Schumacher: The High Points

The numbers say it all. Schumacher, so far, has won seven world titles, claimed pole position 68 times and been on the podium 153 times, including 90 victories and 43 second places.

He has won from pole more times than anyone else, a total of 40, and he enjoyed the longest reign as world champion at four years, 11 months and 17 days between October 8, 2000, and September 25, 2005, during which time he won an unprecedented 13 races in 2004, finished 24 successive races in the points with 19 consecutive podiums, never finishing outside the top three in 2002. He has won at least once in every one of the last 15 seasons, missing out only in his debut year, 1991, when he only competed in six races.

The long list of achievements comes alongside an equally long list of controversies, but the two do go hand in hand. More than anything, Schumacher brought the ethics of singular teamwork to Formula One, working the team to his advantage at both Benetton and Ferrari to re-write the record books. He changed the way racers think about racing. Here is what happened in some of his brightest moments...

THE DEBUT
Belgian Grand Prix
August 25, 1991

The opportunity came courtesy of a brawl with a London cabbie. Eddie Jordan, a newcomer to Formula One, was left without one of his drivers when Bertrand Gachot was jailed for attacking a taxi driver with CS gas and the talent-spotting team boss took the opportunity to draft in 22-year-old Schumacher, then driving for the Mercedes sportscar squad.

Schumacher claimed an impressive eighth place in his first session of qualifying and said: "The car feels really good and it is a lot of fun to drive. I am really happy here." He started from seventh on the grid and was sixth going up Eau Rouge when his clutch broke and he was forced to park up without completing a lap. His fortunes were soon to change.

FIRST PODIUM
Mexican Grand Prix
March 22, 1992

Just eight races into his Formula One career, Schumacher found himself on the podium for the first time, standing alongside winner Nigel Mansell and second-placed driver Riccardo Patrese. It was a dominant performance from the Williams-Renault boys ahead, and regular front-runner Ayrton Senna was out of the picture thanks first to an injured hand from a practice crash and then to a faulty car that put him out the race. Schumacher, now racing for Benetton, put in a controlled performance and simply cruised home alone to claim his maiden top-three success.

MAIDEN WIN
Belgian Grand Prix
August 30, 1992

Just 17 races after he made his debut at Spa, Schumacher was back at the same forested circuit to climb to the top of the podium. Even before the race he was confident about his chances of success and confidently predicted: "I feel I will win today." He was fifth after the first lap, with more experienced rivals Senna, Mansell and Patrese ahead of him, but thanks to a driving mistake he actually played himself into a tactical masterstroke.

Senna was out of the running after driving too long on the wrong tyres when Schumacher went off track and dropped behind teammate Martin Brundle. He saw that the Briton's tyres were degrading badly and decided his own must be doing the same so came in for slicks. Mansell and Patrese both went on with rain tyres and Schumacher made up the time he needed to claim the win.

"It was an interesting feeling to suddenly lead the field," he recalled. "I didn't feel overly nervous. I basically wasn't afraid to make any hasty mistakes, and I certainly wasn't concerned about technical problems."

GEAR STUCK
Spanish Grand Prix
May 29, 1994

Despite completing most of the race stuck in fifth gear, Schumacher managed to come home second, just 24 seconds behind winner Damon Hill. He started from pole but began to suffer problems with his gearbox before the first round of pitstops, during which he managed to complete his stop, stuck in fifth, without stalling the car and without losing the lead.

Hill and Mika Hakkinen, who later went out with an engine failure, managed to make it past but Schumacher made his second stop, again without problems, and nursed the car home to a podium finish.

TITLE NUMBER ONE
Australian Grand Prix
November 13, 1994

It was not the way Schumacher wanted to win the title, but it was his first world championship nonetheless. Schumacher found out he had won the crown, following a collision with title rival Damon Hill, when a marshal whispered news of Hill's retirement in his ear. The crowd patted him on the back and he let out a relieved smile.

After the race, Schumacher admitted it was not easy and emotionally paid tribute to Senna, who had died in San Marino in the fourth race of the year. "The season started quite well, but then we came to Imola," said Schumacher. "What happened there is just, when I talk about nightmare, we all had terrible feelings, and as well in Monte Carlo.

