137 Facts About Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher was born on 30 June 1975 and is a German former racing driver.

Ralf Schumacher is the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher, and the pair are the only siblings to each win Formula One races.

Ralf Schumacher first drove in Formula One with Jordan Grand Prix for the 1997 season.

Ralf Schumacher moved to the Williams team in 1999, finishing sixth in the Drivers' Championship that year.

Ralf Schumacher won his first Grand Prix in 2001, en route to fourth place in the Drivers' Championship, and subsequently won five more races over the course of two years.

Ralf Schumacher left Williams at the end of 2004 and joined Toyota Racing in 2005.

However, his performance throughout 2006 and 2007 resulted in Ralf Schumacher leaving Formula One, as a result of internal pressure.

Ralf Schumacher is a co-commentator for Sky Sport in Germany.

Ralf Schumacher was born in Hurth, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany on 30 June 1975, the second son of Rolf Ralf Schumacher, a bricklayer, and his wife Elisabeth.

Ralf Schumacher began karting at the age of three driving on his parents' go-kart track in Kerpen.

Ralf Schumacher then moved up into the senior series, finishing runner-up.

Aged 17 Ralf Schumacher moved into car racing, finishing runner-up in the ADAC Junior Formula Championship.

Ralf Schumacher finished fourth and thirtieth in the Macau Grand Prix and the Masters of Formula 3, respectively.

Ralf Schumacher won the series on his first attempt, becoming the first rookie driver to clinch the championship.

In January 1997, Giancarlo Fisichella was confirmed as Ralf Schumacher's teammate replacing Martin Brundle, who expressed a desire to remain with the team.

Ralf Schumacher believed that Brundle's experience would have helped him in the coming season.

Ralf Schumacher's season started off with consecutive retirements in the opening two rounds in Australia and Brazil.

Ralf Schumacher picked up the first podium of his career in Argentina with third place despite a collision with teammate Fisichella.

Ralf Schumacher followed this result by picking up consecutive fifth-place finishes in the following three races.

Ralf Schumacher did not score points in the final three races of the season, which included retirements in the Luxembourg Grand Prix and the European Grand Prix.

Outside Formula One, Ralf Schumacher participated in the FIA GT Championship as a guest driver for the AMG Mercedes team at the Spa 4 Hours and was partnered by Klaus Ludwig.

For 1998, Ralf Schumacher remained at Jordan and was partnered by 1996 Drivers' Champion Damon Hill.

Ralf Schumacher endured a horrid start: He suffered from retirements in the first three races, and managed to finish in the races in San Marino and Spain, albeit outside the points scoring positions.

Ralf Schumacher suffered from further consecutive retirements in the next two races, and managed to finish 16th in France.

Ralf Schumacher managed to secure his and Jordan's first point of the season with a sixth-place finish at the British Grand Prix, before picking up further consecutive points finishes in the next two races.

Ralf Schumacher did not score points in Hungary, but managed to secure second place in Belgium behind teammate Hill.

Ralf Schumacher was issued with team orders to prevent him from overtaking Hill, which caused a strain in the relationship between Ralf Schumacher and Jordan.

Ralf Schumacher managed to take his second consecutive podium with third place in Italy.

Ralf Schumacher finished the season with consecutive retirements in the final two races.

Ralf Schumacher clinched 10th place in the Drivers' Championship, with 14 points.

Ralf Schumacher began his season by finishing third in Australia, which was followed up with a fourth-place finish in Brazil.

Ralf Schumacher was able to take further points in the next two races in Spain, Canada and France.

Ralf Schumacher took a further podium position with third place in Britain, but retired from the next race in Austria due to a spin.

Ralf Schumacher took further points in the German Grand Prix, before taking a ninth-place finish in Hungary.

In Belgium, Ralf Schumacher took fifth place helped by a one-stop strategy earning him a better finish.

Ralf Schumacher rounded off the season with a fifth-place finish in Japan.

Ralf Schumacher finished the season sixth in the Drivers' Championship, with 35 points.

Ralf Schumacher continued to drive for Williams in 2000, and was partnered by rookie driver and future World Champion Jenson Button.

