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Michael Schumacher is considered the GOAT by many F1 fans and pundits alike. The German turned F1 into a household name in his country as he went on a historic run in his partnership with Ferrari. Winning seven titles is no joke of an achievement, especially when considering the domination Schumacher has done it with.
In this piece, we rank his top 3 championship triumphs based on the circumstances, the machinery he had at his disposal, and the competition he went against.
#3 The nail-biting win over Raikkonen and Montoya in the last race of 2003
Points: 93
Poles: 5
Wins: 6
The biggest challenge that a Formula 1 legend faces to his throne is not when he goes up against his contemporaries in competitive machinery. It is when he goes up against the next generation of younger, hungrier breed of drivers that challenge his throne.
This was exactly what Michael Schumacher faced in 2003 when the competitive advantage of his Ferrari was slashed and Williams and McLaren had cars capable of challenging the Italian team.
In a season where multiple stars of the future emerged in Kimi Raikkonen, Juan Pablo Montoya and Fernando Alonso, Schumacher was challenged on all fronts with everyone gunning for his title. On one hand, he had to deal with Raikkonen's consistency at McLaren, and on the other, he had to contend with Montoya's maverick nature at Williams.
When things became critical, Schumacher pulled away from the field, winning two of the last three races, just enough to win the title by two points from Raikkonen.
#2 Michael Schumacher and Ferrari finally win the elusive title in 2000
Points: 108
Poles: 9
Wins: 9
The championship battle for Michael Schumacher in the 2000 season was not only against Mika Hakkinen. It was also against intense external pressure from the Italian media waiting for a title, coupled with the ever-present internal pressure from the Ferrari management.
Jean Todt even mentioned in the Netflix documentary Schumacher that Ferrari was thinking about replacing the German, wondering if that could accelerate the success for the team.
Despite all of these factors going against him, the German beat the biggest adversary of his career, Mika Hakkinen (who was also the reigning two-time world champion) in 2000 to win the title.
The moment, in hindsight, is considered the one where floodgates were opened and the Schumacher-Ferrari partnership never looked back. If at that moment Schumacher had not won the title, however, the story of his career could have been very different.
#1 Beating Damon Hill in a slower Benetton in 1995
Points: 102
Poles: 4
Wins: 9
There aren't many championship triumphs that are sweeter than winning a title in a slower car. This was essentially what Michael Schumacher did in 1995. Coming off a contentious debut title against Damon Hill in 1994, Schumacher was the reigning champion. There were still clouds of uncertainty around him, however.
That season, Schumacher went ahead and wiped out all doubts regarding his status as the best driver on the grid. Against a Williams that picked up 12 pole positions in 17 races, Schumacher would comfortably win the title despite driving a Benetton that was comparatively a slower car.
Picking up 9 wins out of 17 races in a season where he did not have the fastest car on the grid solidified Schumacher's standing as the best driver on the grid. From that time onwards, his status on the grid was never in doubt.
