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Michael Schumacher was born in a small German town on the 3rd January, 1969. From an early age he had an interest in cars and in motor racing. Driven by his father, at the age of four Michael drove his first go-kart. Michael had a long wait before he could drive in a real go-kart competition, ... Read review
Advantages: Very fast and skilled Disadvantages: Can be seen as arrogant
...passion today.
Michael Schumacher was born in a small German town on the 3rd January, 1969. From an early age he had an interest in cars and in motor racing. Driven by his father, at the age of four Michael drove his first go-kart. Michael had a long wait before he could drive in a real go-kart competition, as German rules stated that he had to be 14 to obtain a go-kart license. In 1983 Michael finally obtained he German go-kart license. ... ...age it was inevitable that Michael take the next step up – Formula 3.
Formula 3’s a bit like Formula 1, with some differences. Apart from being much less well-known, the cars are more similar, less powerful and less adorned with multinational sponsorship. F3 was the perfect ground for the young Michael to hone his skills. Also in F3 Michael met Willi Weber, who still manages him and his brother to this day. Michael came third in the ... more
Can’t believe I haven’t come across this category before! Formula 1 has always been one of my favourite sports, with its high-speed action, technological wizardly and the enigmatic drivers and team bosses. As for Schumacher, or ‘Schuey’ as he’s affectionately known, I’ve been following him ever since he started out in the sport in 1991, when I was four. I still support him with a passion today.
Michael Schumacher was born in a small German town on the 3rd January, 1969. From an early age he had an interest in cars and in motor racing. Driven by his father, at the age of four Michael drove his first go-kart. Michael had a long wait before he could drive in a real go-kart competition, as German rules stated that he had to be 14 to obtain a go-kart license. In 1983 Michael finally obtained he German go-kart license. From there he took to it like a duck to water, winning the German karting championship the following year and enjoying great success over the coming years. Once he came to age it was inevitable that Michael take the next step up – Formula 3.
Formula 3’s a bit like Formula 1, with some differences. Apart from being much less well-known, the cars are more similar, less powerful and less adorned with multinational sponsorship. F3 was the perfect ground for the young Michael to hone his skills. Also in F3 Michael met Willi Weber, who still manages him and his brother to this day. Michael came third in the Formula 3 Championship in 1989.
It was somewhat traditional for Formula 3 drivers to make the jump up to Formula 3000, and from there to Formula 1. However, Michael shunned this route, moving to sportscars on the advice of his manager who felt the experience would be beneficial to the young star. Michael drove sportscars with some success during 1990 and 1991. In the latter year he came under the watchful observation of Eddie Jordan, owner of the Jordan Formula One Team. It was obvious that Michael had some talent – it was only a matter of time before he broke into motorsport’s elite division, Formula 1. Then, before the Belgian F1 Grand Prix of 1991, Jordan’s usual driver Bertrand Gachot was jailed for an assault on a taxi driver. Gachot was never seen again, but Michael had got his break. Eddie took Michael on on a race-by-race agreement, with a view to a permanent deal.
Unfortunately Michael hardly made the most of his opportunity. Although he started the race in seventh position, he never made it through the first lap due to burning his clutch out. Nevertheless, Jordan was impressed with his performance. Wanting to hold on to this future talent, Jordan offered Michael a race deal.
This was not to be, however. Michael’s manager Willi Weber, concerned about Michael’s future in the sport, pointed out that the Jordan team was likely to be uncompetitive in the following seasons due to a lack of engine power. In the end he was to be proved right. Fortunately for Michael, Jordan was not the only boss who had been keeping a watchful eye on him, and after his refusal of the Jordan deal he was snapped up for the remainder of the season by the Benetton team. Michael gained valuable experience, partnering the vastly experienced Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet. Although race results were not immediately forthcoming, Benetton held on to Michael for the 1992 season.
It was to prove the right decision. This time partnering Martin Brundle, Michael drove with a skill and maturity beyond his years, being denied victories several times by mechanical failures. It was at the Belgian Grand Prix near the end of the season that Michael finally won his first race.