Ralf Schumacher's season started well: He managed to take third place in the opening race in Australia, and clinched fifth position in Brazil.

Ralf Schumacher was forced to retire from the San Marino Grand Prix due to a fuel system issue, but managed to clinch consecutive fourth-place finishes in the next two races.

However, Ralf Schumacher was forced into another retirement as he was caught in a collision involving Eddie Irvine and Jos Verstappen at the European Grand Prix, and another retirement followed in Monaco due to a crash where he suffered from a 3-inch cut across his calf.

Ralf Schumacher was passed fit to participate in the Canadian Grand Prix, where he was classified 14th after being hit in the closing stages by BAR driver Jacques Villeneuve.

Ralf Schumacher managed to take fifth place in France, before suffering a brake failure that forced him to retire in Austria.

Ralf Schumacher managed to finish the next four races, which included consecutive third-place finishes in Belgium and Italy.

Ralf Schumacher finished fifth in the Drivers' Championship, with 24 points.

At the opening round in Australia, Ralf Schumacher retired after a collision with BAR driver Jacques Villeneuve which resulted in the death of race marshal Graham Beveridge.

Ralf Schumacher scored his first points of the season with a fifth-place finish in Malaysia, and later spun off in the next race in Brazil which included a collision with Barrichello early in the race.

However, the following three races saw Ralf Schumacher failing to finish.

Ralf Schumacher won his second career victory in Canadian Grand Prix, with brother Michael finishing second and the result marked the first one-two finish by siblings.

Ralf Schumacher was unable to finish the race in Britain due to a problem with his car's engine.

In Germany, Ralf Schumacher took his third and final win of the season having started from second on the grid.

Ralf Schumacher finished the season fourth in the Drivers' Championship, with 49 points.

For 2002, Ralf Schumacher announced of his intention to wear glasses over the coming season to improve his vision.

Ralf Schumacher's decision was influenced after he was involved in a car crash on the Autobahn 3 when driving to visit his family.

Ralf Schumacher's season started in Australia with a first lap accident where his car was launched into the air after colliding with Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello.

At the Spanish Grand Prix, Ralf Schumacher ran wide on lap 29 while under pressure from teammate Montoya and eventually retired from an engine failure, although he was classified 11th.

Ralf Schumacher managed to secure consecutive points finishes in the next two races with a podium in Monaco.

Ralf Schumacher followed these results by finishing in next eight races, which includes consecutive third-place finishes in Germany and Hungary.

Ralf Schumacher rounded off the year with non-points finishes in the final three rounds which included a retirement in the United States.

Ralf Schumacher endured a good first half of the season: Schumacher scored points in the opening seven races, and clinched his first podium of the season with second place in Canada.

Ralf Schumacher backed up the results by taking consecutive victories in the European Grand Prix and the French Grand Prix.

Ralf Schumacher managed to finish in ninth place in Britain.

At the German Grand Prix, Ralf Schumacher retired on the first lap of the race after a collision with Rubens Barrichello and Kimi Raikkonen, for which he received a 10 place grid penalty for the next race.

Williams successfully appealed against the decision and Ralf Schumacher managed to qualify second for the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he finished fourth.

At a test held at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Ralf Schumacher suffered a high-speed accident where he sustained a concussion.

Ralf Schumacher was taken for a precautionary check at the circuit's medical centre before he was transferred to San Rafaele hospital.

Ralf Schumacher returned for the United States Grand Prix where he retired having suffered an accident resulting from his car sliding on a wet track surface.

At the season finale in Japan, Ralf Schumacher finished 12th despite spinning his car three times.

Ralf Schumacher finished the season fifth in the Drivers' Championship, with 58 points, and helped Williams clinch second in the Constructors' Championship.

Ralf Schumacher remained at Williams for 2004 and continued to be partnered by Montoya.

Ralf Schumacher was ambitious for the season, saying: "I can say that we'll come up with a car that will be competitive from the very first race of the new season".

Ralf Schumacher made a good start to his season by finishing fourth in the opening round in Australia, although he retired from the next race in Malaysia from an engine failure.

