F1: 20 glorious years of Michael Schumacher

A few sportsmen come to mind instantaneously when their sport is mentioned. One such name which is synonymous with Formula One is Michael Schumacher.

The German stalwart has been in the sport for two decades now and has achieved almost everything there is to achieve in F1. Recently, he celebrated his 20th anniversary in F1 at the Belgian Grand Prix where he reminded everyone of his racing prowess by finishing a credible 5th after qualifying last. His journey in F1 has not been as exciting as you might think. He has had to withstand pain, anguish and defeat for long before having the sweet taste of success. Here’s a brief look at Michael’s journey in F1 with special focus on the highs and lows of his career.

1991 – Michael Schumacher debuts in F1:

Michael’s debut was in itself a thrilling episode of high drama. He was actually a Mercedes test driver who was supposed to make his F1 debut when Mercedes enters F1. But due to the vacancy created by Gachot’s arrest, Eddie Jordan, the chief of Jordan team approached Michael to know if he has driven in the Spa Francorchamps circuit before.

Michael’s manager Willi Weber bluffed that he knew the race track very well while the truth was that he had only watched the races from the stands. Michael got the opportunity and qualified 7th for the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix ahead of his teammate Andrea de Cesaris who qualified 11th. But unfortunately, Michael’s first race ended in the first lap itself due to a clutch failure.

More drama followed as Michael competed for the Benetton Ford team for the rest of the season. He gathered four points in the 6 races that he competed which included a superb fifth place finish in the Italian Grand Prix.

“Well, in ’91 we had an obscure situation. Bertrand Gachot suddenly being in jail, us talking to several teams about Formula One – that was more the plan for ’92 at the time, but nevertheless we got this opportunity and my manager got a phone call that we may have a seat available.” – Michael Schumacher on his debut.

1992 – First Podium, First Win:

1992 was the year in which the whole world took note of the legend in the making – Michael Schumacher. Michael finished third in the last ever Mexican Grand Prix, which happened to be his first podium finish. He also won the Belgian Grand Prix which was his first Grand Prix victory. These two moments were the first signs of a legend who would turn out be the best in the business with numerous podium finishes and race wins.

1993 – Shaken but not stirred:

His third season was almost a carbon copy of the second season. Michael finished fourth in the driver’s standings at the end of the season during which he had won only one race – The Portuguese Grand Prix.

1994 – The First World Championship:

“With Damon, I always took things closer to the edge. I was a master of exploring limits.” – Michael Schumacher.

The 1994 season is largely remembered by the death of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger. But it was also Michael’s first tryst with the world championship. Michael dominated the initial races of the season winning five out of the first six. But several extraordinary circumstances led to a two race ban after the British Grand Prix and another disqualification in Belgian Grand Prix. However, Michael was not deterred by these bans and disqualifications as he overcame the challenge of Damon Hill to be champion under controversial circumstances. He rammed into Damon Hill during the season ending Australian Grand Prix which caused them both to retire with Michael leading the championship by just 1 point.

1995 – Success pursues Schumi:

“His (Michael’s) mentality was to win at all costs.” – Johnny Herbert, Michael’s teammate in the 1995 season.

Though Michael won his first title under controversial circumstances, his second championship victory was well deserved as he finished first, 33 points clear of his rival Damon Hill in second. Michael and Damon had several crashes in this season too. Michael left Benetton at the end of the year due to personal issues.

1996 – The first tryst with ferrari:

“I will do everything I can to bring the Number One to Ferrari. The whole team and all the fans deserve it. – Michael Schumacher”

In 1996, Schumacher joined Ferrari, a team which was desperate to taste Championship success after 1979. Schumacher was joined by his close buddies from Benetton – Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne, to assist Ferrari in building the best car. The first year in Ferrari wasn’t disappointing for Schumi as he finished a credible third and also helped Ferrari to come second in the constructors standings. Michael, Brawn and Byrne along with Jean Todt were responsible for the transformation of Ferrari from a lukewarm team to a championship contender.