Michael drove for Benetton again in 1993, this time partnering Riccardo Patrese, an old hand in F1 and still the most experienced F1 driver ever. He won one race in 1993, in Portugal. This was just a taste of what was to come.
Once more, Michael drove for the Benetton team in 1994. In a year overshadowed by the tragic death of the great Ayrton Senna, I don’t think it can be said that Michael took advantage of Ayrton’s death, but how successful Michael would have been had Senna still been around is open to debate. As it was, Michael’s 1994 season was eventful, with several run-ins with the FIA, the sport’s governing body, which resulted in him being disqualified for four races of the season. The last race of the season was controversial. Michael came into the race one championship point ahead of Damon Hill, which meant that whoever won the race would take the crown. Halfway through the race, Michael made an uncharacteristic mistake, running off the track and hitting a wall. His car damaged, Michael crept back onto the track. As Hill rounded the corner, Michael’s car hit Hill, damaging Hill’s car. Both drivers were out of the race, and Michael won the championship. Michael still maintains that this act wasn’t deliberate, although there were always plenty of doubters.
The 1995 season was much less controversial. Gaining Renault engines put the Benetton team on a technological parallel with Hill’s Williams team. Michael took full advantage, taking his second world title easily, although there were several collisions with Hill.
For 1996, Michael felt he needed a new challenge. The great Ferrari team, once a dominant force in the sport, had performed very poorly over the past few years. Michael took up the challenge of restoring the prancing horse to its past glory, signing for the team in 1996.
It was indeed to prove challenging. Ferrari’s 1996 car was extremely poor, and no match for the Williams of the eventual Championship winner Damon Hill. Despite this Michael managed to acquire three race wins, including an incredible drive in wet conditions to win the Spanish Grand Prix.
Despite taking the 1996 championship, Damon was sacked by Williams in 1997, in favour of the young Canadian upstart Jacques Villeneuve. Largely due to Michael’s influence, Ferrari’s 1997 car was much more competitive. After a closely contested season, Michael went into the final race in a familiar situation – he was one point ahead of Villeneuve. Again, the race winner would take the title.
The race was fraught with tension. From the beginning it looked like Michael was going to do it, until the middle of the race when he slowed down considerably, allowing Villeneuve to close in on him. Under braking for a tight corner, Villeneuve made an overtaking move. As he drew level, Michael turned his Ferrari into the Williams, in what was this time unmistakably a deliberate act. However, it didn’t work. Michael’s Ferrari hit the Williams in an unfavourable position, and merely bounced off the Canadian’s car into the gravel. Villeneuve took the championship, although not winning the race as he let the two McLaren cars pass him, eventually finishing third. Many fans felt that justice had been done – as one journal put it – ‘the biter had been bitten’. Meanwhile the F1 world was in uproar over Schuey’s act. A meeting of the sport’s governing body was called, and Schumacher was eventually stripped of his points and his 2nd place in the 1997 season. Few could argue.
Michael was never really competitive in the 1998 season. McLaren’s technical wizard Adrian Newey had produced a close-to-perfect car which left the competition far behind. However, Ferrari gained ground towards the end of the season, and Michael was able to win six races, although finishing a long way short of championship winner Mika Hakkinen.
The 1999 season started much more brightly for Michael. He had acquired a number of easy victories and was in a commanding position in the championship. However, the British Grand Prix was to change everything.
On the first lap of the race, it was stopped due to an on-track incident. Approaching a corner at 190mph, Michael suffered a catastrophic braking failure. The result was that the Ferrari simply skated off the circuit, ploughing across the gravel and crashing into a barrier at 130mph. Michael started to get out of his car, but was clearly in pain. An ambulance crew was called, and Michael was airlifted to hospital. By the end of the race, the diagnosis had filtered through; Michael had broken his leg in two places, and would be out of action for months.
