Michael Schumacher, the very name when uttered raises everyone’s eyebrows. Whether you know him as a sportsperson or not is a different story, but I’ve yet to come across a person who would tell me he/she hasn’t heard of him. So, who is he? Yes, he’s a Formula 1 driver. He races cars meant for superfast speed racing. How is he at it? That’s the story I’m going to unfold now….Many say he’s great, others say he’s a cheater…I say he’s a special sportsperson. He’s extremely talented and always surrounded by controversies. No one wins 91 F1 titles just like that where the second highest recorded is only 35.Let us see how it all happened.
How Michael came to be what he is today?
This person born in the year 1969, came from a working class background. He started karting at a tender age of 4, when he was given a kart powered by a lawn mowing engine by his father. That’s where the story began. In 1980 he saw a karting driver who greatly impressed him.That driver was Ayrton Senna, who eventually became one of the greats of F1 racing. From 1984 onwards, he competed in many European & German karting championships formula ford series and numerous other championships. Every time he raced , he became more popular.
F1 YEARS
He made his debut at ‘The Belgian Grand Prix’ in 1991 as a replacement for an imprisoned Jordan-Ford team driver, Gachot. He impressed with his speed but couldn’t do much , with the limitations of his car.
1992
Benneton-Ford roped him in under controversial circumstances and in spite of being in an inferior car , he finished the season ahead of 3 time champion, Senna.
Maiden victory at Belgian Grand Prix
1993
Again, Michael shone , but not beyond the capabilities of his car, and definitely not beyond those of Williams and Mclaren.
1994
This was the year he won his first championship in an eventful year which saw the deaths of greats Senna and Ratzenberger. He dominated most of the season , Hill being his main competitor. Allegations of extra traction and launch found all cars guilty but due to some unfair decisions, Michael was penalised.Going into the last race he led by only 1 point.Victory finally came to him after a collision with Hill sending both of them out of the race.
1995
Benneton changed from ford to Renault, and although his rivals had the better cars Michael engulfed them all, recording his second championship victory.
1996
In an unprecedented move he moved over to Ferrari, who had not won a championship in 21 years. The first year, he finished third, Hill winning the title.
1997
It went down to the wire and yet again it was a collision with Villeneuve which prevented him from winning the title.
1998
The sudden rise in quality of Bridgestone tyres saw Mika Hakkkinen do well.When it came down to the last race, Michael had a technical failure which saw him yield the title to Hakkinenin in Japan.
1999
Same story, Hakkinen dominates. Michael has bad fortune. And it’s all over with a Hakkinen victory in Japan once again.
2000
This time round it’s a hard fought battle between Michael and Hakkinen, but it’s Michael who comes through to win it in the end.
2001
Michael dominates and wins the season with a total of 9 victories.
breaks Alan Prost’s record of 52 wins
1st ever 1-2 finish with his brother.
2002
Michael Schumacher steamrolls the opposition with 11 victories in the season breaking his own record.
2003
Breaks Fangio’s record of 5 titles by winning a 6th one. Raikonnen competes well but to no avail.
2004
Breaks his own record of 6 titles and 11 wins by a 7th title and 13 wins. Also finishes with a record 148 points.
2005
With the sudden deterioration of Bridgestone tyres, Schumi struggled barely managing 3rd place, with Alonso winning it.
2006
At the beginning of the season he was stormed with bad luck but later on he has picked up. And with the abolition of the unfair aerodynamics advantage of Williams, he’s now tied with Alonso on points with 2 races to go.
Michael Schumacher –Driver Profile
Those were all his feats, and a glamorous list it sure is. But what would one analyzing him have to say?
1.He has frighteningly dogged determination , no denying that. He practices everything till the last hundredth of a second, running on different loads, on different tyres even the pit stops, till he is totally satisfied.
2.Very good judge of a circuit, even when he has driven for the first time on a track as his performances in new Grand Prixes have shown. Very quickly discerns which line of the track he should follow, whereas others take longer.
3.Has grown as a driver to be the best wet conditions driver. This is one area you could pan anyone and yet not be able to touch him. If the conditions are wet, he will rule!
4.Again, the master of defensive driving. That is exactly why you’ll find Schumi winning on days even when his car’s not running the best. It’s become common folklore now, ”It’s one thing catching up with Michael, it’s another going past him.” With his impeccable choice of line on the track, and his exceptional abilities of breaking late, he’s a tough nut to crack.
5.More than anything else, he’s one really good team man. So many times have I seen him win races not simply because he was unbeatable but because of his race strategy- the number of stops, when to stop, the fuel loads-when and how?, so many times I’ve seen him win the race in the pit lane itself. That’s where the team analysts and strategists come in, which gives us an idea of how good a chemistry Schumi had with them.
6.Again, I wouldn’t call him the best when on the offensive, he could be beaten on days, in extremely arid conditions if you have the horsepower and the traction. Maybe a decade ago, he was but not in recent years.
7.A master of making use of the curves rightly and doing conservative driving whenever and wherever necessary.
The final verdict? I’ll tell you-he’s one hell of a racer, having shed the recklessness of his younger days, a good sportsperson who uses his brains and has that cutting edge – the burning desire to win.
Will he win his last title this year, just at the brink of retirement?
I think yes, given the fact he’s got the better of Alonso in most recent occasions and is looking very strong, having eaten up his lead of 14 points totally in rapid progression. You can see it – he wants this last triumph badly! Let us wait and see how the signing off of this legend turns out to be!