180 Facts About Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher won his first karting title two years later in a kart built from discarded parts.

Michael Schumacher was signed by Benetton for the rest of the 1991 season, winning his first and second drivers' titles consecutively in 1994 and 1995 with the team.

Michael Schumacher was noted for pushing his car to the very limit for sustained periods during races, a pioneering fitness regimen, and ability to galvanise teams around him.

Michael Schumacher was twice involved in collisions in the final race of a season that decided the title: first with Damon Hill at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix, and with Jacques Villeneuve at the 1997 European Grand Prix.

In December 2013, Michael Schumacher suffered a severe brain injury in a skiing accident.

Michael Schumacher was placed in a medically induced coma until June 2014.

Michael Schumacher left the hospital in Grenoble for further rehabilitation at the Lausanne University Hospital, before being relocated to his home to receive medical treatment and rehabilitation privately in September 2014.

When Michael Schumacher was four, his father modified his pedal kart by adding a small motorcycle engine.

Michael Schumacher's father built him a kart from discarded parts; at the age of six, Schumacher won his first club championship.

Nevertheless, when Michael Schumacher needed a new engine costing 800 DM, his parents were unable to afford it; he was able to continue racing with support from local businessmen.

Michael Schumacher joined Eurokart dealer Adolf Neubert in 1985, and by 1987 was the German and European kart champion, then he quit school and began working as a mechanic.

In 1989, Michael Schumacher signed with Willi Weber's WTS Formula Three team.

Michael Schumacher won the 1990 Macau Grand Prix under controversial circumstances.

Michael Schumacher placed second behind Mika Hakkinen in the first heat, three seconds behind.

At the start of the second heat, he overtook Hakkinen, who only had to finish within three seconds of Michael Schumacher to clinch the overall win.

Michael Schumacher changed his line immediately before Hakkinen did the same as the latter moved to overtake, and Hakkinen crashed into the back of Michael Schumacher's car.

Michael Schumacher gave the prize money from winning the race to his family as they had debts.

Weber advised Michael Schumacher that being exposed to professional press conferences and driving powerful cars in long-distance races would help his career.

Michael Schumacher competed at the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing fifth in a car shared with Wendlinger and Fritz Kreutzpointner.

Michael Schumacher further competed in one race in the 1991 Japanese Formula 3000 Championship, finishing second.

Michael Schumacher eventually caught up with Schumacher, and it took intervention from several mechanics and Schumacher's teammate Jochen Mass to prevent Warwick physically assaulting Schumacher.

Michael Schumacher made his Formula One debut with the Irish Jordan-Ford team at the Belgian Grand Prix, driving car number 32 as a replacement for the imprisoned Bertrand Gachot.

The week before the race, Michael Schumacher impressed Jordan designer Gary Anderson and team manager Trevor Foster during a test drive at the Silverstone circuit.

Michael Schumacher then learned the track on his own, by cycling around the track on a fold-up bike he brought with him.

Michael Schumacher retired on the first lap of the race with clutch problems.

Jordan applied for an injunction in the British courts to prevent Michael Schumacher driving for Benetton but lost the case as they had not yet signed a final contract.

Michael Schumacher finished the 1991 season with four points out of six races.

Michael Schumacher finished third in the Drivers' Championship in 1992 with 53 points, three points behind runner-up Patrese and three in front of the Brazilian Ayrton Senna.

Michael Schumacher won one race, the Portuguese Grand Prix where he beat Prost, and had nine podium finishes; he retired in seven of the other 16 races.

Michael Schumacher finished the season in fourth, with 52 points, beating Patrese as teammate, so much so that Briatore and his team thought that Patrese was washed up and that they had no problem with their car.

Michael Schumacher won six of the first seven races, including the Brazilian Grand Prix in which he lapped the entire field, and was leading the Spanish Grand Prix, before a gearbox failure left him stuck in fifth gear for most of the race.

Michael Schumacher made two pit stops without stalling and finished the race in second place.

Benetton boss Flavio Briatore stated that Michael Schumacher's drive was one of the best he had ever seen.