Michael recovered quickly thanks to his huge fitness, rejoining the circuit for the final two races of the season. He dominated these with breathtaking ease, but the championship was now out of his reach, and he gifted the race victories to team-mate Eddie Irvine, embroiled in a fierce title fight with Mika Hakkinen, which he was eventually to lose. But Michael was back.
The 2000 season was a different story. The Ferrari team, no doubt affected by Michael’s influence, gave him a competitive car, which he duly drove to the title. Michael was to repeat the feat with even greater ease in 2001 and 2002, dominating the sport and bringing his total number of championships to five. One more and he would be the most successful driver ever, ahead of the great Juan Manuel Fangio. Can Michael do it in 2003?
I certainly hope so. I think Michael is an amazing driver who fully deserves the record. The passion he has for the sport is unmatched. Now he has his wife, Corinna, and his two children, it would be so easy for him to sit back and relax. But that’s not Michael – he has an amazing level of commitment. He’s single-handedly turned the Ferrari team into a potent force in the last seven years. Of course his doubters will bring up those controversies in 1994 and 1997, but in my mind these are just a mark of his determination to succeed at all costs.
So far, 2003 doesn’t look promising. Michael’s made some unusual mistakes, denying him points in the first few races. But never, ever rule out the great Michael Schumacher.
Thanks for the read, Matt (who thinks he’s a bit too addicted to F1 as he wrote that op off the top of his head!)
Advantages: Exciting to watch Disadvantages: A bit bullish
Michael Schumacher’s career record in F1 Grand Prix Racing, at 1 January 2000 was:
128 Races, 2 World Championships, 23 Pole positions, 39 Fastest laps, 35 Wins, 570 Points.
As you may be aware Schumacher has now won his third title in the 2000-01 season. His first with Ferrari and Ferrari’s first drivers champion for 21years (forgive me I think I might be a year out there).
Michael’s F1 story started back in 1991 with a drive ... ...took a risk and contacted Michael Schumacher. I say a risk, as this was the young man at 22, that had never been heard off outside the motor sport world, and had never sat in an F1 car. The gamble paid off for both Eddie Jordan and Michael, in the Sunday morning warm up Michael was fractionally slower than Senna but quicker than both Prost and Alesi. Eventually ending the session as the fourth quickest. Although he did cook his clutch on the grid ...
Mr_Trivia 17.08.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Michael Schumacher
Advantages: great driver with a lot of skill Disadvantages: He makes it boring because he wins most races, don't really like him as a person
...on to the subject of Michael Schumacher.
Love him or hate him? I don't really like him as a person because when he gets interviewed he is quite cocky and has a bit of and attitude on him. However he is a great driver in formula 1. When you watch him race he has great control on the corners and he always gets off to a good start which helps him a lot to end the race as the winner.
When you watch his driving closely he has a lot of skill and knows ... ...not to the performance of Michael because if they did Micheal would not always win.
Now since watching formula 1 I have never seen Michael cause a crash or do anyhting stupid on the race track and cause hazzards. I know Micheal has been taken out by a few other drivers in the past because they were trying to over take him and couldn't quite manage it but I have never ever known Micheal to do this. The only problem he has had is if his car breaks ...
coolchanty 14.04.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Michael Schumacher
Advantages: Brilliant natural ability, Has best car Disadvantages: Sometimes has mad moments when under pressure
...and it already looks like Michael Schumacher will retain his Drivers Championship title. This year, at last Ferrari have the best car, even better than the McLaren, and with the best driver driving the best car this can only be a recipe for complete domination. This has been compunded by the fact that in 2 races this year Michael Schumacher has had 2 pole positions and 2 victories. This is a pretty awesome start, and now even if McLaren, with the ... ...is fair to say that Michael Schumacher is up there with the greatest drivers in the modern era, along with Senna and Prost. He can still prove in his time left in F1 that he is the greatest driver ever to grace the sport, and I believe he is destined to do this.
Winning the first 2 races of the season means that Schumacher has won the last 6 Grand Prix's. This is an unbelievable performance and a credit to the driving skills and concentration of ...