Ralf Schumacher managed to secure consecutive seventh-place finishes in the next two rounds, before finishing outside the points in Monaco.

Ralf Schumacher was forced into retirement on the opening lap of the European Grand Prix due to a collision.

At the United States Grand Prix, Ralf Schumacher suffered serious injuries in an accident that occurred on the ninth lap of the race.

Ralf Schumacher was passed fit for the Italian Grand Prix, but ultimately returned for the Chinese Grand Prix, where he retired from a puncture.

Ralf Schumacher followed up the result by taking second place in Japan, and a fifth place at the final round in Brazil.

Ralf Schumacher finished the season ninth in the Drivers' Championship, with 24 points.

For 2005, Ralf Schumacher was partnered by Jarno Trulli at Toyota and was hopeful about his prospects for the upcoming season.

Ralf Schumacher finished 12th in the opening round in Australia, and secured his first points of the season in Malaysia.

Ralf Schumacher managed to secure a consecutive points finish in Bahrain, and later finished outside the points in San Marino, due to taking a 25-second penalty after finishing eighth due to causing an incident in his pitstops.

Ralf Schumacher followed this up with consecutive points finishes in the next two races.

Ralf Schumacher retired due to a spin during the European Grand Prix.

Ralf Schumacher was forced to miss the event and was replaced by Toyota test driver Ricardo Zonta.

Ralf Schumacher returned for the French Grand Prix and took a seventh-place finish, which he followed up with three more consecutive points scoring positions which included a podium finish in Hungary, and later finished outside the points in Turkey.

Ralf Schumacher finished the season sixth place in the Drivers' Championship, and helped Toyota clinch fourth in the Constructors' Championship.

Ralf Schumacher continued at Toyota and was again partnered by Trulli for 2006.

Ralf Schumacher started the season with a non-points finish in Bahrain as both Toyota cars were off the pace, but managed to score his and Toyota's first points of the season with eighth place in Malaysia.

Ralf Schumacher managed to secure his and Toyota's only podium finish of the season in Australia.

Ralf Schumacher took ninth place in San Marino, but suffered consecutive retirements in the next three races.

Ralf Schumacher was unable to finish the races in China and Brazil, due to problems with his car's oil pressure and suspension respectively.

Ralf Schumacher finished the season tenth in the Drivers' Championship, and scored 20 points.

Ralf Schumacher remained at Toyota and continued to be partnered by Trulli for 2007.

Ralf Schumacher took eighth position at the opening round in Australia, and finished outside the points-scoring positions in the next two rounds.

At the next Grand Prix in the United States, Ralf Schumacher spun off in the first corner and collided with the cars of David Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello.

Ralf Schumacher did not finish the races at the British Grand Prix, and the European Grand Prix from a mechanical failure and a collision with BMW Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld respectively.

Ralf Schumacher later scored a further point for Toyota in Hungary, before taking consecutive finishes outside the points in the next three races.

Ralf Schumacher was unable to finish the race in Japan having sustained a puncture.

Ralf Schumacher spun off in the next race in China and secured an 11th-place finish in the season finale in Brazil.

Ralf Schumacher ended his final season in Formula One 16th in the Drivers' Championship, with 5 points.

Ralf Schumacher held talks with long-time mentor and Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost about a possible drive for the team, who ultimately opted to sign Sebastian Vettel and Sebastien Bourdais.

Ralf Schumacher later approached McLaren to enquire about a seat that was vacated by Fernando Alonso, but was later turned down.

On 18 February 2008, it was announced that Ralf Schumacher would be driving in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series in 2008, driving for Mucke Motorsport and was partnered by Maro Engel.

Ralf Schumacher was forced into retirement at the next race at Lausitz, and managed to finish in the next three races he entered, albeit outside the points scoring positions.

Ralf Schumacher secured his first points in the DTM series by finishing eighth at the Nurburgring.

Ralf Schumacher secured 15th place at the round held at Brands Hatch, before he backed the result up with a seventh-place finish at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Ralf Schumacher rounded off the season with a retirement at the Bugatti Circuit and a 14th-place finish at the Hockenheimring.

