Michael Schumacher

Schumacher (left) in 1991

Schumacher was noted throughout his career for his ability to produce fast laps at crucial moments in a race and to push his car to the very limit for sustained periods.[10] He was also noted for his pioneering fitness regimen and ability to galvanise teams around him.[11][12] In 2004, Slate magazine described Schumacher as "the ultimate driving machine" and "the most dominant athlete in the world" due to him having become "quicker, stronger, and fitter than the competition by outworking them in the weight room".[13] The magazine also stated that Schumacher changed the sport as he set a new benchmark for other drivers and built the team and technologies around him.[13] Schumacher exercised four hours a day, mostly to strengthen his neck muscles to better withstand G-forces during races.[14] After his gym session, he would often head to the race track for testing.[14] In 2003, Deutsche Welle highlighted Schumacher's "natural talent" for racing and his "discipline and leadership".[14] In 2023, former Formula One rival Giancarlo Fisichella noted that Schumacher "did not even seem to have sweated" during races, adding that Schumacher is the greatest Formula One driver of all time and "rewrote the history of Formula One".[15]

In 2003, F1 Racing magazine analysed Schumacher's driving style using telemetry data.[16] It was noted that Schumacher was "very sensitively and flexibly" on the gas and brakes. Compared with his Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello, who often either braked or accelerated in a corner, Schumacher usually braked later into a corner and stabilised his car by accelerating slightly, often using both the brake and accelerator pedals at the same time. Exiting a corner, Schumacher accelerated considerably and balanced his car by braking lightly. With his driving style, Schumacher went 25 km/h faster through the hairpin corner of the Suzuka Circuit compared to Barrichello, who lost 0.3 seconds to Schumacher in this corner.[16] It was also noted that when needed, such as when the brakes started to overheat, Schumacher adapted his driving style to protect the brakes.[16]

Motor Sport author Christopher Hilton observed in 2003 that a "measure of a driver's capabilities is his performance in wet races, because the most delicate car control and sensitivity are needed", and noted that like other great drivers, Schumacher's record in wet conditions shows very few mistakes: up to the end of 2003, Schumacher won 17 of the 30 races in wet conditions he contested.[17] Some of Schumacher's best performances occurred in such conditions, earning him the nicknames "Regenkönig" (rain king)[18] or "Regenmeister" (rain master),[10] even in the non-German-language media. He is also known as "the Red Baron", because of his red Ferrari and in reference to the German Manfred von Richthofen, the famous flying ace of the First World War. Schumacher's nicknames also include "Schumi",[19] "Schuey"[20] and "Schu".[21]

Schumacher has often been credited with popularising Formula One worldwide, especially in Germany, where it was formerly considered a fringe sport.[7][22] In a 2006 FIA survey, he was voted the most popular driver of the season among Formula One fans.[23] Throughout his career, however, Schumacher was subject to anti-German prejudices, especially from the British media.[24] When Schumacher retired in 2006, three of the top ten drivers in that year's Drivers' standings were German, more than any other nationality. Younger German drivers, such as Sebastian Vettel, felt Schumacher was key in their becoming Formula One drivers.[25] In 2020, Vettel named Schumacher the greatest Formula One driver of all time.[26]

During a large part of his Formula One career, Schumacher was the president of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.[27] In 2006, Formula One rival David Coulthard hailed Schumacher as the greatest all-round racing driver in the history of the sport, while three-time World Champion Niki Lauda stated: "He is the greatest. Nobody will ever beat him, as long as we are alive".[28] In 2020, Schumacher was voted the most influential person in Formula One history.[29]

Schumacher made his Formula One debut with the Irish Jordan-Ford team at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, driving car number 32 as a replacement for the imprisoned Bertrand Gachot. Schumacher, still a contracted Mercedes driver, was signed by Eddie Jordan after Mercedes paid Jordan $150,000 for his debut.[30]

The week before the race, Schumacher impressed Jordan designer Gary Anderson and team manager Trevor Foster during a test drive at Silverstone. Schumacher's manager Weber assured Jordan that Schumacher knew the challenging Spa-Francorchamps circuit well, although in fact he had only seen it as a spectator. During the race weekend, teammate Andrea de Cesaris was meant to show Schumacher the circuit, but was held up with contract negotiations. Schumacher then learned the track on his own, by cycling around the track on a fold-up bike he brought with him.[31] He impressed the paddock by qualifying seventh. This matched the team's season-best grid position, and Schumacher out-qualified veteran de Cesaris. Motor Sport journalist Joe Saward reported that after qualifying "clumps of German journalists were talking about 'the best talent since Stefan Bellof'".[32] Schumacher retired on the first lap of the race with clutch problems.[33]

