meaning Michelin had to quickly change their tyres for the next race and this played right into the hands of Ferrari. Schumacher held on in a nervy final race to become the first ever 6 times World Champion.
2004 was Schumacher’s greatest season as he walked to the World title, winning an incredible 13 races out of 18 and 12 of the first 13. Ferrari was just as dominant as Barrichello kept following Schumacher home for many Ferrari 1-2’s. It was Schumacher’s last World Championship, his 7th in total.
The FIA were being accused of being pro-Ferrari and putting them above every other team. It was this and Ferrari’s dominance that led to a rule change that meant tyres would have to last a whole race distance.
Because of the change, Ferrari had a terrible year in 2005 and rumours were circulating that Schumacher would not return in 2006. Schumacher only managed to win 1 race in 2005 and it happened to be the Indianapolis race where only 6 cars started, due to safety concerns about Michelin tyres. A despondent looking Schumacher retired from the last race in China with his future uncertain.
Schumacher did return in 2006 and put up a brave fight to win the World Championship but it was not to be and Schumacher was once involved in a controversial incident. In Monaco, Schumacher was sitting in pole position as qualifying was drawing to a close, Alonso was out on the track trying to move up and Schumacher made a mistake at the tight Rascasse corner. He then stalled the car meaning he got pole position. The race stewards saw it as a deliberate attempt to block the track and end the session. He had to start at the back of the grid and Schumacher drew lots of criticism from fans, ex-drivers and the media.
In the race for the Championship, Alonso took an early lead but Schumacher kept pegging him back and the gap was barely changing from race to race. Wins in Italy and China made Schumacher level on points with Alonso with only 2 rounds to go and Schumacher had more wins, meaning he’d win in a tie break. After the Italian Grand Prix, news began to circulate that Schumacher had announced his retirement to the Ferrari team and a statement was released confirming that.
The Japanese Grand Prix proved to be a key race. Schumacher’s engine blew in Japan all but handing the title to Alonso. The final race would have to see Alonso not finish in the top 8 and Schumacher winning. It looked very unlikely as Alonso was circulating in a comfortable position and Schumacher a long way back after requiring a pit stop to replace a puncture. His drive to 4th was seen as a fitting end to Schumacher’s career as it showed his greatness as a driver.
Some would say that justice was done in that Schumacher did not win the Championship in his final season. The FIA were once again accuses of being in Ferrari’s camp when Alonso was penalised in qualifying for holding up Massa, even though Alonso was a long way in front. Briatore, previously a team principal in charge of Schumacher, was happy to see Schumacher leave Formula 1.
So, what do I think Michael Schumacher?
There can be no doubt that Schumacher is one of the most talented drivers of his generation. He won World titles with inferior and superior cars. In the earlier years, he had the ability to overtake in all conditions, drive a car competitively in one gear and have complete belief in wet and changeable conditions. He holds pretty much every record in F1.
However, all the controversial incidents have and will always tarnish the name of Schumacher. In my eyes, he will never be seen as the greatest driver ever, even if the records point to it. It also seemed in later years that he was uninterested in overtaking on the track. He would put in the fast laps around his pit stops and do all his overtaking in the pits.
To me, he is the most successful driver but he’ll never be the greatest.
And with that, his Formula 1 career ends. I hope you’ve enjoyed this walk through the career of Michael Schumacher. I pretty sure I’ve missed something from my final thoughts so I’ll probably adjust it later but I would like to know what you think of Schumacher and his career.
My preview of the new season will be up in the next couple of months so keep an eye out for that.
Thanks for reading.
Grandprix
Der Nazi wrote:
> Vampyr wrote:
> yeah, he'll be forgotten just like Fangio was O_o
>
> I certainly wouldn't say Fangio was forgotten, he was certainly
> one of the best drivers F1 ever had, along with Senna, Ascari,
> Prost, Moss, Clark, Stewart et al!
*slaps Der Nazi with the sarcasm stick*
>_> read it over with sarcasm, makes sense :p
> Vampyr wrote:
> yeah, he'll be forgotten just like Fangio was O_o
>
> I certainly wouldn't say Fangio was forgotten, he was certainly
> one of the best drivers F1 ever had, along with Senna, Ascari,
> Prost, Moss, Clark, Stewart et al!