"For me it was always clear that I was not going to win the championship, and it was Ayrton who was going to win the championship, but he hasn't been there for the last races, and I would like to take this championship and give it to him."

FROM 16th TO 16th
Belgian Grand Prix
August 27, 1995

It was a typically chaotic rain-affected race at Spa, and it was a composed performance that saw Schumacher race from 16th on the grid to claim his 16th career victory. Unperturbed by a scary crash in practice, which saw Schumacher narrowly miss a steel barrier at 100mph, the Benetton driver was soon through to third in the race when it started to rain.

He opted to stay out on dry tyres after his rival Damon Hill had pitted for wets, but Hill was much faster and Schumacher had to put up an aggressive defence. He retained the lead in controversial wheel-banging style, losing it briefly before Hill was forced to pit for slicks when the conditions changed again.

"It was a difficult decision," explained Schumacher afterwards. "I didn't know if it was going to rain harder or stop." But Hill was fuming about the wheel-banging incident and went to the stewards, who agreed and handed Schumacher a suspended two-race ban. "I am not satisfied with being driven into," grumbled Hill. "That is not acceptable."

PERFECT PASS
European Grand Prix
October 1, 1995

Schumacher all but rubber-stamped his second world title thanks to a stunning pass on Ferrari driver Jean Alesi, whom he would replace at the Italian team at the end of the year. Alesi, who started on slicks on a damp track, had looked comfortable with a 28-second advantage once his rivals had pitted for dry tyres. Schumacher, however, took chase and never gave up.

The German soon disposed of Damon Hill after some exciting dicing, the Briton ultimately disposing of himself in the gravel to make Schumacher's title hopes even more rosey. Schumacher then put in some astonishing laps to close on the back of Alesi, who at one point went off under the pressure, and he took the lead with a great move around the outside into the chicane with two laps to go.

"In my wildest dreams I wouldn't have seen myself 27 points ahead after that race," said Schumacher. "I managed to take the lead because the team built up a strategy which worked to the end of the race."

Hill, who was watching trackside after crashing out, virtually conceded the title with a gesture of applause as his rival drove his celebratory lap, and Schumacher remarked: "That just shows there is not such a strong situation between us as everyone thinks."

TITLE NUMBER TWO
Pacific Grand Prix
October 22, 1995

It was only a matter of time before Schumacher was officially crowned champion, but it was the German's attention to detail that clinched it with two Grands Prix still to go. In a race-long battle, there was little to separate Schumacher and Williams rival David Coulthard, teammate to Schumacher's closest title rival Damon Hill, but the Benetton man won the race in the pits with his trademark in/out lap speed.

Despite a longer pitstop than Coulthard, Schumacher managed to come out ahead because he was faster on the laps either side. He needed only three points to take the crown, but he won it in style to become the youngest ever double world champion. "It is a beautiful feeling to win the world championship, especially doing it in this way," said Schumacher. "The team has done a special job all the way through the season and a large part of the title has come from the team."

FIRST FOR FERRARI
Spanish Grand Prix
June 2, 1996

It was wet, just perfect. Schumacher revels in the rain and this victory, his first after leaving Benetton for Ferrari, came in trecherous conditions which helped level the playing field. With the Williams-Renault cars out in front, Schumacher was the 'best of the rest' on this grid as he lined up third, albeit a second slower on qualifying time despite claiming to have "got the maximum out of the car".

A terrible start dropped Schumacher to seventh but thanks to two cars dropping out ahead and several masterful overtaking moves he was in the lead by lap 12 and setting fastest times every lap as he scorched away from his rivals, despite suffering from engine problems. His performance earned the respect of team boss Jean Todt and president Luca di Montezemolo, who described his driver as "exceptional", and he finished with a fastest lap 2.2 seconds faster than anyone else.

"I would not have bet a penny on getting a result like this," said Schumacher. "Nobody gave us any presents here but I just pushed it to victory. I really did not expect it but today the car was handling well." The signs were there, but Todt was quick to dampen thoughts of the dominance that would eventually make Schumacher the legend he became. "This is not the time to talk of the dawning of a new age," said Todt. "We have won one race. Our objective is to continue improving."

