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Michael Schumacher – 300 and counting..!

Schumacher, MSC, Schumi, Schuey, Schu, The Rain King, The Rain Master, Regenkönig and Regenmeister – these are just a few of the nicknames seven-time Formula 1 Drivers’ World Champion Michael Schumacher has obtained since his F1 career which started back in 1992. Whichever name you choose to associate the German racing driver with, one thing does not change – at the age of 43, and coming up to his 300th Formula 1 Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher remains one of the most highly decorated F1 drivers’ of all time.

With countless drivers’ records to his name, 18 years in the sport, and “statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen” according to the official online website for Formula 1, Michael Schumacher has become a household name; a celebrity in his own right whom everyone knows and recognises, motorsport fan or not.

The 2012 Formula 1 Shall Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps will mark Michael Schumacher’s 300th Grand Prix entry into Formula 1. Only one driver, former Formula 1 driver and ex-teammate Rubens Barrichello, has entered more F1 races.

It seems fitting that Schumacher’s 300th Grand Prix entry comes at Spa-Francorchamps where 21 years ago Michael made his Formula 1 debut at Spa. A year later at the same track, he would win his first career Grand Prix whilst driving for Benetton-Ford. As the years followed and the experienced mounted, Schumacher would have continued success at Spa, winning three times consecutively in 1995, 1996 and 1997 and twice again in 2001 and 2002. He holds the record for the highest number of wins at Spa-Francorchamps with six in total; four of those came whilst driving for Scuderia Ferrari.

Look back over Michael Schumacher’s career in Formula 1 and you’ll find that reminiscing is no easy feat. With his record topping seven World Drivers’ Championships to his name, his resume also brags 91 race wins, 68 pole positions, 77 fastest laps and 155 podium places, to name but a few of his records. His career has been filled with excitement, domination of Formula 1 drivers’ records and domination of the sport in general. However, it is not a career that has been without fault. Alongside the glory comes a career filled with controversy, anger, penalties, disqualifications, and fall-outs with fellow teammates, drivers and teams.

World Championships

In 1994, just three years into his Formula 1 career and still being regarded as a ‘rookie’ by the experienced field which included the likes of Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill, Jean Alesi and Nigel Mansell, Schumacher won his first Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship. A spectacular achievement in itself, the Championship deciding race fell in to controversy. Going into the last race of the 1994 season in Australia, Schumacher lead the World Championship by just one point ahead of Damon Hill. Leading the race from the start, Schumacher brushed the wall and lost most of his lead at lap 35. As Damon Hill attempted a pass on Schumacher, the two would collide, forcing both to retire. After, race stewards deemed the collision to be a racing incident, Michael Schumacher would finish the season ahead of Hill, winning the World Championship. The British media were not so convinced of the “racing incident” ruling though, suspecting Schumacher hit Hill on purpose to win the Championship.

Schumacher’s inaugural Drivers’ Championship win would also be overshadowed by the deaths of three-time World Drivers’ Champion Ayrton Senna and Austrian Roland Ratzenberger during the San Marino Grand Prix. Michael witnessed the death of Senna first hand, as he was driving behind him at the time of the collision.

The 1995 season got off to a similar start, with Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill battling on track for the Championship lead. With two wins each in the first four races, it looked to be a tight season ahead. Hill would struggle in the Williams-Renault as the Championship progressed though, leaving the door open for Schumacher to clean up. Of 17 races on the calendar, Michael won nine of them, and with a total 102 points, would win his second Drivers’ World Championship 33 points ahead of Damon Hill.

In 1996, Michael Schumacher moved from Benetton-Ford to the highly prestigious Scuderia Ferrari marque. This marked the beginning of Schumacher’s most successful run in Formula 1. Schumacher drove for Ferrari for eleven consecutive seasons; a run which would see him collect his next five World Drivers’ Championships, all consecutively from 2000 to 2004.

During his Championship run, Schumacher would amass a surreal number of F1 drivers’ records; including consecutive titles (5), consecutive wins (7 in 2004), wins in a season (72% in 2004), podium finishes in a season (100% in 2002), consecutive points finishes (24; Hungary 2001 through Malaysia 2003), fastest laps in a season (10 in 2004) and hat tricks in a season (5 in 2004).