*slaps Der Nazi with the sarcasm stick*
>_> read it over with sarcasm, makes sense :p
Vampyr wrote:
> yeah, he'll be forgotten just like Fangio was O_o
I certainly wouldn't say Fangio was forgotten, he was certainly one of the best drivers F1 ever had, along with Senna, Ascari, Prost, Moss, Clark, Stewart et al!
My opinion on Schumacher: Incredible driver, though his use of rather underhand tactics does undermine his legacy to an extent, such as those collisions with Hill and Villeneuve. The best driver in the best machine... total domination. Yeah, it made races sometimes uninteresting, but it was definitely
an admirable feat.
> yeah, he'll be forgotten just like Fangio was O_o
I certainly wouldn't say Fangio was forgotten, he was certainly one of the best drivers F1 ever had, along with Senna, Ascari, Prost, Moss, Clark, Stewart et al!
My opinion on Schumacher: Incredible driver, though his use of rather underhand tactics does undermine his legacy to an extent, such as those collisions with Hill and Villeneuve. The best driver in the best machine... total domination. Yeah, it made races sometimes uninteresting, but it was definitely
an admirable feat.
Nice review. Although I've never been a Schumacher fan I don't deny that I think he is a superb driver. It's feel like a bit of an anti-climax him not retiring at the top - he should have retired years ago :)
Schumacher is German for cobblers.
should we lynch him, or simply disrespect his opinions? :P
Heh, I guess Tony doesn't like Schumacher very much. :D
yeah, he'll be forgotten just like Fangio was O_o
*spanks the staffie* >:P
*spanks the staffie* >:P
Vampyr wrote:
> Well written, schumacher truly was a legend :D
And may he long be forgotten, along with his brother.
> Well written, schumacher truly was a legend :D
And may he long be forgotten, along with his brother.
Well written, schumacher truly was a legend :D
With the new season a couple of months away and my annual preview in the works, I thought I might as well write a topic on Michael Schumacher, who retired from Formula 1 racing at the end of the 2006 season.
Just to point out at the start, this is a look back at Michael Schumacher’s F1 career from my standpoint. I’ve looked at a few outside sources to refresh my memory but any opinion given is my own.
Michael Schumacher’s last race was the 22nd October 2006 in Brazil. His first full season was in 1992 but he started his career in 1991. Schumacher’s career has been full of victory, controversy and the occasional struggle. What do you think about Schumacher? Is he as good as most people say he is? Do you believe the statistics that Schumacher is the greatest? Has the controversy he has courted throughout his career hurt his reputation? Should he have stayed another year? Let’s have a look back through his career and judge for yourself.
Schumacher’s career began in 1991 when he got to drive the Jordan car in Belgium. He actually lied to get that seat as he said he had extensive knowledge of the track but had only been round the track once on a bicycle. He replaced Bertrand Gachot, who had gotten himself arrested, and showed his potential right away qualifying 7th, equalling Jordan’s best qualifying of the year. Although he retired on the first lap with a clutch problem, it was obvious that big things were in the future of the German.
His career took off quickly as he was snapped up by Benetton and raced the remainder of the season with them. Benetton were accused of stealing Schumacher from a binding Jordan contract; the squabbling obvious that Schumacher was highly thought of.
1992 was Schumacher’s first full season and almost exactly a year after his first race, he gets his first career win in Belgium. The Benetton wasn’t as advanced as the Williams and the McLaren but he finished 3rd in the Championship ahead of Senna.
In 1993, I would say it was Schumacher’s break out year. He may have scored less points and finished 4th in the Championship but he showed he was a contender. With rule changes coming in for 1994, Schumacher showed he could live with the best at the time. I remember well the Belgium Grand Prix as Hill, Prost and Schumacher started trading lap records in the last 10 laps with Schumacher beating Prost for 2nd place.
1994 was a year most would like to forget. For Schumacher, it was his first World title in just his 3rd full year. Senna had victory in sight in Brazil but Schumacher took the win when Senna retired and Schumacher took victory in Aida. The third race of the season was San Marino.