1997 – The fierce rivalry with Jacques Villenueve:

With Gianni Agnelli, the then owner of ferrari

“There was animosity between us, but a lot of respect as well.” – Jaques Villenueve

1997 saw Michael in a fierce rivalry with Jacques Villenueve which ended in his disqualifaction from the championship. This still remains to be one the biggest black mark in the illustrious career of Michael Schumacher. Michael was accused of trying to save his championship lead of 1 point by ramming into Villenueve during the race, thereby trying to retire both of them from the race, which obviously did not happen.

1998 – Beaten but not bruised:

“Our rivalry pushed me on to new levels. It probably did for Michael, too.” – Mika Hakkinen.

McLaren’s Mika Hakkinen got the better of Michael in the 1998 season. But Michael was yet again accused of malpractice on two separate occasions during this season. The British Grand Prix penalty saga and the David Coulthard paddock incident are vividly remembered by Schumacher’s critics even now. However, I strongly have a feeling that Michael was not at fault in the first incident, he just took a shrewd decision to undertake the penalty in the last lap. On the Coulthard incident, Michael was right in questioning Coulthard’s antics of slowing down. Michael has every right to do so since he was a lap ahead and was on course for another victory which was spoilt by Coulthard. However, his critics still question Michael’s character because of incidents such as these.

1999 – One for the team:

“Never think that success is down to your own performance alone. If you start listening only to yourself you take the first step back towards the bottom. The flowers of victory belong in many vases.” – Michael Schumacher

Michael was forced to stay out of six races due to the accident at the British Grand Prix during which his leg was broken. However, Michael returned back in style by winning the first ever Malaysian Grand Prix. He helped his team to win the constructors title yet again. The fact that Michael decided to drive the No.2 car of his team while returning back shows his temperament for the sport and commitment for the team.

2000 – The reign of Schumi begins:

“I’ve always believed that you should never, ever give up and you should always keep fighting even when there’s only a slightest chance” - Michael Schumacher

The turn of the century marked a new era of dominance by Michael Schumacher and Ferrari in Formula 1 for a period of five years. In 2000, Michael got the better of Hakkinen only in the penultimate race of the season at Suzuka. Michael made the optimum usage of the car provided to him, and kept winning races.

2001 – Fantastic fourth title:

“Most people would get out of my way, but Michael never gave me a freaking inch! I liked that” – Juan Pablo Montoya

It was sheer brilliance from Michael as he won a total of nine races in this season to seal the title. Apart from winning the World Championship in 2001, Michael was also a part of two other accomplishments in F1. During the Canadian Grand Prix, Schumacher finished 2nd to his brother Ralf, thus scoring the first ever 1–2 finish by brothers in Formula One. During the Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher scored his 52nd career win, breaking Alain Prost’s record for most career wins. Michael still remains on top of that list with 91 race wins.

2002 – Fabulous fifth win:

“In sport there is never any moment that is the same as the other. I have been in Formula One for 12 years, and out of that I had one year with the perfect car. ” - Michael Schumacher

Michael won his fifth title while the records kept tumbling one after another. He won eleven races this season to beat his own record of nine victories in a season. He also finished in Podium on all the races, becoming the first driver to accomplish the feat. Michael and his Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello were heavily criticised for the usage of team orders which aided in Michael’s victory at the Austrian grand prix, which took some credibility away from F1′s prodigal son.

2003 – Scintillating sixth title:

“With Michael, you had to fight fire with fire.” – David Coulthard.

Michael withstood close contests from McLaren rivals Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard to win his sixth title in thrilling fashion. He became the first man in history to do so, thereby making his name to be remembered in the annals of history.

2004 – Domination, thy name is Schumacher:

“It’s been the place where virtually every highlight of my career took place – my first race, my first win, my seventh world title… That’s what Spa means to me, and that’s why I often call it my ‘living room’.” – Michael Schumacher

Once again, Michael broke his own record by winning 13 races out of 18 in the season including wins in all the first 12 races to win his 7th title in the quickest duration possible, at the Belgian Grand Prix.