The 1994 season was marred by the death of Ayrton Senna, which was witnessed by Michael Schumacher who was directly behind Senna, and that of Roland Ratzenberger during the San Marino Grand Prix; there were allegations of cheating during the 1994 Formula One season involving several teams, most particularly Michael Schumacher's Benetton, having allegedly broken the sport's technical regulations.

At the British Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher was penalised for overtaking Hill on the formation lap.

Michael Schumacher was disqualified after winning the Belgian Grand Prix, after his car was found to have illegal wear on its skid block, a measure used after the accidents at Imola to limit downforce and hence cornering speed.

Benetton protested that the skid block had been damaged when Michael Schumacher spun over a kerb; the FIA rejected their appeal because of the pattern of wear and damage visible on the block.

On lap 36, Michael Schumacher hit the guardrail on the outside of the track while leading.

Hill attempted to pass but as Michael Schumacher's car returned to the track there was a collision on the corner causing them both to retire.

At the FIA conference after the race, Michael Schumacher dedicated his title to Senna.

In 1995, Michael Schumacher successfully defended his title with Benetton, which now had the same Renault engine as Williams; according to Motor Sport magazine, Benetton had the better team, while Williams had the superior car.

Michael Schumacher won 9 of the 17 races, including the French Grand Prix, and finished on the podium 11 times.

Michael Schumacher's bad qualifying was a result of a crash he had in the final free practice, and by the time his car was rebuilt, it had started to rain; this ended his 56-race streak of outqualifiyng his teammates that started in 1992, after he missed a gear in qualifying in Adelaide in 1991 and was outqualified by Nelson Piquet.

In 1996, Michael Schumacher joined Ferrari, a team that had last won the Drivers' Championship in 1979 and the Constructors' Championship in 1983, for a salary of $60 million over two years.

Michael Schumacher left Benetton a year before his contract with them expired; he later cited the team's damaging actions in 1994 as his reason for opting out of his deal.

In 1997, Michael Schumacher lured Benetton employees Rory Byrne and Ross Brawn to Ferrari.

In 1996, Michael Schumacher finished third in the Drivers' Championship and helped Ferrari to second place in the Constructors' Championship ahead of his old team Benetton.

At the French Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher took pole position but suffered engine failure on the formation lap.

Michael Schumacher won three races, more than the team's total tally for the period from 1991 to 1995, despite a poor chassis.

Michael Schumacher took his first win for Ferrari at the Spanish Grand Prix, where he lapped the entire field up to third place in the wet.

Michael Schumacher took first place at the Italian Grand Prix to win in front of the tifosi.

In qualifying, Michael Schumacher set the same fastest lap as Villeneuve and Heinz-Harald Frentzen.

Michael Schumacher started in second position as Villeneuve set his fastest lap first but was able to jump him at the start.

Towards the end of the race, Michael Schumacher's Ferrari developed a coolant leak and loss of performance indicating he might not finish the race.

Michael Schumacher's actions were widely condemned in British, German, and Italian newspapers.

In later years, Villeneuve himself admitted that he "would never have made that corner without [Michael Schumacher's] push", and Michael Schumacher stated in 2009 that if he could have his career over again, he would "do some things differently", citing Jerez 1997 as something that he would have changed in his career.

One of his victories was at the Hungarian Grand Prix, a track where overtaking is difficult and that favoured McLaren; Michael Schumacher drove 19 consecutive qualifying-like laps to make Ross Brawn's alternative three-stop strategy work and to go from third to first place.

At the British Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher was leading on the last lap when he turned into the pit lane, crossed the start-finish line, and stopped to serve his ten-second stop-go penalty, which was a result of overtaking the lapped car of Alexander Wurz during a safety car period.

At the Belgian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher was leading the race by 40 seconds in heavy spray but collided with Coulthard's McLaren when the Scot, a lap down, slowed on the racing line in poor visibility to let Michael Schumacher past.

Michael Schumacher's Ferrari lost a wheel but could return to the pits, although he was forced to retire.

