M ICHAEL S CHUMACHE R Formula One Driver

M ICHAEL S CHUMACHER Sport : Formula One Driving Nationality : German Born : 3 rd January, 1969

Michael Schumacher is a retired racing driver. Schumacher is a seven-time Formula One World Champion. He is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time.

He holds many of Formula One's driver records, including most championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions and most races won in a single season – 13 in In 2002 he became the only driver in Formula One history to finish in the top three in every race of a season and then also broke the record for most consecutive podium finishes. According to the official Formula One website, he is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen".

He holds many of Formula One's driver records, including most championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions and most races won in a single season – 13 in In 2002 he became the only driver in Formula One history to finish in the top three in every race of a season and then also broke the record for most consecutive podium finishes. According to the official Formula One website, he is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen".

K ARTING Y OUNG Schumacher was born in H ürth, Germany. When Schumacher was four, his father modified his pedal kart by adding a small motorcycle engine. When Schumacher crashed it into a lamp post, his parents took him to the karting track at, where he became the youngest member of the karting club. His father soon built him a kart from discarded parts and at the age of six Schumacher won his first club championship. To support his son's racing, Rolf Schumacher took on a second job renting and repairing karts, while his wife worked at the track's canteen. Nevertheless, when Michael needed a new engine costing 800 DM, his parents were unable to afford it; he was able to continue racing with support from local businessmen. Regulations in Germany require a driver to be at least 14 years old to obtain a kart license. To get around this, Schumacher obtained a license in Luxembourg at the age of 12.

F ORMULA ONE CAREER Schumacher made his Formula One debut with the Jordan-Ford team at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix. After his debut, Schumacher then joined Benetton. In 1996, Schumacher joined Ferrari. During the period from 2000 to 2004, Schumacher won more races and championships than any other driver in the history of the sport. He won the last of his seven world titles in 2004.

R ETIREMENT Schumacher first retired from racing in 2007 but returned in He retired again at the end of the Formula One season in 2012.

N ICKNAMES Schumacher became known as Regenkönig " (rain king) or " Regenmeister " (rain master) because of his ability to drive well in wet conditions. He is also known as "the Red Baron", because of his red Ferrari.

I always thought records were there to be broken. Once something is a passion, the motivation is there. When you start out in a team, you have to get the teamwork going and then you get something back.

S KIING A CCIDENT Michael Schumacher suffered a severe head injury after a ski accident in France on 29 th December He was skiing with his wife and children on holidays. He was airlifted to hospital where he remains in a critical condition. We hope that this wonderful sportsman recovers soon.