Schumie in his Ferrari
And coming in at number 1 is the undisputed king of Formula 1 over the last 15 years, Michael Schumacher.
He is SEVEN times F1 champ (1994, 1995, 2000-2004) and has set more records than any other single driver in the history of the sport.
Many would place Senna above him and I wouldn’t argue with that, but the statistics, records and outstanding drives speak for themselves, and for that, he has to be at the top of my top 10.
Schumacher wasn’t born into a racing family, but didn’t take long to make a name for himself entering Formula 3 in 1989, and winning the series a year later.
He then joined the Mercedes driving programme alongside two drivers who were to join F1 in future seasons, namely Karl Wedlinger and Heinz-Harold Frentzen.
In 1991, he was still under contract by Mercedes but made his debut in F1 towards the end of the season in Spa, Belgium after Jordan driver Bertrand Gachot was imprisoned and the German took his place.
He impressed, qualifying 7th on the grid but retired on the 1st lap, but he did enough to win a drive at Benetton.
And he would win his first race at the same track he made his debut. In wet conditions, he drove incredibly well and took the chequered flag. However, the team were in no position to challenge for the title due to the excellence of the Williams’ package in both 92 and 93, although Michael was a regular points scorer.
His big break though came in 1994, with Benetton and Williams using the same engines. And with the death of Senna at Round 3, Michael enjoyed a big margin at the top of the championship, and despite being missing for 3 races due to disqualification at the British GP after passing Hill on the parade lap, he still made it to Adelaide a point ahead.
But close to halfway through the race, Michael slid off the track and rejoined just in front of Hill, but moved across violently to prevent Damon from overtaking, and in the process eliminated himself while damaging the Williams’ suspension. Schumacher became champion by a single point.
95 would produce much of the same, although Schumacher fully deserved the title this time producing many sensational drives along the way, most notably at the Nurburgring, hunting down Jean Alesi in the closing stages.
He won the title with a couple of races to spare, but announced he would be joining Ferrari for 96.
But it seemed he made a wrong decision despite finishing 3rd in the title race. The car was unreliable and way off the pace, but refused to give up, winning three races in typical Schumacher fashion.
1997 would see the comeback, with Schumacher and Villeneuve taking the title to the wire, and the winner in Jerez took everything. And with the Ferrari struggling, all he could do was turn in on the Williams as it approached, but it backfired as he fell off the circuit and out of the race. Jacques finished 3rd to take the crown.
1998 would again be a near miss for Schumacher as he stalled at the final round in Japan, pretty much handing the title to Hakkinen, and in 1999 he broke his leg on his way to an almost certain championship and lost his chance.
But he came back better and took five titles on the bounce, making the sport unattractive in the process as he seemed to be unbeatable. He set a record of 13 race wins in 2004, but still kept going into 2005.
It was possibly the worst season he had in a Ferrari, only winning one race at the infamous USA GP with only 6 cars taking part, and Alonso took the title off him, and did so again the following year.
Michael announced his retirement after winning at Monza, and it was almost written that he would claim his 8th crown, but after an engine failure in Japan, and a technical problem during Brazil Qualifying, his chances faded but also provided one of the best drives of his career.
Schumacher will be remembered most for the controversial incidents he caused and some of his overtaking manouveres.
However, Formula One should provide close racing and dramatic moments and Michael delivered more (in my opinion) than any other driver in the history of the sport. People didn’t like him partly because he was German and because he stopped Hill taking the crown in 1994, but as far as drivers go, he was the most complete and again in my opinion the best driver the sport will ever see.
Michael Schumacher is my best driver of all time, and I’m sure his adventures in motor sport aren’t over.
Below are some videos of the greatman at various times during his long career:
Tags: Alonso, Benetton, Ferrari, Frentzen, hakkinen, Mercedes, Michael Schumacher, Wendlinger
December 11, 2008 at 9:47 pm |
Michael Schumacher was the best driver ever to grace F1. His style, his knowledge of the car and the track and his determination to out do all of his opponents made him stand out from the rest and make him what he truly is, a legend.
David Catterick