San Marino will always be remembered for the tragic deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger. There were many other incidents. Barrichello literally flew off a kerb and into the top of a tyre barrier. JJ Lehto stopped on the grid and the resulting accident of someone ploughing into him caused a tyre to fly into the crowd and injure 7 people and a member of the pit crew got run over. The misery continued in Monaco when Wendlinger was put into a coma after a crash.
All this prompted many debates about safety. Schumacher took wins in San Marino and Monaco to take 4 straight wins. This put Schumacher in a strong position with Williams mourning the loss of Senna and key members of the team facing an investigation into the incident. All of this left Schumacher only facing a relative rookie in F1, Damon Hill, to win his first title.
Schumacher took 6 wins out of 7 races but the controversy had only just begun. Several teams accused Benetton of cheating; using banned electronic aids, because of their rise to the top. It was found that a few teams had this software but they couldn’t prove it was being used, so no action was taken and Benetton wasn’t one of those teams – apparently.
Schumacher was in a strong position but the British Grand Prix was the start of a number of controversial incidents. He passed a car on the formation lap, which was against the rules at the time, and was issued a penalty. He then ignored the penalty that he was given and then ignored the black flag. The excuses were quick to come from Benetton but ignoring black flags was serious and it resulted in a 2 race ban.
Benetton were in trouble again when they removed a key component from the fuel filler at the German Grand Prix, resulting in a pit lane fire. Benetton claimed that they had gotten FIA approval for their actions but the other teams were convinced that it was so Benetton could get fuel into their cars quicker.
Schumacher’s Benetton was disqualified from the Belgium Grand Prix when the skid block on the car was shown to have worn more than was legal. Benetton again made excuses but the disqualification stood and the teams accused Benetton of deliberately shaving the block to give the cars extra speed.
At this point, Schumacher, on the face of it, had little to do with the controversy but how much did he actually know about Benetton’s tactics, if they were true? Whatever your opinion, Schumacher is the only person who can take the blame for the final incident in 1994.
Schumacher’s penalties meant Hill could close the gap and a thrilling race in Japan meant the Australian Grand Prix would decide the World Championship with only 1 point between them. Schumacher led the race with Hill 2nd when Schumacher went off and hit the wall. Hill went for a pass as Schumacher recovered and they collided. Both eventually retired from the race handing the title to Schumacher. Schumacher has been roundly criticised for turning into Hill but no action was taken meaning Schumacher was World Champion.
1995 was a less controversial year as Schumacher took World Title number 2. His car was widely regarded as inferior to the Williams but the Williams struggled with reliability problems, most frequently hydraulic problems, leaving Schumacher to pick up 9 wins. He also showed his quality as a racing driver when won the Belgium Grand Prix from 16th on the grid. Schumacher and Hill weren’t best friends and this was evident when Schumacher took Hill out in Britain and Hill repaid the favour in Italy.
Schumacher signed for Ferrari for the 1996 season and it would be at Ferrari where he enjoyed his most successful years. The move was a surprise to many as the Ferrari car was considered to be really poor. Some may remember how Schumacher had to tilt his head down the straights because the airbox was too low. It turned out to be an inspired move as Benetton would fall from the heights and would eventually be bought out by Renault. Whether Schumacher knew what was going on behind the scenes is unclear.
1996 was not a good year for Schumacher. The Ferrari was unreliable and aerodynamically poor but Schumacher still hustled 3 wins out of the car, underlining his ability to get the best out of a car. Schumacher had kept his nose clean for the last 2 years but 1997 would be a return to controversy for him.
1997 was looking like a great year for Ferrari. They were fighting for the World Championship once again and it was partly credited to Schumacher’s uniting influence as teams were seemingly built around him. The Championship chase mirrored 1994 closely as Schumacher took a 1 point lead into the final race. His opponent this time was Jacques Villeneuve and once again, Schumacher was ahead.
Villeneuve was closing in and went for an overtaking manoeuvre. Schumacher deliberately turned into Villeneuve. Schumacher retired from the race immediately after the crash. Villeneuve’s car was damaged but could continue. Schumacher’s move had backfired and Villeneuve went on to win the title.