Placing 3rd and then 2nd in the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Schumacher would decide to hang up his helmet, announcing his official retirement from Formula 1 Racing at the end of the 2006 season. Retiring as one of the most successful drivers’ since the sports creation, Michael took up a consultative position with Scuderia Ferrari for the following three seasons, before announcing a ‘comeback’ with the newly formed Mercedes GP Petronas team.

Cars and Controversy

When talking about Michael Schumacher, one can’t help but think of the numerous controversies that have come with being the world’s best Formula 1 Driver. There have been few seasons in his 18 year career where Schumacher has not done something that would attract the attention of the race stewards, the FIA or the media.

Probably the most controversially recognised incident that Schumacher was involved in was during the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez in 1997. Going into the final race of the season, and leading the Championship by just 1 point (ahead of the Rothmans Williams of Jacques Villeneuve), Michael Schumacher developed a coolant leak which threatened his race. Fearing he would not finish, Schumacher attempted a collision with Villeneuve in attempt to retire them both. Though Schumacher would retire as a result of the accident, Villeneuve would finish the race, and ultimately, win the 1997 Drivers’ World Championship. As a direct result of the attempted collision, race stewards penalised Michael Schumacher for unsportsmanlike conduct and disqualified him from the entire 1997 Drivers’ Championship.To date, Schumacher remains the only driver in the history of Formula 1 to be disqualified from a World Drivers’ Championship.

Another infamous incident Schumacher found himself in the middle of was at the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix. Under team orders, teammate Rubens Barrichello purposely slowed his car on the final lap, allowing Michael Schumacher to win the race. With ‘boos’ raining down from the angered crowd during the podium presentations, Schumacher pushed Barrichello onto the top step, resulting in a $1 million (US) fine from the FIA for the drama.

Adding to a string of controversies, Schumacher has a list of ‘dangerous driving’ incidents, which include stopping his car on track in Monaco 2006 blocking Alonso from getting pole, and the now infamous ‘squeeze’ on Rubens Barrichello down the start / finish straight at the 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix, where Schumacher forced Barrichello dangerously close to the concrete wall at speeds of over 180 miles per hour before finally conceding the place to the Williams driver. Schumacher would receive a ten place grid penalty for the next race, and later apologised for the incident.

With all this, one of Schumacher’s most famous incidents takes us right back to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, this time in 1998. Whilst attempting to pass (and lap) the McLaren of David Coulthard in heavy rain, Coulthard’s car would slow, resulting in Schumacher running into the back of him, and ending both cars race. Michael Schumacher accused Coulthard of trying to “kill” him, and upon returning his damaged three-wheeled car to the pit garage, angrily stormed in to the McLaren garage to confront Coulthard. Team members of both Ferrari and McLaren had to separate the drivers – the incident was captured on live TV.

Despite all this though, Schumacher remains one of the most successful, popular and decorated drivers’ in the history of Formula 1 motorsport. And a career without excitement and controversy would hardly be worth the fame and legendary status that is associated with a true sportsman’s career.

Since joining the Mercedes factory team, now named Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, Schumacher has had relatively little success compared to his ‘glory days’ at Ferrari, scoring a mediocre number of World Drivers’ Championship points, placing on the podium only a handful of times, and failing to collect a race win as of yet.

But the 2012 season is far from over, and with nine races left, and Schumacher’s 300th race entry approaching, one can’t help but to almost expect him to perform well in the upcoming races, taking himself a little closer to the top of the Formula 1 Race entries record in the process. The aptly known ‘silly season’ has thrown numerous rumours around during the summer break and many include what Schumacher will do for the 2013 season. While many expect him to drive another year with the Mercedes team, some question his results since his return and whether he is doomed to another season of mediocrity. At this point, it’s hard to say – we’re not driving the car, he is. When he believes he has nothing left to give, only then will Schumacher call it a day, again.

Love him, hate him, or indifferent, Michael Schumacher has left a mark on Formula 1 the world will never forget. Here’s to 300 – and everything more going forward.

©Jordan A. Irvine - 2012

Contact Details: Please feel free to reach out with any questions – I can be found on Twitter @IrvineF1, or alternatively you email me directly on: JordanIrvineF1@gmail.com ©Jordan A. Irvine - 2012