Michael Schumacher leaped out of his car and headed to McLaren's garage in an infuriated manner and accused Coulthard of "trying to kill" him.

From a possible three-point lead, Michael Schumacher was still seven points behind Hakkinen.

Michael Schumacher made a comeback up to third but retired after hitting debris from an accident.

Hakkinen won the Drivers' Championship by winning the final two races despite Michael Schumacher being the polesitter both times, continuing Ferrari's longest World Championship drought.

In 1999, Michael Schumacher's efforts helped Ferrari win the Constructors' Championship, the team's first title since 1983.

Michael Schumacher lost his chance to win the Drivers' Championship at the British Grand Prix at the high-speed Stowe Corner; his car's rear brake failed, sending him off the track into the barriers and resulting in a broken leg.

Michael Schumacher got in the car and within a lap he was a tenth or two tenths slower than I was.

Michael Schumacher then assumed the role of second driver, helping Irvine to victory and assisting his teammate's bid to win the Drivers' Championship for Ferrari, with Irvine leading the championship by one point.

Michael Schumacher later said that Hakkinen was "the best opponent I've had" and the one he respected the most.

In 2000, Michael Schumacher won his third Drivers' Championship, his first with Ferrari, after a year-long battle with Hakkinen.

Michael Schumacher won the first three races of the season and five of the first eight.

Midway through the year, Michael Schumacher's chances suffered with three consecutive non-finishes, allowing Hakkinen to close the gap in the standings.

At the German Grand Prix qualifying session, which was largely decided in the opening 10 minutes of semi-dry weather, Michael Schumacher was able to improve his time in the final seconds and qualified second.

Hakkinen then took another two victories, before Michael Schumacher won at the Italian Grand Prix, his 41st career win.

At the post-race press conference, after equalling the number of wins won by his idol Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher broke into tears.

Michael Schumacher scored a record-tying nine wins and clinched the World Championship with four races yet to run.

Michael Schumacher finished the championship with 123 points, 58 ahead of runner-up Coulthard.

Ferrari won 15 out of 17 races, and Michael Schumacher won the title with six races remaining in the season, which is still the earliest point in the season for a driver to be crowned World Champion.

Michael Schumacher broke his own record, shared with Nigel Mansell, of nine race wins in a season, by winning 11 times and finishing every race on the podium.

Michael Schumacher finished with 144 points, a record-breaking 67 points ahead of the runner-up, his teammate Barrichello.

Many argued that Michael Schumacher did not need to be given wins in only the sixth race of the season, which he would have won anyway, a view shared by Jean Todt and Ross Brawn in retrospect, particularly given that he had already won four of the previous five Grands Prix, and that Barrichello had dominated the race weekend up to that point.

At the podium ceremony, Michael Schumacher pushed Barrichello onto the top step, and the Ferrari team incurred a $1 million fine for this disturbance.

Michael Schumacher vowed to pay back Barrichello, and later that same year returned the favour in several races to help him finish second in the standings.

At the United States Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher returned the favour, by giving Barrichello the win by 0.011 seconds, the second-closest margin on the finishing line in Formula One history in a failed dead heat finish.

Michael Schumacher broke Fangio's 46-year record of five Drivers' Championships by winning the drivers' title for the sixth time in 2003, after a closely contested battle with his main rivals, which was a result of lobbying regarding the Michelin tyres.

Michael Schumacher won the next two races and closed within two points of Raikkonen.

Michael Schumacher, running on Bridgestone tyres, won the next two races.

At the final round, the Japanese Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher needed only one point whilst Raikkonen needed to win.

In 2004, Michael Schumacher won a record 12 of the first 13 races of the season, including the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix and the Japanese Grand Prix, only failing to finish in Monaco after an accident with Montoya during a safety car period.

Michael Schumacher finished the season with a record 148 points, 34 points ahead of the runner-up Barrichello, and set a new record of 13 race wins out of a possible 18, surpassing his previous best of 11 wins from the 2002 season.

Between 2000 and 2004, Michael Schumacher achieved five Drivers' Championships, 48 wins, and almost all Formula One records.

