Michael Schumacher

Schumacher during the 1993 San Marino Grand Prix weekend

**Michael Schumacher** (born 3 January 1969) is a German racing driver, currently competing for Benetton in Formula One. Schumacher has previously raced at Jordan and McLaren.

Born to working-class parents, Schumacher started his racing career in karting. He won his first karting championship aged six in a kart built from discarded parts. After having enjoyed success in karting—such as winning the 1987 European karting championship—and in several single-seater series, Schumacher made his debut Formula One appearance with Jordan at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix and would retain the seat for the rest of the season. His performance won him a seat with World Champions McLaren for 1992, bringing the Mercedes backed Ilmor engines to the Woking team. Schumacher would secure 2 wins in the 1992 season and finished an impressive 3rd in the standings. For 1993 Schumacher rejected offers from McLaren and Sauber, instead signing for Benetton.

## Early Life and Career

Michael Schumacher was born in the West German town of Hürth, North Rhine-Westphalia, on 3 January 1969, to working-class parents Rolf — a bricklayer who later ran the local kart track — and Elisabeth (b. 1948), who operated the track's canteen. When Schumacher was four, his father modified his pedal kart by adding a small motorcycle engine. After Michael crashed it into a lamp post in Kerpen, his parents took him to the karting track at Kerpen-Horrem, where he became the youngest member of the karting club. His father built him a kart from discarded parts and, at the age of six, Schumacher won his first club championship. To support his son's racing, Rolf took on a second job renting and repairing karts, while his wife worked at the track's canteen. Nevertheless, when Michael 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.

Regulations in Germany require a driver to be at least 14 years old to obtain a kart license. To get around this, Schumacher obtained a license in Luxembourg at the age of 12. In 1983, he obtained his German license, a year after he won the German Junior Kart Championship. Schumacher joined Eurokart dealer Adolf Neubert in 1985 and by 1987, he was the German and European kart champion, then he quit school and began working as a mechanic. In 1988, he made his first step into single-seat car racing by participating in the German Formula Ford and Formula König series, winning the latter.

In 1989, Schumacher signed with Willi Weber's WTS Formula Three team. Funded by Weber, he competed in the German Formula Three series, winning the title in 1990. He also won the 1990 Macau Grand Prix under controversial circumstances. He placed second behind Mika Häkkinen in the first heat, three seconds behind. At the start of the second heat, he overtook Häkkinen, who only had to finish within three seconds of Schumacher to clinch the overall win. In the closing laps, Schumacher made a mistake, allowing Häkkinen to attempt to overtake. Michael changed his line immediately before Häkkinen did the same as the latter moved to overtake, and Häkkinen crashed into the back of Schumacher's car. While Häkkinen's race was ended, Schumacher drove to victory without a rear wing. Schumacher gave the prize money from winning the race to his family as they had debts.

During 1990, along with his Formula Three rivals Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl Wendlinger, he joined the Mercedes junior racing programme in the World Sportscar Championship. This was unusual for a young driver: most of Schumacher's contemporaries competed in Formula 3000 on the way to Formula One. However, Weber advised Schumacher that being exposed to professional press conferences and driving powerful cars in long-distance races would help his career. In the 1990 World Sportscar Championship season, Schumacher won the season finale at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in a Sauber–Mercedes C11, and finished fifth in the Drivers' Championship despite only driving in three of the nine races. He continued with the team in the 1991 World Sportscar Championship season, winning again at the final race of the season at Autopolis in Japan with a Sauber–Mercedes-Benz C291, leading to a ninth-place finish in the Drivers' Championship. He also competed at Le Mans during that season, finishing fifth in a car shared with Wendlinger and Fritz Kreutzpointner. In 1991, he competed in one race in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship, finishing second.