Schumacher driving for Benetton at the 1992 Monaco Grand Prix

Following his Belgian Grand Prix debut, and despite an agreement in principle between Jordan and Schumacher's Mercedes management that would see the German race for the Irish team for the remainder of the season, Schumacher was engaged by Benetton-Ford for the next race. Jordan applied for an injunction in the British courts to prevent Schumacher driving for Benetton but lost the case as they had not yet signed a final contract.[34]

Schumacher finished the 1991 season with four points out of six races. His best finish was fifth in his second race, the Italian Grand Prix, in which he finished ahead of his teammate and three-time World Champion Nelson Piquet.[35]

At the start of the 1992 season the Sauber team, planning their Formula One debut with Mercedes backing for the following year, invoked a clause in Schumacher's contract that stated that if Mercedes entered Formula One, Schumacher would drive for them. It was eventually agreed that Schumacher would stay with Benetton; Peter Sauber stated that "[Schumacher] didn't want to drive for us. Why would I have forced him?".[36] The year was dominated by the Williams cars of Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese, featuring powerful Renault engines, semi-automatic gearboxes and active suspension to control the car's ride height.[37] In the "conventional" Benetton B192, Schumacher took his place on the podium for the first time, finishing third in the Mexican Grand Prix. He went on to take his first victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, in a wet race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, which by 2003 he would call "far and away my favourite track".[38] He finished third in the Drivers' Championship in 1992 with 53 points, three points behind runner-up Patrese and three in front of the Brazilian Ayrton Senna.[39] According to Jo Ramírez, a close friend of Senna, the Brazilian considered Schumacher "the next big threat, way ahead of all the other drivers around at the time".[24]

The Williams of Damon Hill and Alain Prost also dominated the 1993 season. Benetton introduced their own active suspension and traction control early in the season, last of the frontrunning teams to do so.[40] Schumacher won one race, the Portuguese Grand Prix where he beat Prost, and had nine podium finishes, but retired in seven of the other 16 races.[41] He finished the season in fourth, with 52 points.[42]

Schumacher drove the Benetton B194 to his first World Championship in 1994.

Schumacher on the podium at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix

Schumacher won his first Drivers' Championship in 1994. The season, however, was marred by the deaths of Senna—witnessed by Schumacher, who was directly behind Senna—and Roland Ratzenberger during the San Marino Grand Prix, and by allegations that several teams, but most particularly Schumacher's Benetton team, broke the sport's technical regulations.[43][44]

Schumacher won six of the first seven races and was leading the Spanish Grand Prix, before a gearbox failure left him stuck in fifth gear for most of the race. Schumacher made two pitstops without stalling and finished the race in second place. Benetton boss Flavio Briatore stated that Schumacher's drive was one of the best he had ever seen.[45][46] Following the San Marino Grand Prix, the Benetton, Ferrari and McLaren teams were investigated on suspicion of breaking the FIA-imposed ban on electronic aids. Benetton and McLaren initially refused to hand over their source code for investigation. When they did so, the FIA discovered hidden functionality in both teams' software, but no evidence that it had been used in a race. Both teams were fined $100,000 for their initial refusal to cooperate. However, the McLaren software, which was a gearbox program that allowed automatic shifts, was deemed legal. By contrast, the Benetton software was deemed to be a form of "launch control" that would have allowed Schumacher to make perfect starts, which was explicitly outlawed by the regulations. However, there was no evidence to suggest that this software was actually used.[47]

At the British Grand Prix, Schumacher was penalised for overtaking Hill on the formation lap. He and Benetton then ignored the penalty and the subsequent black flag, which indicates that the driver must immediately return to the pits, for which he was disqualified and later given a two-race ban. Benetton blamed the incident on a communication error between the stewards and the team.[48] Schumacher was also disqualified after winning the Belgian Grand Prix after his car was found to have illegal wear on its skidblock, a measure used after the accidents at Imola to limit downforce and hence cornering speed.[49] Benetton protested that the skidblock had been damaged when Schumacher spun over a kerb, but the FIA rejected their appeal because of the pattern of wear and damage visible on the block.[50]

