Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher (born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1991 to 2006 and from 2010 to 2012. Schumacher won a record-setting seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, tied by Lewis Hamilton in 2020, and—at the time of his retirement—held the records for most wins (91), pole positions (68), and podium finishes (155), while he maintains the record for most fastest laps (77), among others.

Schumacher moved to the struggling Ferrari for his 1996 campaign, where he took several victories and finished third overall. He was involved in title battles in 1997 and 1998, being disqualified from the former for a collision with Jacques Villeneuve and finishing runner-up to Mika Häkkinen in the latter. His rivalry with Häkkinen continued into 1999, when Schumacher broke his leg following a brake failure whilst second in the championship. He returned to beat Häkkinen to his first title with Ferrari in 2000, their first in 21 years, which he successfully defended in 2001. His 2002 campaign—during which he won a then-record 11 Grands Prix—saw him claim a record-equalling fifth title with an unparalleled perfect podium rate. He then claimed his unprecedented sixth and seventh titles in 2003 and 2004, holding off Kimi Räikkönen and Juan Pablo Montoya in the former before winning 13 of 18 Grands Prix during the latter, breaking several further records. After dropping to third in 2005 and narrowly finishing runner-up to Fernando Alonso in 2006, Schumacher announced his retirement from Formula One. He later returned with the resurrected Mercedes from 2010 to 2012, claiming his final podium at the latter European Grand Prix, and has been credited with elevating the project to championship-winning form.

Schumacher was noted for pushing his machinery to the limit for sustained periods, as well as his pioneering fitness regimen, win-at-all-costs mentality, and ability to galvanise teams around him. Appointed a UNESCO Champion for Sport in 2002, Schumacher has been involved in several humanitarian projects and has donated over US$65 million to various charities. In December 2013, Schumacher suffered a traumatic brain injury in a skiing accident and was placed in an induced coma for six months. He received further rehabilitation in Lausanne before being relocated to receive private treatment at his home in September 2014; he has not appeared publicly since.

Regulations in Germany require a driver to be at least 14 years old to obtain a kart license. To circumvent 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 won the direct-drive Karting European Championship (ICA). By 1987, he was the German and European kart champion, and quit school to begin working as a mechanic. Upon clinching his second World Drivers' Championship, Schumacher returned to top-level karting in 1996, winning both the Monaco Kart Cup in Formula A and the Masters of Paris-Bercy.

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