THREE FOR VICTORY
Hungarian Grand Prix
August 16, 1998

In what will go down as one of the Ferrari-Schumacher team's greatest races, a combination of superior strategy and phenomenal-pace driving enabled Schumacher to secure victory out of nowhere. Mika Hakkinen had led from pole position in his McLaren with Schumacher failing to make any inroads from the second row. Soon after the start, Ferrari decided to switch from a two-stop to three-stop strategy and it worked to perfection.

"The team picked the right strategy, although at first I was not quite sure if our plan would work out," said Schumacher. "It was a waiting game and after the second stop I had a clear run. I was pushing to the limit. It was one of my most emotional victories because of the Ferrari fans."

The German driver's rivals were literally stunned that he had been able to run at such a pace to make the strategy work and David Coulthard, who finished second, admitted: "It is quite remarkable to win on three stops. We are still in shock. It was pretty impressive."

THE COMEBACK
Malaysian Grand Prix
October 17, 1999

Schumacher was more than ready to return after three months on the sidelines following his leg-breaking accident at the British Grand Prix. After seeing a world title that could have been his slip away, he was fired up when he returned to the track, determined to show what Ferrari had been missing. A clear second ahead in qualifying did the job.

"I am surprised by the gap but not surprised I am in front," said a confident Schumacher, back to support his teammate Eddie Irvine in his quest for the crown. "My plan is to go flat-out to the finish but I will let Eddie pass if he is behind me." He did exactly that, and more.

Three laps after the start, Schumacher let Irvine through, and thereafter laboured on maintaining Hakkinen behind him, acting as a buffer between the two championship rivals. By the end of the race, the Finn looked absolutely exhausted while Schumacher's teammate was in awe of the services the German had just provided.

"This guy is depressing," the Ulsterman declared. "Although he's the best number 1, he's also the best number 2!" And Hakkinen, wiping sweat off his face, added: "This is the hardest race I have done in my life."

Welcome back, Michael.

HUMAN AFTER ALL
Italian Grand Prix
September 10, 2000

It was an emotional day at Monza, but for all the wrong reasons. Schumacher scored a dramatic victory to equal Ayrton Senna's record of 41 race wins, but delight turned to despair just minutes later when the German was told that a trackside marshal had been killed by a flying wheel during a multiple car pile-up at the start of the race.

Having carried an image of an emotionless 'computer', Schumacher showed rare emotion, as he broke down in tears in the post-race press conference. "You may not be aware that this is your 41st victory, which puts you in second place, with Ayrton Senna, in the list of all-time winners," the TV interviewer began. "Do these records mean a lot to you?"

"Yes, it does mean a lot to me," Schumacher replied, before lowering his head into his hands and breaking down in tears, with rival Mika Hakkinen putting his arm around and consoling him.

TITLE NUMBER THREE
Japanese Grand Prix
October 8, 2000

It was not just a world title hat-trick for Schumacher, it was much, much more than that. It was the completion of a dream, the Ferrari dream, as he handed the scarlet Scuderia their first drivers' world title in 21 years. But Schumacher made hard work of it, slipping behind title rival Mika Hakkinen at the first corner and only managed to take the lead, and the victory, through a tactical pit stop strategy.

He eventually led Hakkinen home by just 1.8 seconds, danced to the Italian national anthem on the podium, and then admitted: "It is simply great. There was such an outbreak of emotion initially when I crossed the line. Imagine what is going on now in Italy. That must be simply amazing. It is not comparable to my other titles - the conditions and the circumstances are so different." It was Ross Brawn who played the strategy to perfection and Schumacher said: "It was the best moment of my motor racing career."

TITLE NUMBER FOUR
Hungarian Grand Prix
August 19, 2001

Schumacher dominated the weekend and wrapped up his title easily. His only real championship challenger, David Coulthard, threw away any chances he had when he made a slow start that allowed Schumacher's teammate Rubens Barrichello to move past and slot into a back-up role behind the German. From then on it was over.

Schumacher slipped up at the start, sliding off on his way to the grid, but when it mattered he got the job done. "I can't say much more than it has been a beautiful weekend and it's a bit too much for me," said Schumacher, holding back the tears. "It is a great achievement, but a lot of it is the team around me. I can't believe how wonderful the guys are. I am in love with them all."