These incidents helped Damon Hill close the points gap, and Schumacher led by a single point going into the final race in Australia. On lap 36, Schumacher hit the guardrail on the outside of the track while leading. Hill attempted to pass, but as Schumacher's car returned to the track there was a collision on the corner causing them both to retire.[51] As a result, Schumacher won the Drivers' Championship, the first German to do so—Jochen Rindt was German but raced under the Austrian flag. The race stewards judged it as a racing accident and took no action against either driver but public opinion was divided over the incident and Schumacher was vilified in the British media.[52][53][54] At the FIA conference after the race, Schumacher dedicated his title to Senna.[55]

Schumacher driving for Benetton at the 1995 British Grand Prix

In 1995, Schumacher successfully defended his title with Benetton, which now had the same Renault engine as Williams; according to Motor Sport author Marcus Simmons, Benetton had the better team, while Williams had the superior car.[56] Schumacher accumulated 33 more points than second-placed Hill. With teammate Johnny Herbert, he took Benetton to its first Constructors' Championship, breaking the dominance of McLaren and Williams, and became the youngest two-time World Champion in Formula One history.[57] The season was marred by several collisions with Hill, in particular an overtaking manoeuvre by Hill took them both out of the British Grand Prix on lap 45, and again on lap 23 of the Italian Grand Prix. Schumacher won 9 of the 17 races, and finished on the podium 11 times. Only once did he qualify worse than fourth; at the Belgian Grand Prix, he qualified 16th, but nevertheless went on to win the race.[58]

In 1996, Schumacher joined Ferrari, a team that had last won the Drivers' Championship in 1979 and the Constructors' Championship in 1983, for a salary of $60 million over two years. He left Benetton a year before his contract with them expired; he later cited the team's damaging actions in 1994 as his reason for opting out of his deal.[59] A year later, Schumacher lured Benetton employees Rory Byrne (designer) and Ross Brawn (technical director) to Ferrari.[60]

Ferrari had previously come close to the championship in 1982 and 1990. The team had suffered a disastrous downturn in the early 1990s, partially as its famous V12 engine was no longer competitive against the smaller, lighter and more fuel-efficient V10s of its competitors. Various drivers, notably Alain Prost, had given the vehicles labels such as "truck", "pig", and "accident waiting to happen".[61] Furthermore, the poor performance of the Ferrari pit crews was considered a running joke.[22] At the end of 1995, although the team had improved into a solid competitor, it was still considered inferior to front-running teams such as Benetton and Williams.[62] However, Schumacher declared the Ferrari F310 good enough to win a championship,[63] although afterwards, his teammate Eddie Irvine labelled the F310 "an awful car", a "piece of junk", and "almost undriveable", while designer John Barnard admitted that the car "wasn't very good".[64] During winter testing, Schumacher first drove a Ferrari, their 1995 Ferrari 412 T2, and was two seconds faster than former regulars Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger had been.[65]

Schumacher, Brawn, Byrne, and Jean Todt, have been credited as turning the struggling team into the most successful team in Formula One history.[66][67] Three-time World Champion Jackie Stewart believed the transformation of the Ferrari team was Schumacher's greatest feat.[68]

Schumacher finished third in the Drivers' Championship in 1996 and helped Ferrari to second place in the Constructors' Championship ahead of his old team Benetton. During the season, the car had reliability problems; Schumacher did not finish in 7 of the 16 races. At the French Grand Prix, Schumacher took pole position, but suffered engine failure on the formation lap.[70] He won three races, however, more than the team's total tally for the period from 1991 to 1995. He took his first win for Ferrari at the Spanish Grand Prix, where he lapped the entire field up to third place in the wet.[3] Having taken the lead on lap 19, he consistently lapped five seconds faster than the rest of the field in the difficult conditions.[65] At the Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher used well-timed pit-stops to fend off Williams' Jacques Villeneuve. Schumacher also took first place at Monza to win in front of the tifosi (Ferrari fans).[71]

Schumacher celebrates a second-place finish at the 1997 German Grand Prix.

Schumacher battles with David Coulthard at the 1998 British Grand Prix.