The most notable moment of the early season for Michael Schumacher was his battle with Renault R25 driver Fernando Alonso at the San Marino Grand Prix, where he started 13th and finished only 0.2 seconds behind Alonso.

Michael Schumacher retired in 6 of the 19 races, and finished the season in third with 62 points, fewer than half the points of World Champion Alonso.

Michael Schumacher won the following two races; his pole position at San Marino Grand Prix was his 66th, breaking Ayrton Senna's 12-year-old record, which was described as perhaps the greatest record that stood in the sport, and was a reversal of the 2005 race.

Michael Schumacher was stripped of pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix and started the race at the back of the grid, as he stopped his car and blocked part of the circuit while Alonso was on his qualifying lap; he still managed to work his way up to fifth place on the notoriously cramped Monaco circuit.

Since Canada, Ferrari won six out of seven races, including at Monza, with Michael Schumacher winning in five of them.

Michael Schumacher conceded the title; to win the Drivers' Championship, Schumacher would have had to win the final race and Alonso had to fail to score any point, and he did not wish to win the title like that.

Early in the race, Michael Schumacher moved up to sixth place but suffered a puncture caused by the front wing of Giancarlo Fisichella's Renault.

Michael Schumacher fell to 19th place, 70 seconds behind teammate and race leader Felipe Massa.

Michael Schumacher recovered and overtook both Fisichella and Raikkonen, his successor at Ferrari following his retirement, to secure fourth place.

Michael Schumacher helped Ferrari with their development programme at the Jerez circuit.

Michael Schumacher focused on testing electronics and tyres for the 2008 season.

Michael Schumacher tested a modified Ferrari F2007 to prepare himself as he had been unable to test the Ferrari F60 due to testing restrictions.

Michael Schumacher described this aborted return to Formula One as his "toughest moment".

In December 2009, Michael Schumacher announced his return to Formula One for the 2010 season alongside fellow German driver and 24-year-old Nico Rosberg in the new Mercedes GP team.

Michael Schumacher stated that his preparations to replace the injured Massa had initiated a renewed interest in Formula One, which, combined with the opportunity to fulfil a long-held ambition to drive for Mercedes and to be working again with team principal Ross Brawn, led Michael Schumacher to accept the offer once he was passed fit.

Michael Schumacher's comeback was the most high profile in Formula One since Niki Lauda came out of a two-year retirement for the 1982 season to race for McLaren and went on to win a third world title in 1984.

Michael Schumacher turned 41 in 2010, the same age Nigel Mansell won the 1994 Australian Grand Prix after having stepped in as a substitute following the death of Ayrton Senna, and his prospects with Mercedes were compared with Nigel Mansell, who had won a title at 39 and last competed aged 41; Damon Hill, who competed his final season at 39; and Juan Manuel Fangio, Formula One's oldest champion who was 46 when he won his fifth title.

Michael Schumacher finished behind teammate Nico Rosberg in each of the first four qualifying sessions and races; former driver Stirling Moss suggested that Schumacher might be "past it".

At the Monaco Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher finished sixth after passing Ferrari's Fernando Alonso on the final corner before the finish line when the safety car returned to the pits.

At the European Grand Prix in Valencia, Michael Schumacher finished 15th, the lowest recorded finish in his career.

Michael Schumacher, who finished 12th, was found guilty of dangerous driving and was demoted ten places on the grid for the following race, the Belgian Grand Prix, where he finished seventh despite starting 21st after his grid penalty.

At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher was involved in a major accident on the first lap, after Vitantonio Liuzzi's car collided with Michael Schumacher's, barely missing his head.

Michael Schumacher finished the season in ninth place with 72 points.

Michael Schumacher finished the season in eighth place in the Drivers' Championship, with 76 points.

Michael Schumacher was again partnered by Nico Rosberg at Mercedes for the 2012 season.

At the Chinese Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher started on the front row but retired due to a loose wheel after a mechanic's error during a pit stop.

Twenty-one years into his career, Michael Schumacher was fastest in qualifying in Monaco but started sixth owing to his penalty.