2005 – Brought down to earth:

“I think we lose and we will miss a great champion on the track. He beat all the records so he has the best numbers in Formula One but I think maybe F1 will focus more on sport after that.” – Fernando Alonso, One of Michael’s rivals who beat him to the title on two consecutive occasions – 2005 and 2006.

Due to rule changes and subsequent advantage for the Michelin tyres, the Ferrari drivers found it difficult to taste success. Hence, Michael’s dream championship run came to an abrupt end as a new champion Fernando Alonso emerged. Michael’s only race victory came in the controversial 2005 United States GP in which the teams using Michelin tyres did not participate.

2006 – The retirement of a fallen idol:

“There are things Michael shouldn’t have done, but that’s one of the ingredients of a true genius” – Ross Brawn, The man who discovered Michael and was with him throughout his journey and even now,he is his boss at Mercedes GP.

2006 witnessed yet another blackmark which diminished the greatness of Michael. Michael Schumacher was stripped of pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix and started the race at the back of the grid. This was due to him stopping his car and blocking part of the circuit while Alonso was on his qualifying lap. Yet Michael, still managed to work his way up to 5th place on the notoriously cramped Monaco circuit. Michael couldn’t win the title in what would be his last season before a brief period of retirement. But Michael drove a fantastic last race in Brazil in which he finished fourth after being 19th at one point in the race.

2007 – The Ferrari Advisor/Test Driver:

“I like to share my life, and spend time with someone I love. That has worked 100 per cent with my wife. ” – Michael Schumacher.

After retirement, Michael served as an advisor for Ferrari which had been his second home after Germany. He underwent several test drives in the new Ferrari cars and gave team valuable suggestions to build a challenging car for the future races.

2008 – A tryout in motorcycle racing:

In 2008, Michael tried his hands at motorcycles by competing in the IDM super bike series for the ducati team, which he described one of the most thrilling experiences of his life. He continued his job as a test driver for Ferrari and played a vital role in the development of the car.

2009 – The return that wasn’t:

In 2009 Michael, who was the actual test driver for Ferrari, was supposed to make a comeback as a replacement of injured Felipe Massa after the Hungarian Grand Prix. However, that did not happen as a neck injury forced him to stay out. His return to F1 was imminent, but he kept everyone guessing till 2010.

2010 – The comeback of the prodigal son:

“When you start out in a team, you have to get the teamwork going and then you get something back.” – Michael Schumacher.

Michael Schumacher made his formal return to F1 as the No.1 driver for Mercedes GP team which was headed by his long-time friend Ross Brawn. His comeback was compared to several F1 stalwarts like Niki Lauda, Nigel Mansell and Juan Manuel Fangio. However, Michael found it difficult to cope up with the changes and ultimately finished a disappointing 9th in the championship.

“Those who have come into Formula One without experiencing cars devoid of electronic aids will find it tough. To control 800 horsepower relying just on arm muscles and foot sensitivity can turn out to be a dangerous exercise.” – Michael Schumacher.

2011 – 20 years of Michael-Madness:

“I guess in every person’s career you look at it and think about what has happened. In my case, taking the 20 years and everything that I’ve done, I would do certain things differently. But then in life you have to make some mistakes in order to understand it is a mistake and to set your guidelines. All in all, I guess the vest that I’m wearing, that I’m wearing inside me, is pretty white, and I’m pretty happy about this. I don’t have many regrets and overall, I certainly feel very excited and proud of what has happened.” – Michael Schumacher, on completing 20 years in Formula One.

Michael’s fortunes haven’t changed yet in the 2011 season, but he is showing glimpses of the old Schumi during his fantastic drives in the Candian and Belgian races of the 2011 season. And as he embarks in the 20th year of his F1 career, many have cast doubts on his racing ability in future. Let’s hope that Michael recreates his old magic to break those doubts and win yet another title before his Mercedes contract expires in 2013.