Michael Schumacher and Villeneuve competed for the title in 1997. Villeneuve, driving the superior Williams FW19, led the championship in the early part of the season.[72] By mid-season, however, Schumacher had taken the championship lead, winning five races, and entered the season's final Grand Prix at Jerez with a one-point advantage. Towards the end of the race, Schumacher's Ferrari developed a coolant leak and loss of performance indicating he might not finish the race.[73] As Villeneuve approached to pass his rival on lap 48, Schumacher turned in on him but retired from the race. Villeneuve went on and scored four points to take the championship. The race stewards did not initially award any penalty, but two weeks after the race Schumacher was disqualified from the entire 1997 Drivers' Championship after an FIA disciplinary hearing found that his "manoeuvre was an instinctive reaction and although deliberate not made with malice or premeditation, it was a serious error."[74][75] Schumacher accepted the decision and admitted having made a mistake.[74][76] His actions were widely condemned in British, German, and Italian newspapers.[52][76]

In 1998, Finnish driver Mika Häkkinen became Schumacher's main title rival. Häkkinen won the first two races of the season, gaining a 16-point advantage over Schumacher. Schumacher then won in Argentina and, with the Ferrari improving significantly in the second half of the season, Schumacher took six victories and had five other podium finishes. One of his victories was at the Hungaroring, a track where overtaking is difficult; Schumacher drove 19 consecutive qualifying-like laps to make Brawn's alternative strategy work and to go from third to first place.[77] Ferrari took a 1–2 finish at the French Grand Prix, the first Ferrari 1–2 finish since 1990, and the Italian Grand Prix, which tied Schumacher with Häkkinen for the lead of the Drivers' Championship with 80 points. Häkkinen won the Championship, however, by winning the final two races. There were two controversies during the season; at the British Grand Prix, Schumacher was leading on the last lap when he turned into the pit lane, crossed the start-finish line and stopped to serve his ten-second stop-go penalty (received for overtaking a lapped car (of Alexander Wurz) during a safety car period). There was some doubt whether this counted as serving the penalty, but, because he had crossed the finish line when he came into the pit lane, the win was valid.[78] At the Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher was leading the race by 40 seconds in heavy spray, but collided with David Coulthard's McLaren when the Scot, a lap down, slowed on the racing line in very poor visibility to let Schumacher past. His Ferrari lost a wheel but could return to the pits, although he was forced to retire. Schumacher leaped out of his car and headed to McLaren's garage in an infuriated manner and accused Coulthard of "trying to kill" him.[79] Coulthard admitted five years later that the accident had been his mistake.[79]

In 1999, Schumacher's efforts helped Ferrari win the Constructors' title. He lost his chance to win the Drivers' Championship at the British Grand Prix at the high-speed Stowe Corner; his car's rear brake failed, sending him off the track into the barriers and resulting in a broken leg.[80] During his 98-day absence, he was replaced by Finnish driver Mika Salo. After missing six races, he made his return at the inaugural Malaysian Grand Prix, qualifying in pole position by almost a second. He then assumed the role of second driver, helping Irvine to victory and assisting his teammate's bid to win the Drivers' Championship for Ferrari.[81] Irvine stated: "He [Schumacher] is not only the best driver in the world, he is also the best number two in the world".[82] However, in the last race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix, Häkkinen won his second consecutive title. Schumacher later said that Häkkinen was the opponent he respected the most.[83]

Schumacher won his fourth World title in 2001.

Schumacher driving the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro F2002 at the 2002 French Grand Prix, the race at which he clinched the 2002 Drivers' Championship, setting the record for the fewest races in locking up the title

Schumacher won his third World Drivers' Championship in 2000, and his first with Ferrari, after a year-long battle with Häkkinen. Schumacher won the first three races of the season and five of the first eight. Midway through the year, Schumacher's chances suffered with three consecutive non-finishes, allowing Häkkinen to close the gap in the standings. Häkkinen then took another two victories, before Schumacher won at the Italian Grand Prix. At the post-race press conference, after equalling the number of wins (41) won by his idol Senna, Schumacher broke into tears.[84] The championship fight would come down to the penultimate race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix. Starting from pole position, Schumacher lost the lead to Häkkinen at the start. After his second pit-stop, however, Schumacher came out ahead of Häkkinen and went on to win the race and the Drivers' Championship.[85] Although Schumacher won more than twice as many Grands Prix as Häkkinen, BBC Sport journalist Andrew Benson stated that "the challenge from Mika Hakkinen and McLaren-Mercedes was far stronger than the raw statistics suggest" and that the Adrian Newey-designed McLaren was "the fastest car in F1 for the third straight year". Benson also hailed Schumacher as "unquestionably the greatest driver of his era".[86]