Michael Schumacher later retired from seventh place in the race.

At the European Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher finished third, his only podium finish since his return to Formula One.

At the German Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher set the fastest lap for the 77th time in his career.

At the Belgian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher became the second driver in history to race in 300 Grands Prix; he took seventh place after starting 13th.

Michael Schumacher closed his career with 91 wins, 155 podiums, and 68 pole positions, which at the time were all records.

Michael Schumacher has shaped a generation like no other, he is iconic.

Michael Schumacher was noted throughout his career for his speed and racecraft, and his ability to produce fast laps at crucial moments in a race and to push his car to the very limit for sustained periods.

Michael Schumacher was noted for his work ethic, pioneering fitness regimen, and ability to galvanise teams around him.

The magazine stated that Michael Schumacher changed the sport as he set a new benchmark for other drivers and built the team and technologies around him.

Michael Schumacher exercised four hours a day, mostly to strengthen his neck muscles to better withstand G-forces during races.

In 2023, former Formula One rival Giancarlo Fisichella observed that Michael Schumacher "did not even seem to have sweated" during races, adding that Michael Schumacher is the greatest Formula One driver of all time and "rewrote the history of Formula One".

In 2003, F1 Racing magazine analysed Michael Schumacher's driving style using telemetry data.

Martin Brundle talked about being in awe upon seeing Michael Schumacher's telemetry showing he took turn one on full throttle at the Suzuka circuit.

Michael Schumacher is further known as "the Red Baron" because of his red Ferrari and in reference to the German Manfred von Richthofen, the famous flying ace of the First World War.

Michael Schumacher was noted for beating all his teammates during his Formula One career, except for his not-fully debut season against three-time World Champion Nelson Piquet, once for 1999 World Championship runner-up Eddie Irvine due to missing six races after a leg injury, and future 2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg when he was in his 40s.

Michael Schumacher was noted for outperforming his cars and for his ability to operate at his peak on every lap, having won significant more races than he had either pole positions or fastest laps.

Since the 1994 death of Senna, Michael Schumacher was widely regarded as the fastest driver in Formula One and the most dominant driver of his era.

Michael Schumacher was subject to anti-German prejudices throughout his career especially from the British media.

Michael Schumacher's career spanned three decades and left a lasting impact on the sport, Formula One in particular but motorsport as a whole, and his influence extended beyond his own racing career; in 2020, he was voted the most influential person in Formula One history.

Michael Schumacher has often been credited with popularising Formula One worldwide, especially in Germany, where it was formerly considered a fringe sport.

When Michael Schumacher first retired in 2006, three of the top ten drivers in that year's Drivers' standings were German, more than any other nationality.

Younger German drivers, such as Sebastian Vettel, felt Michael Schumacher was key in them becoming Formula One drivers.

Michael Schumacher was credited for turning Ferrari into Formula One's most successful team; multi-time World Champion Jackie Stewart believed the transformation of the Ferrari team was Michael Schumacher's greatest feat.

Michael Schumacher has been described as statistically the most successful driver in Formula One history and the most complete Formula One driver ever.

In 2006, Michael Schumacher was the driver to have made the most starts with the same constructor and engine manufacturer.

Michael Schumacher tied Nigel Mansell in 2004 for the record of most wins at the start of a season, and he tied Senna for most pole positions at the same circuit.

Michael Schumacher made the most starts from the front row, scored the most points before the point-system was overhauled in 2010, finished the most races in the points consecutively, and held the record for most consecutive fastest laps at the same circuit.

Michael Schumacher respectively won 51 and 24 times without starting first or from the front row, and had 48 wins with fastest lap, all three being more than any other driver, and converted 40 of his pole positions to wins at 58 percent, a record number that was later beaten by Hamilton.

Michael Schumacher had 27 percent of pole positions, 30 percent of fastest laps, and the most victories from pole with fastest lap at 22.

Michael Schumacher has always been very protective of his private life and is known to dislike the celebrity spotlight.

From 1992 to May 1996, Michael Schumacher resided in the Fontvieille district in Monaco.