An inquest into the incident was taken after the event. Schumacher’s act was a serious mistake and he became the first driver ever to be disqualified from the World Championship. His action was condemned by many including the media in his home country, Germany, and Italy.
With all eyes on Schumacher after his disgraceful end to the previous season, Schumacher was back to his brilliant best in 1998, although there were signs of the pressure beginning to tell. At the Belgium Grand Prix, conditions were atrocious with heavy rain and poor visibility. Schumacher was approaching Coulthard to lap him when Schumacher crashed into the back of him. Schumacher got his car back to the pit lane but he was fuming. He stormed over to Coulthard’s pit garage and accused Coulthard of trying to kill him. The points were level with 2 rounds to go but Schumacher’s failure to finish the final race in Japan handed the title to Hakkinen.
1999 was one of Schumacher’s worst years. He had only 2 wins in the first 7 races and it was time for the British Grand Prix. He suffered a rear brake failure at the fastest part of the circuit and speared into the tyre wall. The accident left him with a broken leg which would end his Drivers Championship hopes, as he had to sit out 6 of the remaining 8 races.
His return in Malaysia was spectacular. It was the first time that the Formula 1 road show had been to Malaysia but Schumacher was the star as he blew every driver out of the water. He was playing second fiddle to Eddie Irvine though so he allowed Irvine to take the win. However, questions arose in the last round whether Schumacher was committed to helping Irvine to win the title. Schumacher had shown he had the pace to match and even beat Hakkinen but he didn’t put Hakkinen under any pressure and Hakkinen took the title again. Whether this was due to the fact that he wanted to bring the glory days back to Ferrari by giving them the Drivers Championship rather than someone else is unclear, but it did seem that he was uninterested in helping Irvine in Japan.
2000 saw Schumacher go up against Hakkinen once again but this time Schumacher got the upper hand. After winning the Constructors Championship for Ferrari in 1999, Ferrari’s other ambition was to win the Drivers Championship and Schumacher did that when he beat Hakkinen in a straight fight in Japan, the penultimate round, and end the 21 year wait for Ferrari. Schumacher showed emotion in the press conference when he asked about how he felt when he equalled Senna’s amount of wins after winning for the 41st time in Italy.
2001 was a much easier year for Schumacher as Ferrari’s dominance became clearer. He took nine wins and broke the record for most career wins held by Prost. No one got near Schumacher in the standings and he beat Coulthard by 58 points to take his 4th World Championship.
2002 was one of Schumacher’s and Ferrari’s most dominant performances. Ferrari won 15 of 17 and Schumacher won 11 of those as they waltzed to the title and Schumacher’s record equalling 5th World Championship. With the dominance came controversy with it.
Schumacher up to this point had never won in Austria and with Ferrari making sure that Schumacher was clear number 1 in the team and Barrichello number 2, Barrichello was given the job of letting Schumacher through to win. The crowd were not impressed and a farcical podium ceremony led to a Ferrari fine.
The issue of team orders was a sticky subject that wouldn’t go away. Schumacher, with the title almost over, tried to stage the closest finish in an F1 race when he slowed down and let Barrichello come alongside across the line in Indianapolis. It backfired as Barrichello won the race and the team was in trouble once again as they seemed to get the blame for the scenario. It led to the banning of team orders affecting the race outcome at the end of the season.
Ferrari was fast becoming one of the most hated teams in the paddock and the 2003 season didn’t help the cause. Schumacher was in trouble as he started the season off poorly but managed to claw it back and although wins were looking hard to come by, he led the Championship after the Hungarian Grand Prix by a point. The season looked very even but the FIA made the front tyres of Michelin illegal, meaning Michelin had to quickly change their tyres for the next race and this played right into the hands of Ferrari. Schumacher held on in a nervy final race to become the first ever 6 times World Champion.
2004 was Schumacher’s greatest season as he walked to the World title, winning an incredible 13 races out of 18 and 12 of the first 13. Ferrari was just as dominant as Barrichello kept following Schumacher home for many Ferrari 1-2’s. It was Schumacher’s last World Championship, his 7th in total.