In 2001, Schumacher took his fourth Drivers' title. Four other drivers won races, but none sustained a season-long challenge for the championship. Schumacher scored a record-tying nine wins and clinched the World Championship with four races yet to run. He finished the championship with 123 points, 58 ahead of runner-up Coulthard. Season highlights included the Canadian Grand Prix, where Schumacher finished second to his brother Ralf, thus scoring the first-ever 1–2 finish by brothers in Formula One;[87] and the Belgian Grand Prix, in which Schumacher scored his 52nd career win, breaking Alain Prost's record for most career wins.[88]

In 2002, Schumacher retained his Drivers' Championship. There was some controversy, however, at the Austrian Grand Prix. His teammate, Rubens Barrichello, was leading, but in the final metres of the race, under team orders, slowed down to allow Schumacher to win the race.[89] Although the switching of positions did not break any actual sporting or technical regulation, it angered fans and it was claimed that the team's actions showed a lack of sportsmanship and respect to the spectators. Many argued that Schumacher did not need to be "given" wins in only the sixth race of the season, particularly given that he had already won four of the previous five Grands Prix, and that Barrichello had dominated the race weekend up to that point. At the podium ceremony, Schumacher pushed Barrichello onto the top step,[89] and for this disturbance, the Ferrari team incurred a US$1 million fine.[90] At the United States Grand Prix later that year, Schumacher returned the favour by giving Barrichello the win by the second-closest margin in Formula One history of 0.011 seconds on the finishing line.[91] Schumacher's explanation varied between it being him "returning the favour" for Austria, or trying to engineer a formation finish—a feat derided as near-impossible in a sport where timings are taken to within a thousandth of a second.[92] After the end of the season, the FIA banned "team orders which interfere with the race result",[93][94] but the ban was lifted for the 2011 season because the ruling was difficult to enforce.[95] In winning the Drivers' Championship he equalled the record set by Juan Manuel Fangio of five World Championships. Ferrari won 15 out of 17 races, and Schumacher won the title with six races remaining in the season, which is still the earliest point in the season for a driver to be crowned World Champion.[96] Schumacher broke his own record, shared with Nigel Mansell, of nine race wins in a season, by winning 11 times and finishing every race on the podium. He finished with 144 points, a record-breaking 67 points ahead of the runner-up, his teammate Barrichello. This pair finished nine of the 17 races in the first two places.[97]

Schumacher at Indianapolis in 2004, where he won the 2004 United States Grand Prix

Schumacher broke Fangio's record of five World Drivers' Championships by winning the drivers' title for the sixth time in 2003, after a closely contested battle with his main rivals. Before the season started, the FIA introduced new regulations and a new points system to make the championship more open.[98] The biggest competition came from the McLaren-Mercedes and Williams-BMW teams. In the first race, Schumacher was run off track, and in the following two, was involved in collisions.[99][100][101] He fell 16 points behind McLaren's Kimi Räikkönen. Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix—despite the death of his mother Elisabeth just hours before the race[102]—and the next two races and closed within two points of Räikkönen. Aside from Schumacher's victory in Canada and Barrichello's victory in Britain, the mid-season was dominated by Williams drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, who each claimed two victories. After the Hungarian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher led Montoya and Räikkönen by only one and two points, respectively. Ahead of the next race, the FIA announced changes to the way tyre widths were to be measured: this forced Michelin, supplier to Williams and McLaren among others, to rapidly redesign their tyres before the Italian Grand Prix.[103] Schumacher, running on Bridgestone tyres, won the next two races. After Montoya was penalised in the United States Grand Prix, only Schumacher and Räikkönen remained in contention for the title. At the final round, the Japanese Grand Prix, Schumacher needed only one point whilst Räikkönen needed to win. By finishing the race in eighth place, Schumacher took one point and assured his sixth World Drivers' title, ending the season two points ahead of Räikkönen.[104]

In 2004, Schumacher won a record 12 of the first 13 races of the season, only failing to finish in Monaco after an accident with Montoya during a safety car period. Schumacher clinched a record seventh Drivers' title at the Belgian Grand Prix. He finished the season with a record 148 points, 34 points ahead of the runner-up Barrichello, and set a new record of 13 race wins out of a possible 18, surpassing his previous best of 11 wins from the 2002 season.[105]