Ralf Schumacher finished the season 14th in the Drivers' Championship, with 3 points.

For 2009, it was announced that Ralf Schumacher had extended his contract to drive for Mercedes-Benz, and would move to the HWA Team, and was partnered by Paul di Resta, Bruno Spengler and Gary Paffett.

Ralf Schumacher managed to finish the first two races, although he did not finish in the points scoring positions.

Ralf Schumacher secured his first points of the season with a sixth-place finish at the Norisring, which he followed up with 10th and 11th-place finishes in the races at Zandvoort and Oschersleben respectively.

Ralf Schumacher managed to secure his second point scoring position with a seventh place at the Nurburgring, and followed the result up by clinching consecutive finishes in the next two rounds at Brands Hatch and the Circuit de Catalunya.

Ralf Schumacher took further points with a fifth-place finish at Dijon-Prenois and finished the season with a multi-car collision at the Hockenheimring.

Ralf Schumacher finished the season 11th in the Drivers' Championship, and scored 9 points.

On 23 March 2010, it was announced that Ralf Schumacher would be retained by HWA for 2010, and would be partnered by di Resta, Spengler and Gary Paffett.

Ralf Schumacher's season started with a ninth-place finish at the Hockenheimring, before he was forced into retirement due to a failure in his car's electronic control in Valencia resulting in an misfire.

Ralf Schumacher later secured finishes in the next two rounds, which he backed up with his first points of the season with sixth place at the Nurburgring.

However, this marked a turning point as Ralf Schumacher did not score points in the remaining six races.

Ralf Schumacher suffered retirements in the races at Brands Hatch where he was involved in a collision and later suffered damage to his steering, as a result of running off the race track His final retirement of 2010 came at the Hockenheimring where he was involved in another first lap collision.

Ralf Schumacher finished the season 14th in the Drivers' Championship, scoring 3 points.

On 6 April 2011, it was confirmed that Ralf Schumacher would remain at HWA for 2011 and was partnered by Paffett, Spengler and Jamie Green.

Ralf Schumacher started off the season by taking his first podium in DTM with third place at the Hockenheimring.

However, Ralf Schumacher was unable to capitalize on his result as he finished outside the point scoring positions at the next race held at Zandvoort.

Ralf Schumacher later secured his second podium of the season with a second-place finish at the Red Bull Ring, which remained his best result in DTM.

Ralf Schumacher was unable to take further points in Lausitz, but managed to clinch sixth place in Norisring.

Ralf Schumacher managed to finish the races in Valencia and at the Hockenheimring, albeit outside the point scoring positions.

Ralf Schumacher finished the season eighth in the Drivers' Championship, scoring 21 points.

On 20 October 2011, it was announced that Ralf Schumacher would remain at HWA for the 2012 season, and was partnered by Green and Paffett who were joined by new signing Christian Vietoris.

Ralf Schumacher's season got off well: he clinched consecutive points scoring finishes in the first two races of the season, and managed to secure further finishes in the races held at Brands Hatch and the Red Bull Ring, although Ralf Schumacher did not finish in the points scoring positions.

Ralf Schumacher was forced into retirement at the next race held at the Norisring due to an electrical failure while leading.

Ralf Schumacher managed to secure points finishes in the races held at Zandvoort and the season finale at the Hockenheimring.

Ralf Schumacher managed to finish the races held at Oschersleben and in Valencia, although he secured no points.

Ralf Schumacher finished the season 17th in the Drivers' Championship, with 10 points.

Ralf Schumacher announced his retirement from active motorsport in March 2013 and would enter a management role at Mucke Motorsport, as well as becoming a shareholder in the team.

On 20 February 2015 Ralf Schumacher's lawyer confirmed that Ralf Schumacher and his wife had divorced after an acrimonious period of separation.

Ralf Schumacher was appointed a Laureus Ambassador at the Laureus World Sports Awards for the Laureus Foundation in 2011.

Ralf Schumacher is a prominent supporter of the Gut Aiderbichl animal sanctuary, situated near Salzburg.