The FIA were being accused of being pro-Ferrari and putting them above every other team. It was this and Ferrari’s dominance that led to a rule change that meant tyres would have to last a whole race distance.
Because of the change, Ferrari had a terrible year in 2005 and rumours were circulating that Schumacher would not return in 2006. Schumacher only managed to win 1 race in 2005 and it happened to be the Indianapolis race where only 6 cars started, due to safety concerns about Michelin tyres. A despondent looking Schumacher retired from the last race in China with his future uncertain.
Schumacher did return in 2006 and put up a brave fight to win the World Championship but it was not to be and Schumacher was once involved in a controversial incident. In Monaco, Schumacher was sitting in pole position as qualifying was drawing to a close, Alonso was out on the track trying to move up and Schumacher made a mistake at the tight Rascasse corner. He then stalled the car meaning he got pole position. The race stewards saw it as a deliberate attempt to block the track and end the session. He had to start at the back of the grid and Schumacher drew lots of criticism from fans, ex-drivers and the media.
In the race for the Championship, Alonso took an early lead but Schumacher kept pegging him back and the gap was barely changing from race to race. Wins in Italy and China made Schumacher level on points with Alonso with only 2 rounds to go and Schumacher had more wins, meaning he’d win in a tie break. After the Italian Grand Prix, news began to circulate that Schumacher had announced his retirement to the Ferrari team and a statement was released confirming that.
The Japanese Grand Prix proved to be a key race. Schumacher’s engine blew in Japan all but handing the title to Alonso. The final race would have to see Alonso not finish in the top 8 and Schumacher winning. It looked very unlikely as Alonso was circulating in a comfortable position and Schumacher a long way back after requiring a pit stop to replace a puncture. His drive to 4th was seen as a fitting end to Schumacher’s career as it showed his greatness as a driver.
Some would say that justice was done in that Schumacher did not win the Championship in his final season. The FIA were once again accuses of being in Ferrari’s camp when Alonso was penalised in qualifying for holding up Massa, even though Alonso was a long way in front. Briatore, previously a team principal in charge of Schumacher, was happy to see Schumacher leave Formula 1.
So, what do I think Michael Schumacher?
There can be no doubt that Schumacher is one of the most talented drivers of his generation. He won World titles with inferior and superior cars. In the earlier years, he had the ability to overtake in all conditions, drive a car competitively in one gear and have complete belief in wet and changeable conditions. He holds pretty much every record in F1.
However, all the controversial incidents have and will always tarnish the name of Schumacher. In my eyes, he will never be seen as the greatest driver ever, even if the records point to it. It also seemed in later years that he was uninterested in overtaking on the track. He would put in the fast laps around his pit stops and do all his overtaking in the pits.
To me, he is the most successful driver but he’ll never be the greatest.
And with that, his Formula 1 career ends. I hope you’ve enjoyed this walk through the career of Michael Schumacher. I pretty sure I’ve missed something from my final thoughts so I’ll probably adjust it later but I would like to know what you think of Schumacher and his career.
My preview of the new season will be up in the next couple of months so keep an eye out for that.
Thanks for reading.
Grandprix
Just to point out at the start, this is a look back at Michael Schumacher’s F1 career from my standpoint. I’ve looked at a few outside sources to refresh my memory but any opinion given is my own.
Michael Schumacher’s last race was the 22nd October 2006 in Brazil. His first full season was in 1992 but he started his career in 1991. Schumacher’s career has been full of victory, controversy and the occasional struggle. What do you think about Schumacher? Is he as good as most people say he is? Do you believe the statistics that Schumacher is the greatest? Has the controversy he has courted throughout his career hurt his reputation? Should he have stayed another year? Let’s have a look back through his career and judge for yourself.
Schumacher’s career began in 1991 when he got to drive the Jordan car in Belgium. He actually lied to get that seat as he said he had extensive knowledge of the track but had only been round the track once on a bicycle. He replaced Bertrand Gachot, who had gotten himself arrested, and showed his potential right away qualifying 7th, equalling Jordan’s best qualifying of the year. Although he retired on the first lap with a clutch problem, it was obvious that big things were in the future of the German.