Ralf Michael Schumacher competed in Formula One for ten years, starting from 1997 until the end of 2007.

Michael Schumacher appeared in several charity football games, and organised games between Formula One drivers.

In 2008, Sammarinese football club SS Murata approached Michael Schumacher to join their squad for their upcoming UEFA Champions League qualifying matches but he turned down the offer.

Michael Schumacher's character is himself as a Ferrari F430 who visits the town of Radiator Springs to get new tires from Luigi and Guido at the recommendation of Lightning McQueen.

In 2009, Michael Schumacher appeared on the BBC's motoring programme Top Gear as the Stig.

Presenter Jeremy Clarkson hinted later in the programme that Michael Schumacher was not the regular Stig, which the BBC subsequently confirmed.

Michael Schumacher was there because Ferrari would not allow anyone else to drive the unique black Ferrari FXX that was featured in the show.

Michael Schumacher supported a hospital for child victims of the siege in Sarajevo, which specialises in caring for amputees.

Michael Schumacher donated $10 million for aid after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which surpassed that of any other sports person, most sports leagues, many worldwide corporations and even some countries.

In 2008, Michael Schumacher was the figurehead of an advertising campaign by Bacardi to raise awareness about responsible drinking.

Michael Schumacher featured in an advertising campaign for television, cinema and online media, supported by consumer engagements, public relations and digital media across the world.

On 29 December 2013, Michael Schumacher was skiing with his 14-year-old son Mick, descending the Combe de Saulire below the Dent de Burgin above Meribel in the French Alps.

Michael Schumacher was airlifted to Grenoble Hospital where he underwent two surgical interventions.

Michael Schumacher was put into a medically induced coma because of traumatic brain injury.

In September 2016, Felix Damm, lawyer for Michael Schumacher, told a German court that his client "cannot walk", in response to reports from December 2015 in German publication Die Bunte that he could walk again.

In July 2019, former Ferrari manager Jean Todt stated that Michael Schumacher was making "good progress" but "struggles to communicate".

Todt said that Michael Schumacher was able to watch Formula One races on television at his home.

In September 2019, Le Parisien reported that Michael Schumacher had been admitted to the Hopital Europeen Georges-Pompidou in Paris for treatment by cardiovascular surgeon Philippe Menasche, described as a "pioneer in cell surgery".

Michael Schumacher's family maintains strict privacy about his condition since his accident in 2013.

In 1994 and from 2001 to 2003, Michael Schumacher was voted European Sportsperson of the Year by the International Sports Press Association.

Michael Schumacher was voted by Polish Press Agency the European Sportsperson of the Year from 2001 to 2003.

Michael Schumacher was voted German Sportspersonality of the Year in 1995 and 2004.

In 2002, for his contributions to sport and his contributions in raising awareness of child education, Michael Schumacher was named as one of the UNESCO Champions for Sport.

Michael Schumacher won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year in 2002 and 2004, received the Marca Leylenda award in 2001, was named L'Equipe Champion of Champions three times, won the Gazzetta World Sports Award twice, and won the 2003 Lorenzo Bandini Trophy.

In honour of Michael Schumacher's racing career and his efforts to improve road safety and the sport, he was awarded an FIA Gold Medal for Motor Sport in 2006.

Together with Sebastian Vettel, Michael Schumacher won the Race of Champions Nations' Cup six times in a row for Germany, from 2007 to 2012.

In 2017, Michael Schumacher was inducted into the FIA Hall of Fame and Germany's Sports Hall of Fame.

In Sarajevo, Michael Schumacher was granted honorary citizenship, while the Assembly of the Sarajevo Canton renamed major city transversal street after him, and earlier a large street mural was painted in a city neighborhood of Dobrinja by a group of artists.

Michael Schumacher was appointed Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur, was honoured with the Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, and was appointed an ambassador of San Marino.

Michael Schumacher was awarded the State Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2022.

Michael Schumacher was disqualified from the 1997 World Drivers' Championship due to dangerous driving in the European Grand Prix, where he caused an avoidable accident with Jacques Villeneuve.