Schumacher battling with Kimi Räikkönen during the 2005 Canadian Grand Prix

Rule changes for the 2005 season required tyres to last an entire race,[106] tipping the overall advantage to teams using Michelins over teams such as Ferrari that relied on Bridgestone tyres.[107] The rule changes were partly in an effort to dent Ferrari's dominance and make the series more interesting.[22] The most notable moment of the early season for Schumacher was his battle with Renault's Fernando Alonso in San Marino, where he started 13th and finished only 0.2 seconds behind Alonso.[108] Less than halfway through the season, Schumacher stated: "I don't think I can count myself in this battle any more. It was like trying to fight with a blunted weapon. If your weapons are weak you don't have a chance."[109] Schumacher's sole win in 2005 came at the United States Grand Prix. Before that race, the Michelin tyres were found to have significant safety issues. When no compromise between the teams and the FIA could be reached, all but the three teams using Bridgestone tyres dropped out of the race after the formation lap, leaving only six drivers on the grid.[110] Schumacher retired in 6 of the 19 races, and finished the season in third with 62 points, fewer than half the points of World Champion Alonso.[111]

2006 became the last season of Schumacher's Ferrari career. After three races, Schumacher had just 11 points and was already 17 points behind Alonso. He won the following two races; his pole position at San Marino was his 66th, breaking Ayrton Senna's 12-year-old record.[112] Schumacher was stripped of pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix and started the race at the back of the grid, as he stopped his car and blocked part of the circuit while Alonso was on his qualifying lap; he still managed to work his way up to fifth place on the notoriously cramped Monaco circuit. By the Canadian Grand Prix, the ninth race of the season, Schumacher was 25 points behind Alonso, but he then won the following three races to reduce his disadvantage to 11. After further victories in Italy and China, Schumacher led in the championship standings for the first time during the season.[113] After his win in Italy, Ferrari issued a press release stating that Schumacher would retire from racing at the end of the 2006 season, but would continue working for the team.[114] The tifosi and the Italian press, who did not always take to Schumacher's relatively cold public persona, displayed an affectionate response after he announced his retirement.[115]

Schumacher overtakes Kimi Räikkönen for fourth with three laps to go of his final race for three years at Interlagos, having dropped to 19th early on.

Schumacher led the Japanese Grand Prix; with only 16 laps to go, his car suffered an engine failure for the first time since the 2000 French Grand Prix, handing Alonso the victory.[116] During the pre-race ceremonies of the season's last race, the Brazilian Grand Prix, former football player Pelé presented a trophy to Schumacher for his achievements in Formula One.[117][118] A fuel pressure problem prevented Schumacher from completing a single lap during the third qualifying session, forcing him to start the race in tenth position.[119] Early in the race, Schumacher moved up to sixth place but suffered a puncture caused by the front wing of Giancarlo Fisichella's Renault.[120] Schumacher fell to 19th place, 70 seconds behind teammate and race leader Felipe Massa. Schumacher recovered and overtook both Fisichella and Räikkönen to secure fourth place. His performance was classified in the press as "heroic",[121] an "utterly breath-taking drive",[122] and a "performance that ... sums up his career".[123]

BMW Sauber with "Thanks Michael" messages towards Michael Schumacher on the back of their cars. Schumacher and Peter Sauber worked together in sports cars before entering F1 in 1992.

Schumacher at Finali Mondiali celebrations in the F2007

During the 2007 season, Schumacher acted as Ferrari's adviser and Jean Todt's 'super assistant'.[124] Schumacher also helped Ferrari with their development programme at the Jerez circuit. He focused on testing electronics and tyres for the 2008 Formula One season.[125] During 2008, Schumacher also competed in motorcycle racing in the IDM Superbike series. At a Superbike cup race at the Pannónia-Ring, Schumacher finished third out of twenty-seven—behind professional motorcycle racers Martin Bauer and Andreas Meklau—riding a Honda CBR1000RR.[126]