During the 1991 430 km of Nürburgring, Schumacher was involved in an incident with Derek Warwick. While trying to set his flying lap in qualifying, Schumacher encountered Warwick's Jaguar on a slow lap resulting in lost time for Schumacher. As retaliation for being in his way, Schumacher swerved his Sauber into Warwick's car, hitting the Jaguar's nose and front wheel. Enraged by Schumacher's attitude, Warwick drove to the pits and chased Schumacher on foot. He eventually caught up with Schumacher, and it took intervention from several mechanics and Schumacher's teammate Jochen Mass to prevent Warwick physically assaulting Schumacher.

## Formula One

### Jordan (1991)

Schumacher made his Formula One debut with the Irish Jordan-Ford team at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, driving car number 32 as a replacement for the imprisoned Bertrand Gachot. Schumacher, still a contracted Mercedes driver, was signed by Eddie Jordan after Mercedes paid Jordan $150,000 for his debut.

The week before the race, Schumacher impressed Jordan designer Gary Anderson and team manager Trevor Foster during a test drive at Silverstone. Schumacher's manager Weber assured Jordan that Schumacher knew the challenging Spa-Francorchamps circuit well, although in fact he had only seen it as a spectator. During the race weekend, teammate Andrea de Cesaris was meant to show Schumacher the circuit, but was held up with contract negotiations. Schumacher then learned the track on his own, by cycling around the track on a fold-up bike he brought with him. He impressed the paddock by qualifying 11th out-qualified veteran de Cesaris. *Motor Sport* journalist Joe Saward reported that after qualifying "clumps of German journalists were talking about 'the best talent since Stefan Bellof'". Schumacher would drive superbly and was running 4th before his clutch failed on the penultimate lap.

After such a performance Schumacher was on the radar of several teams and it was touted that Schumacher would immediately replace Roberto Moreno at Benetton. However, Schumacher turned down the offer of a drive at Benetton and agreed to see out the season with Jordan ahead of a move to McLaren for 1992. At the next race at the Italian Grand Prix Schumacher would again impress and just miss out on points, finishing 7th. Schumacher would pick up his first points scoring finish at the Japanese Grand Prix, coming home in 6th place and securing the first points finish for Jordan. Schumacher would finish the season in 19th in the championship with 1 point.

### McLaren (1992)

For 1992 Schumacher would move to the current World Champions, McLaren, partnering Drivers World Champion, Joey Davies. Part of the deal to bring Schumacher to McLaren would be the Woking team gaining Mercedes-backed Ilmor engines for 1992. Schumacher would immediately be competitive with his more experienced team mate and in only his second race for McLaren he would win at the Mexican Grand Prix, holding off Ayrton Senna and Martin Brundle. Schumacher would have tumultuous season, retiring for 8 races in 1992, but never being off the podium when he did finish. A second win at the Portuguese Grand Prix would give Schumacher an outside chance at the title, but the season concluded with 3rd place in the standings with 54 points, 2 wins and 8 podiums. Schumacher and Davies would help McLaren retain the World Constructors' Championship for 1992.

With the announcement that Ilmor would end their engine deal with McLaren early to concentrate on the new entry for Sauber, Schumacher's contract was nullified and Sauber sought to exercise the obligation for Schumacher to drive for a Mercedes-powered team should they enter Formula One. After some legal wrangling it was concluded that, since the engines were badged as Ilmor, Schumacher would not be obliged to drive for Sauber and he was a free agent. With McLaren still not having secured an engine contract, Schumacher signed to Benetton for 1993.

## Personal Life

Schumacher is currently dating accomplished equestrian and fellow German, Corinna Betsch. Betsch had previously dated current Formula One driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Schumacher also has a younger brother, Ralf Schumacher, who is currently racing in the German Junior Kart Championship.

## Formula One Statistical Overview

### Formula One Record

 1992 |  Marlboro McLaren Ilmor
 1993 |  Camel Benetton Ford

Notes

* \* – Season still in progress.

### Complete Formula One results

(key) (Races in **bold** indicate pole position; races in *italics* indicate fastest lap)

Notes

* \* – Season still in progress.