His career took off quickly as he was snapped up by Benetton and raced the remainder of the season with them. Benetton were accused of stealing Schumacher from a binding Jordan contract; the squabbling obvious that Schumacher was highly thought of.
1992 was Schumacher’s first full season and almost exactly a year after his first race, he gets his first career win in Belgium. The Benetton wasn’t as advanced as the Williams and the McLaren but he finished 3rd in the Championship ahead of Senna.
In 1993, I would say it was Schumacher’s break out year. He may have scored less points and finished 4th in the Championship but he showed he was a contender. With rule changes coming in for 1994, Schumacher showed he could live with the best at the time. I remember well the Belgium Grand Prix as Hill, Prost and Schumacher started trading lap records in the last 10 laps with Schumacher beating Prost for 2nd place.
1994 was a year most would like to forget. For Schumacher, it was his first World title in just his 3rd full year. Senna had victory in sight in Brazil but Schumacher took the win when Senna retired and Schumacher took victory in Aida. The third race of the season was San Marino.
San Marino will always be remembered for the tragic deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger. There were many other incidents. Barrichello literally flew off a kerb and into the top of a tyre barrier. JJ Lehto stopped on the grid and the resulting accident of someone ploughing into him caused a tyre to fly into the crowd and injure 7 people and a member of the pit crew got run over. The misery continued in Monaco when Wendlinger was put into a coma after a crash.
All this prompted many debates about safety. Schumacher took wins in San Marino and Monaco to take 4 straight wins. This put Schumacher in a strong position with Williams mourning the loss of Senna and key members of the team facing an investigation into the incident. All of this left Schumacher only facing a relative rookie in F1, Damon Hill, to win his first title.
Schumacher took 6 wins out of 7 races but the controversy had only just begun. Several teams accused Benetton of cheating; using banned electronic aids, because of their rise to the top. It was found that a few teams had this software but they couldn’t prove it was being used, so no action was taken and Benetton wasn’t one of those teams – apparently.
Schumacher was in a strong position but the British Grand Prix was the start of a number of controversial incidents. He passed a car on the formation lap, which was against the rules at the time, and was issued a penalty. He then ignored the penalty that he was given and then ignored the black flag. The excuses were quick to come from Benetton but ignoring black flags was serious and it resulted in a 2 race ban.
Benetton were in trouble again when they removed a key component from the fuel filler at the German Grand Prix, resulting in a pit lane fire. Benetton claimed that they had gotten FIA approval for their actions but the other teams were convinced that it was so Benetton could get fuel into their cars quicker.
Schumacher’s Benetton was disqualified from the Belgium Grand Prix when the skid block on the car was shown to have worn more than was legal. Benetton again made excuses but the disqualification stood and the teams accused Benetton of deliberately shaving the block to give the cars extra speed.
At this point, Schumacher, on the face of it, had little to do with the controversy but how much did he actually know about Benetton’s tactics, if they were true? Whatever your opinion, Schumacher is the only person who can take the blame for the final incident in 1994.
Schumacher’s penalties meant Hill could close the gap and a thrilling race in Japan meant the Australian Grand Prix would decide the World Championship with only 1 point between them. Schumacher led the race with Hill 2nd when Schumacher went off and hit the wall. Hill went for a pass as Schumacher recovered and they collided. Both eventually retired from the race handing the title to Schumacher. Schumacher has been roundly criticised for turning into Hill but no action was taken meaning Schumacher was World Champion.
1995 was a less controversial year as Schumacher took World Title number 2. His car was widely regarded as inferior to the Williams but the Williams struggled with reliability problems, most frequently hydraulic problems, leaving Schumacher to pick up 9 wins. He also showed his quality as a racing driver when won the Belgium Grand Prix from 16th on the grid. Schumacher and Hill weren’t best friends and this was evident when Schumacher took Hill out in Britain and Hill repaid the favour in Italy.
Schumacher signed for Ferrari for the 1996 season and it would be at Ferrari where he enjoyed his most successful years. The move was a surprise to many as the Ferrari car was considered to be really poor. Some may remember how Schumacher had to tilt his head down the straights because the airbox was too low. It turned out to be an inspired move as Benetton would fall from the heights and would eventually be bought out by Renault. Whether Schumacher knew what was going on behind the scenes is unclear.
