Claim: Michael Schumacher debut race in 1991 was funded by Mercedes.

Michael Schumacher -LRB- -LSB- ˈmɪçaʔɛl ˈʃuːmaxɐ -RSB- ; born 3 January 1969 -RRB- is a German retired racing driver . He is a seven-time Formula One World Champion and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time . He was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year twice . He won two titles with Benetton in and before moving to Ferrari where he drove for eleven years . His time with Ferrari yielded five consecutive titles between and .   Schumacher holds many of Formula One 's driver records , including most championships , race victories , fastest laps , pole positions and races won in a single season -- 13 in 2004 -LRB- the last record was equalled by fellow German Sebastian Vettel nine years later -RRB- . In 2002 , he became the only driver in Formula One history to finish in the top three in every race of a season and then also broke the record for most consecutive podium finishes . According to the official Formula One website , he is `` statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen '' .   After beginning in karting , Schumacher won the German drivers ' championships in Formula König and Formula Three before joining Mercedes in the World Sportscar Championship . In 1991 , his Mercedes-funded race debut for the Jordan Formula One team resulted in Schumacher being signed by Benetton Formula One team as their driver for the rest of that season . Establishing himself as a top driver , finishing third in 1992 and fourth in 1993 , Schumacher became the first German World Drivers ' Champion in 1994 by one point over Damon Hill . In 1995 he repeated the success , this time with a greater margin . Schumacher moved to Ferrari in 1996 . Schumacher came close to winning the 1997 and 1998 titles , before breaking his leg at the 1999 British Grand Prix , ending another title run . Schumacher won five consecutive drivers ' titles from 2000 to 2004 . Schumacher retired from Formula One driving in 2006 staying with Ferrari as an advisor . He came close to an eighth title that year , but due to technical problems in the final two races he fell short to Fernando Alonso . Schumacher agreed to return for Ferrari part-way through 2009 , as cover for the badly injured Felipe Massa , but was prevented by a neck injury . Schumacher returned to Formula One on a permanent basis from 2010 with the Mercedes team before retiring for a second time at the conclusion of the 2012 season .   His career was not without controversy , including being twice involved in collisions in the final race of a season that determined the outcome of the World Championship , with Damon Hill in 1994 in Adelaide , and with Jacques Villeneuve in 1997 in Jerez . Off the track , Schumacher is an ambassador for UNESCO and a spokesman for driver safety . He has been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts throughout his life and donated tens of millions of dollars to charity . Schumacher and his younger brother , Ralf , are the only brothers to win races in Formula One , and they were the first brothers to finish 1st and 2nd in the same race , a feat they repeated in four subsequent races .   In December 2013 , Schumacher suffered a serious head injury in a skiing accident . He was airlifted to a hospital and placed in a medically induced coma , having suffered a traumatic brain injury . He was in the coma for six months from 29 December 2013 until 16 June 2014 . He left the hospital in Grenoble for further rehabilitation at the University Hospital -LRB- CHUV -RRB- in Lausanne . On 9 September 2014 , Schumacher was relocated to his home where he continues to receive medical treatment and rehabilitation privately .