SkinnyWinny 19.03.2001 (20.03.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Michael Schumacher
Advantages: The best race car driver in the world. (without question) Disadvantages: Suffers from a poor public image.
~ ~ Michael Schumacher, the German Formula One driver, has only this past weekend written himself firmly into the history books as the best driver ever to take the wheel of a Formula One racing car.
His achievement of winning a record-breaking sixth World Driver’s Championship puts him one win ahead of the record he (until now) shared with the Argentinian ace of old, Juan Manuel Fangio. ~ ~ Even I have to now admit (and I’m not that ... ...All this success has paid Michael handsomely, and he is now reputed to be the highest paid racing driver in the world, with reported earnings in the region of $30 million a year. (Nice work if you can get it!)
Will he win the World Championship again next season? (2004)
Only time will tell, but it would be a brave (or foolish) person that would bet against him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
SCHUMACHER’S RECORD
Driver’s Titles: 6. (1994, 1995, 2000, ...
the_mad_cabbie 15.10.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Michael Schumacher
Advantages: Great Skill, Efficient, Experienced, Fast, at the moment very dominant because of the superbly designed Ferrari Disadvantages: Not a fair Player, Very Arrogant, Self-centered, Getting "old"
Miss Germany was my date," he told a writer at Washingtonian magazine for an article about "How to Date a Congressman." It was one of the many hints Mr. Foley dropped to mask the realities of a deeply compartmentalized life. Over 12 years in Congress, he became extraordinarily adept at projecting a magnetic public persona - helped along by loyal aides and a sister he breezily called his surrogate wife - while conducting a private life fraught with ... ...have been about his sexuality - friends in South Florida and Washington knew Mr. Foley was gay but never discussed it with him - no one fathomed that he was sending sexually explicit e-mail messages to Congressional pages as young as 16, news of which led him to resign last week. Mr. Foley's subsequent confessions that he is an alcoholic and was molested by a clergyman as a teenager left friends even more stunned, and skeptical. Here in Florida, ...
critical_writer 16.07.2002 (05.10.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Michael Schumacher
Skill
Potential
Image
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Again, it’s another one of my ‘Top 10…’ listings. This time, it’s 10 things that really annoy me, get up my nose and leave me screaming at the top of my voice for mercy. Well it’s not that bad, but you get my drift.
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1- MICHAELSCHUMACHER
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Advantages: Experienced team, A good driver in Giancarlo Disadvantages: Not reliable.
Benetton are very much the middle order team at the moment. Indeed there glory days, when they had MichaelSchumacher ,seem to be behind them.This season they have Giancarlo Fisichella and Alex Wurz as their two drivers and whilst Giancarlo has performed creditably well,Wurz,the tall Austrian driver has not driven at all well, in fact he has been a grave disappointment to the team.At present he has yet to collect a single Championship point. It now seems he will be replaced in the 2001 season by the brilliant young British driver,Jenson Button, and he will make a good pairing with the talented Giancarlo.If a bit more power can be tweaked out of the engine it is conceivable that Benetton could be a more competitive team next season. However,in my view, they are unlikely to be up there challenging Ferrari and McLaren. ...
ashford 21.08.2000
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Advantages: Experienced.Cool. Pleasant personality Disadvantages: Lacks aggressive instinct
Rubens Barrichello, a very popular figure on the Formula I circuit,is now driving for Ferrari who are,of course,a very competitive team. The Brazilian is burdened by having to shoulder Brazilian expectations of glory following the sad demise of the great Ayrton Senna. That a hard burden to shoulder for anyone.Essentially Rubens,who has driven for Jordan and Jaguar among others,is a mature,experienced, and competent driver. He is cool under pressure and probably has the temperament to be second fiddle to MichaelSchumacher. It is no easy task being in the same team as that flawed genius.However, I suspect that at the end of the day the killer instinct is lacking and I feel that Rubens will be near to the top but will not quite make it all the way. Perhaps he is not really ruthless enough. Time will tell! ...