At the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, Ferrari's Felipe Massa was seriously injured after being struck by a suspension spring during qualifying. Ferrari announced that they planned to draft in Schumacher for the European Grand Prix and subsequent Grands Prix until Massa was able to race again.[127] Schumacher tested a modified Ferrari F2007 to prepare himself as he had been unable to test the 2009 car due to testing restrictions.[128] Ferrari appealed for special permission for Schumacher to test in a 2009 spec car, but Williams, Red Bull and Toro Rosso were against this test.[129][130] In the end, Schumacher was forced to call off his return due to the severity of the neck injury he had received in a motorcycle accident earlier in the year.[131] Massa's place was instead filled by Luca Badoer and, later, Giancarlo Fisichella.[132]

In December 2009, Schumacher announced his return to Formula One for the 2010 season alongside fellow German driver Nico Rosberg in the new Mercedes GP team.[134] Mercedes returned to the sport as a constructor for the first time since 1955. Schumacher stated that his preparations to replace the injured Massa had initiated a renewed interest in Formula One, which, combined with the opportunity to fulfil a long-held ambition to drive for Mercedes and to be working again with team principal Ross Brawn, led Schumacher to accept the offer once he was passed fit.[134][135] Schumacher signed a three-year contract, reportedly worth £20 million.[134] He turned 41 in 2010 and his prospects with Mercedes were compared with Juan Manuel Fangio, Formula One's oldest champion who was 46 when he won his fifth title.[134]

Schumacher finished sixth in the first race of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix. He finished behind teammate Rosberg in each of the first four qualifying sessions and races; former driver Stirling Moss suggested that Schumacher might be "past it".[136] Several other former Formula One drivers thought otherwise, including former rival Damon Hill, who warned "you should never write Schumacher off".[137] GrandPrix.com identified the inherent understeer of the Mercedes car, exacerbated by the narrower front tyres introduced for the 2010 season, as contributing to Schumacher's difficulties.[138] Jenson Button would later claim that Mercedes's car was designed for him, as he would initially drive for the team, and that their differing driving styles may have contributed to Schumacher's difficulties.[139]

Mercedes upgraded their car for the Spanish Grand Prix where Schumacher finished fourth. At the Monaco Grand Prix, Schumacher finished sixth after passing Ferrari's Fernando Alonso on the final corner before the finish line when the safety car returned to the pits. Mercedes held that "the combination of the race control messages 'Safety Car in this lap' and 'Track Clear' and the green flags and lights shown by the marshals after safety car line one indicated that the race was not finishing under the safety car and all drivers were free to race."[140] However, an FIA investigation found Schumacher guilty of breaching safety car regulations and awarded him a 20-seconds penalty, dropping him to 12th.[141] In Turkey, Schumacher qualified fifth, and finished fourth in the race, both his best results since his return. At the European Grand Prix in Valencia, Schumacher finished 15th, the lowest recorded finish in his career.[142] In Hungary, Barrichello attempted to pass Schumacher down the inside on the main straight. Schumacher closed the inside line to force Barrichello onto the outside, but Barrichello persisted on the inside at 180 mph (290 km/h) despite the close proximity of a concrete wall and Schumacher leaving him only inches to spare.[143][144] Schumacher was found guilty of dangerous driving and was demoted ten places on the grid for the following race, the Belgian Grand Prix, where he finished seventh despite starting 21st after his grid penalty. At the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Schumacher was involved in a major accident on the first lap, after Vitantonio Liuzzi's car collided with Schumacher's, barely missing his head.[145][146] Schumacher finished the season in ninth place with 72 points. For the first time since 1991, Schumacher finished a year without a win, pole position, podium or fastest lap.[147]

Schumacher finished fourth in the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix.

Schumacher's first points of 2011 were scored in Malaysia where he finished ninth; he later came sixth in Spain and took fourth place at the Canadian Grand Prix, after running as high as second in a wet race.[148] Despite starting last in Belgium, Schumacher finished fifth. The Japanese Grand Prix saw Schumacher lead three laps during the race, marking the first time he had led a race since 2006.[149] In doing so, he became the oldest driver to lead a race since Jack Brabham in 1970.[150] Schumacher finished the season in eighth place in the Drivers' Championship, with 76 points.[151]

Schumacher qualified fastest at the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix.