SURPASSING PROST
Belgian Grand Prix
September 2, 2001

Once again, the numbers came up. A decade on from his Grand Prix debut, at Spa once again, Schumacher raced to a record-breaking 52nd Grand Prix win, overtaking Alain Prost as the most victorious driver the world championship has ever known.

It was another easy win, and Schumacher said: "To have 52 wins is a good feeling. It is not fair to say I am not interested in statistics. I am. They do not have the first priority, but it does mean something to me to have this number on my account." He admitted chatting to Prost in a motorhome prior to the victory and recalled: "Alain told me, 'Please win the race, I'm so bored all the time of answering that question, when is it going to happen? What do you feel for Michael? Blah, blah, blah.' I said exactly the same."

Prost later admitted he had never expected Schumacher to take away the record and said: "Had Ayrton Senna lived, I think he would have quite obviously beaten my record first. I was convinced at the time that it was Ayrton that would threaten my record and not Michael, but either way it really doesn't matter."

Asked how many wins Schumacher could ultimately achieve, Prost added: "It could be 60, it could be 70. One factor in his favour is that there are fewer really top teams, so he will probably hang on at Ferrari, and the cars are generally more reliable so drivers can finish more races."

TITLE NUMBER FIVE
French Grand Prix
July 21, 2002

Schumacher and Ferrari had been absolutely dominant from the very start of the season and the German arrived in France with a 54-point lead over second-placed contender, his teammate Rubens Barrichello, thanks to seven wins out of ten races.

He failed to claim pole and was handed a drive-through penalty for crossing the white line out of the pits - but none of that could stop him, and when he pressured Kimi Raikkonen into a mistake in the closing laps, the race and the record-equalling fifth title were his.

"It was very, very emotional," said Schumacher. "There were some tears inside my helmet. But I cannot compare what [Juan Manuel] Fangio did with what we do today, so I just want to appreciate what I have done for myself without trying to make comparisons."

RECORD BREAKER
Belgian Grand Prix
September 1, 2002

In 2002 Schumacher won, won and won again and he had equalled Nigel Mansell's record of nine wins in a season by the time the field headed to Belgium for the 14th round of the season. It was not strange territory for Schumacher, as he had already matched the total in 1995, 2000 and 2001, but this time there was no stopping him from taking the record outright and, with Mansell watching on, he cruised to an easy victory. "It was a perfect race," he said. "I made a good start, and that was it, basically." He made it sound so easy but, with a perfect car, it really was.

FOR MOTHER
San Marino Grand Prix
April 20, 2003

Schumacher showed his mettle when he won in San Marino on the very day his mother Elisabeth passed away. He and his brother Ralf had visited her bedside in Cologne the night before the race in an emotional and tragic time, and nothing was going to stop him paying tribute to her by racing to victory in her memory. Having not won a race all season he turned the tide and after an appropriate early race battle with his brother, he finished just ahead of second-placed Kimi Raikkonen.

"Michael has shown the dimension of what he is as a driver and as a man," said team boss Jean Todt, who took Schumacher's place in the post-race press conference. "We are very proud of him." An emotional Schumacher stayed out of the spotlight after the race but later revealed: "My mother would have wanted me to do the race. She loved to see us race. My mother and father always supported us and made it possible to do what we do now."

FIREY FIGHTBACK
Italian Grand Prix
September 14, 2003

It had been, in Schumacher terms, a drought. Three months had passed since his last victory but in front of his Italian fans, in Ferrari's own backyard, he soared back to the top of the podium with aplomb. "I think this is one of the greatest days in my career," he said after holding off Juan Pablo Montoya to score his 50th win for the Scuderia.

"There were many things that came together here. We have won the race after some tough races where we were not winning or gaining the points we were looking to score. This was unbeliebable. I am so greateful to everyone in the team. It's fantastic and I am so in love with all those guys."

TITLE NUMBER SIX
Japanese Grand Prix
October 12, 2003

Schumacher needed one point to win the title, and that is exactly what he got. After a tough fight with Kimi Raikkonen it went down to the wire at Suzuka, but Schumacher was back in 14th on the grid after rain hampered him in qualifying. He lost his front wing in a clash with Takuma Sato and was even punted in the back by his brother Ralf. Raikkonen needed to win, and he was foiled by Schumacher's teammate Rubens Barrichello, but the German wanted to make sure of his title and finished eighth to claim that final point.