1996 was not a good year for Schumacher. The Ferrari was unreliable and aerodynamically poor but Schumacher still hustled 3 wins out of the car, underlining his ability to get the best out of a car. Schumacher had kept his nose clean for the last 2 years but 1997 would be a return to controversy for him.
1997 was looking like a great year for Ferrari. They were fighting for the World Championship once again and it was partly credited to Schumacher’s uniting influence as teams were seemingly built around him. The Championship chase mirrored 1994 closely as Schumacher took a 1 point lead into the final race. His opponent this time was Jacques Villeneuve and once again, Schumacher was ahead.
Villeneuve was closing in and went for an overtaking manoeuvre. Schumacher deliberately turned into Villeneuve. Schumacher retired from the race immediately after the crash. Villeneuve’s car was damaged but could continue. Schumacher’s move had backfired and Villeneuve went on to win the title.
An inquest into the incident was taken after the event. Schumacher’s act was a serious mistake and he became the first driver ever to be disqualified from the World Championship. His action was condemned by many including the media in his home country, Germany, and Italy.
With all eyes on Schumacher after his disgraceful end to the previous season, Schumacher was back to his brilliant best in 1998, although there were signs of the pressure beginning to tell. At the Belgium Grand Prix, conditions were atrocious with heavy rain and poor visibility. Schumacher was approaching Coulthard to lap him when Schumacher crashed into the back of him. Schumacher got his car back to the pit lane but he was fuming. He stormed over to Coulthard’s pit garage and accused Coulthard of trying to kill him. The points were level with 2 rounds to go but Schumacher’s failure to finish the final race in Japan handed the title to Hakkinen.
1999 was one of Schumacher’s worst years. He had only 2 wins in the first 7 races and it was time for the British Grand Prix. He suffered a rear brake failure at the fastest part of the circuit and speared into the tyre wall. The accident left him with a broken leg which would end his Drivers Championship hopes, as he had to sit out 6 of the remaining 8 races.
His return in Malaysia was spectacular. It was the first time that the Formula 1 road show had been to Malaysia but Schumacher was the star as he blew every driver out of the water. He was playing second fiddle to Eddie Irvine though so he allowed Irvine to take the win. However, questions arose in the last round whether Schumacher was committed to helping Irvine to win the title. Schumacher had shown he had the pace to match and even beat Hakkinen but he didn’t put Hakkinen under any pressure and Hakkinen took the title again. Whether this was due to the fact that he wanted to bring the glory days back to Ferrari by giving them the Drivers Championship rather than someone else is unclear, but it did seem that he was uninterested in helping Irvine in Japan.
2000 saw Schumacher go up against Hakkinen once again but this time Schumacher got the upper hand. After winning the Constructors Championship for Ferrari in 1999, Ferrari’s other ambition was to win the Drivers Championship and Schumacher did that when he beat Hakkinen in a straight fight in Japan, the penultimate round, and end the 21 year wait for Ferrari. Schumacher showed emotion in the press conference when he asked about how he felt when he equalled Senna’s amount of wins after winning for the 41st time in Italy.
2001 was a much easier year for Schumacher as Ferrari’s dominance became clearer. He took nine wins and broke the record for most career wins held by Prost. No one got near Schumacher in the standings and he beat Coulthard by 58 points to take his 4th World Championship.
2002 was one of Schumacher’s and Ferrari’s most dominant performances. Ferrari won 15 of 17 and Schumacher won 11 of those as they waltzed to the title and Schumacher’s record equalling 5th World Championship. With the dominance came controversy with it.
Schumacher up to this point had never won in Austria and with Ferrari making sure that Schumacher was clear number 1 in the team and Barrichello number 2, Barrichello was given the job of letting Schumacher through to win. The crowd were not impressed and a farcical podium ceremony led to a Ferrari fine.