Schumacher at the 2012 US Grand Prix

He was again partnered by Rosberg at Mercedes for the 2012 season.[152] Schumacher retired from the season's inaugural Australian Grand Prix, and scored a point in the second round in Malaysia.[153] In China, Schumacher started on the front row, but retired due to a loose wheel after a mechanic's error during a pit stop.[154] After causing a collision with Bruno Senna in Spain, Schumacher received a five-place grid penalty for the Monaco Grand Prix. Schumacher was fastest in qualifying in Monaco but started sixth owing to his penalty.[155] He later retired from seventh place in the race.[156] At the European Grand Prix, Schumacher finished third, his only podium finish since his return to Formula One. At 43 years and 173 days, he became the oldest driver to achieve a podium since Jack Brabham's second-place finish at the 1970 British Grand Prix. In Germany, Schumacher set the fastest lap for the 77th time in his career, and in Belgium he became the second driver in history to race in 300 Grands Prix.[157]

Schumacher's indecision over his future plans led to him being replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for the 2013 season.[158] In October 2012, Schumacher announced he would retire for a second time,[159] stating: "There were times in the past few months in which I didn't want to deal with Formula One or prepare for the next Grand Prix."[160] He concluded the season with a seventh-place finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix; Schumacher placed 13th in the 2012 Drivers' Championship.[161]

Schumacher was an advertising partner for watchmaker Omega. When he won his third title in 2000, which was the first with Ferrari, the Speedmaster Racing was issued in a Schumacher Edition having his signature on the back.

In 1999 and 2000, Forbes magazine listed him as the highest paid athlete in the world.[230] In 2005, EuroBusiness magazine identified Schumacher as the world's first billionaire athlete.[231] In 2005, Forbes ranked him 17th in its "The World's Most Powerful Celebrities" list.[232] A significant share of his income came from advertising; Deutsche Vermögensberatung paid him $8 million over three years from 1999 for wearing a 10 by 8 centimetre advertisement on his post-race cap.[233] In 2010, his personal fortune was estimated at £515 million.[234] In 2017, Forbes designated Schumacher as the athlete with the fifth highest career earnings of all-time.[235]

On 29 December 2013, Schumacher was skiing with his then 14-year-old son Mick, descending the Combe de Saulire below the Dent de Burgin above Méribel in the French Alps. While crossing an unsecured off-piste area between Piste Chamois and Piste Mauduit,[236][237] he fell and hit his head on a rock, sustaining a serious head injury despite wearing a ski helmet. According to his physicians, he would most likely have died had he not been wearing a helmet.[238] He was airlifted to Grenoble Hospital where he underwent two surgical interventions.[239] Schumacher was put into a medically induced coma because of traumatic brain injury.[240][241] By March 2014, there were small encouraging signs, and in early April he was showing moments of consciousness as he was gradually withdrawn from the medically induced coma.[242]

In June 2014, Schumacher left Grenoble Hospital for further rehabilitation at the Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland.[243] In September 2014, Schumacher left the hospital and was brought back to his home for further rehabilitation.[244] Two months later, it was reported that Schumacher was "paralysed and in a wheelchair"; he "cannot speak and has memory problems".[245] In May 2015, Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm stated that his condition was slowly improving "considering the severeness of the injury he had".[246]

In September 2016, Felix Damm, lawyer for Schumacher, told a German court that his client "cannot walk", in response to reports from December 2015 in German publication Die Bunte that he could walk again.[247] In July 2019, former Ferrari manager Jean Todt stated that Schumacher was making "good progress" but also "struggles to communicate". Todt also said that Schumacher was able to watch Formula One races on television at his home.[248] In September of that year, Le Parisien reported that Schumacher had been admitted to the Hôpital Européen Georges-Pompidou in Paris for treatment by cardiovascular surgeon Philippe Menasché, described as a "pioneer in cell surgery". Following the treatment, which involved him receiving an anti-inflammatory stem cell perfusion, medical staff stated that Schumacher was "conscious".[249]

Schumacher's family maintains strict privacy about his condition; as of 2023 he has not been seen in public since the accident. In 2023, Die Aktuelle published a "first interview" with Schumacher with "quotes" about his health and family, but it emerged that these responses had been invented by generative artificial intelligence. Schumacher's family said that they would sue the magazine, which sacked the editor responsible.[250][251]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

(key)

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

^‡ Schumacher was disqualified from the 1997 World Drivers' Championship due to dangerous driving in the European Grand Prix, where he caused an avoidable accident with Jacques Villeneuve. His points tally would have placed him in second place in that year's standings.[75]
^† Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.

Schumacher holds the following records in Formula One:

Footnotes