"I am empty and exhausted," said Schumacher after securing his fourth consecutive world championship, his sixth in all to move him one ahead of Juan Manuel Fangio. "I could rely on Rubens in the late stages but I still had to fight as you never know whether a car will finish. It is very strange. Most of my championships have been with a victory but here I am eighth."

Empty and exhausted he may have been, but he still found time to celebrate in the famous Log Cabin's karaoke booths late into the night. The song? 'We are the Champions', of course.

STRATEGY MASTERSTROKE
French Grand Prix
July 4, 2004

Unprescedented. Inspired. Masterstroke. The decision to make four stops at Magny-Cours was typical of Ferrari's out-of-the-box thinking to strategy and epitomised the Schumacher era. Fernando Alonso was in control, having led from pole position on his Renault team's home soil, and Schumacher looked out of the running until he and his team made a mid-race change to an aggressive four-stop strategy.

For years it had been British technical director Ross Brawn thinking on his feet but not this time. "Luca Baldisserri came up with it," explained Brawn, praising his number two. "We had nothing to lose. We didn't know it was going to work but it was worth trying because it would have been too difficult to overtake Fernando."

The carefully thought-out move enabled Schumacher to run in clean air and at a higher pace than he had been able to while running behind Alonso in the first stint and after the second round of pitstops he was ahead and was able to make up enough time to cover the extra stop.

"There wasn't much of a discussion because I did not have too much to lose," said Schumacher. "In moments like this the team needs to understand my situation, how the tyres are going and what I think we can go for as we pre-discuss certain A, B and C strategies and we finally come to a decision of what we think. Ross sits on the pitwall and can overlook the whole scenario, he has a much better picture than I have and therefore he is the man to decide."

TITLE NUMBER SEVEN
Belgian Grand Prix
August 29, 2004

In a season that saw Schumacher win, win and win again it made a change to see him finish second at Spa. Not that he cared too much about that. After dropping down the field early in the race he managed to climb back up to finish behind victorious McLaren youngster Kimi Raikkonen, but it was enough to take the title.

"We have won so many races this year it was clear at some stage that someone else would win and today it happened," said Schumacher. "I would rather have finished the championship with a victory, but today we simply weren't strong enough in the right moment and that is the way it is." Few could consider such despondency after becoming crowned world champion.

13
Japanese Grand Prix
October 10, 2004

Schumacher may have wrapped up his seventh title earlier in the season, but he proved his commitment as he continued racing to win. He wrapped up his record 13th victory of the year three races after his championship success.

After a typhoon swept around Suzuka, cancelling all Saturday running, Schumacher became the first to claim pole on the Sunday morning then go on to win a race he controlled from the front right to flag. It set a season-long success record that seems unlikely to ever be broken, but Schumacher took it all in his stride. "We have dominated all year and I didn't expect anything different here," said the German, who also passed his own record of points in one season in the process.

SURPASSING SENNA
San Marino Grand Prix qualifying
April 22, 2006

There was only one key record remaining for Schumacher to break, and that was Ayrton Senna's seemingly unsurmountable number of 65 pole positions. But he did it, wracking up his 66th qualifying top spot with a smooth lap at Imola.

The process of qualifying has been changed several times during Schumacher's career, but there is no ignoring the numbers even though he always tried hard to do just that. "The record is less important in a way," he said, downplaying his achievement once again. "You look at it once you finish your racing and you may think about it, it was a little bit of a mixed feeling. But being here, as an ambassador in San Marino, in front of the tifosi...is great."

EIGHT-UP
French Grand Prix - July 16th, 2006

It was all so easy, as it had been so many times before at Magny Cours. Schumacher claimed pole position and put in a clinical performance to become the only driver in history to win the same Grand Prix eight times. "We had a good start and drove our race from there," said Schumacher. The success also marked his 150th career podium and his 88th win. Asked after the race if he would keep going to make it a round 100 wins, he simply said: "Find out." Well, now we have.

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