The issue of team orders was a sticky subject that wouldn’t go away. Schumacher, with the title almost over, tried to stage the closest finish in an F1 race when he slowed down and let Barrichello come alongside across the line in Indianapolis. It backfired as Barrichello won the race and the team was in trouble once again as they seemed to get the blame for the scenario. It led to the banning of team orders affecting the race outcome at the end of the season.
Ferrari was fast becoming one of the most hated teams in the paddock and the 2003 season didn’t help the cause. Schumacher was in trouble as he started the season off poorly but managed to claw it back and although wins were looking hard to come by, he led the Championship after the Hungarian Grand Prix by a point. The season looked very even but the FIA made the front tyres of Michelin illegal, meaning Michelin had to quickly change their tyres for the next race and this played right into the hands of Ferrari. Schumacher held on in a nervy final race to become the first ever 6 times World Champion.
2004 was Schumacher’s greatest season as he walked to the World title, winning an incredible 13 races out of 18 and 12 of the first 13. Ferrari was just as dominant as Barrichello kept following Schumacher home for many Ferrari 1-2’s. It was Schumacher’s last World Championship, his 7th in total.
The FIA were being accused of being pro-Ferrari and putting them above every other team. It was this and Ferrari’s dominance that led to a rule change that meant tyres would have to last a whole race distance.
Because of the change, Ferrari had a terrible year in 2005 and rumours were circulating that Schumacher would not return in 2006. Schumacher only managed to win 1 race in 2005 and it happened to be the Indianapolis race where only 6 cars started, due to safety concerns about Michelin tyres. A despondent looking Schumacher retired from the last race in China with his future uncertain.
Schumacher did return in 2006 and put up a brave fight to win the World Championship but it was not to be and Schumacher was once involved in a controversial incident. In Monaco, Schumacher was sitting in pole position as qualifying was drawing to a close, Alonso was out on the track trying to move up and Schumacher made a mistake at the tight Rascasse corner. He then stalled the car meaning he got pole position. The race stewards saw it as a deliberate attempt to block the track and end the session. He had to start at the back of the grid and Schumacher drew lots of criticism from fans, ex-drivers and the media.
In the race for the Championship, Alonso took an early lead but Schumacher kept pegging him back and the gap was barely changing from race to race. Wins in Italy and China made Schumacher level on points with Alonso with only 2 rounds to go and Schumacher had more wins, meaning he’d win in a tie break. After the Italian Grand Prix, news began to circulate that Schumacher had announced his retirement to the Ferrari team and a statement was released confirming that.
The Japanese Grand Prix proved to be a key race. Schumacher’s engine blew in Japan all but handing the title to Alonso. The final race would have to see Alonso not finish in the top 8 and Schumacher winning. It looked very unlikely as Alonso was circulating in a comfortable position and Schumacher a long way back after requiring a pit stop to replace a puncture. His drive to 4th was seen as a fitting end to Schumacher’s career as it showed his greatness as a driver.
Some would say that justice was done in that Schumacher did not win the Championship in his final season. The FIA were once again accuses of being in Ferrari’s camp when Alonso was penalised in qualifying for holding up Massa, even though Alonso was a long way in front. Briatore, previously a team principal in charge of Schumacher, was happy to see Schumacher leave Formula 1.
So, what do I think Michael Schumacher?
There can be no doubt that Schumacher is one of the most talented drivers of his generation. He won World titles with inferior and superior cars. In the earlier years, he had the ability to overtake in all conditions, drive a car competitively in one gear and have complete belief in wet and changeable conditions. He holds pretty much every record in F1.
However, all the controversial incidents have and will always tarnish the name of Schumacher. In my eyes, he will never be seen as the greatest driver ever, even if the records point to it. It also seemed in later years that he was uninterested in overtaking on the track. He would put in the fast laps around his pit stops and do all his overtaking in the pits.
To me, he is the most successful driver but he’ll never be the greatest.
And with that, his Formula 1 career ends. I hope you’ve enjoyed this walk through the career of Michael Schumacher. I pretty sure I’ve missed something from my final thoughts so I’ll probably adjust it later but I would like to know what you think of Schumacher and his career.
My preview of the new season will be up in the next couple of months so keep an eye out for that.
Thanks for reading.
Grandprix