Michael Schumacher turns 50: His 50 most memorable F1 moments
Celebrating Michael Schumacher's 50th birthday with a tribute to the 50 most memorable moments in his record-breaking F1 career...
Thursday 3 January 2019 15:14, UK
Belgian GP 1991 - The legend begins
Image:Those on the inside knew about the 22-year-old, but Michael Schumacher announced himself to the wider world with a starring debut at Spa. He qualified seventh for Jordan and could have achieved more had his clutch not burnt out at the race's start.
Italian GP 1991 - Goodbye Jordan, hello Benetton
Image:Two weeks after his debut for Jordan at Spa, Schumacher was in the colours of Benetton for his second race at Monza and scored his first F1 points with fifth place. Impressively, he immediately outperformed triple champion team-mate Nelson Piquet.
Mexican GP 1992 - The first podium
Image:Two races into his first full season was all it took for Schumacher to claim his first F1 podium. Third place in Mexico from third on the grid, with only the dominant Williams pair of Mansell and Patrese in front all weekend.
Belgian GP 1992 - The first win
Image:The breakthrough win a year on from his Spa debut. In on-off rain, the 23-year-old Schumacher combined canniness, calm and a little good fortune to change tyres at the right time in a race that could have been team-mate Martin Brundle's.
1993 Portuguese GP - Passing of the baton?
Image:On the day Alain Prost won his fourth and final world title, the man who would eventually succeed him as world champion in 1994 clinched his second F1 win at Estoril. It was Schumacher's only win of 1993 but he and Benetton were an emerging force.
1994 Brazilian GP - Schumi winning, Senna spinning
Image:The celebration between driver and team boss said plenty as Schumacher opened what would prove a tumultuous 1994 season with victory at Interlagos after Williams rival Ayrton Senna, who had started from a fine pole, spun off on home soil.
1994 Spanish GP - When only one gear would do
Image:An early sign of Schumacher’s famed adaptability as he finished second to Damon Hill despite spending more than half the race stuck in fifth gear. Amazingly, that included having to navigate a full pit stop with one gear!
1994 British GP - The black-flag controversy
Image:These controversial events would ultimately earn Schumacher a two-race ban as he and Benetton were punished for their delayed heeding of a black flag. Schumacher provoked the stewards into an initial stop-and-go by passing Hill on the formation lap.
1994 Australian GP - That Hill collision
Image:A seminal moment in Schumacher’s career and perceptions of his driving. A first world title was won, but only after the season and his title battle with Damon Hill ended with a contentious collision just after the German driver had hit the wall.
1995 British GP - Another Hill collision
Image:Schumacher and Hill were F1’s grudge-match protagonists of the mid-1990s and, barely half a year on from Adelaide 1994, collided again when battling at Silverstone. Both spun off into the gravel, with the Briton this time copping the blame.
1995 Belgian GP - Winning from 16th on the grid
Image:Schumacher’s lowest winning grid position. Mixed conditions, a charge through the field and, inevitably, a fierce battle with Damon Hill ultimately saw Michael emerge on top from the eighth row. A classic Schumi drive.
1995 European GP - The late-race charge
Image:One of Schumacher’s greatest wins as he hunted down and passed Ferrari’s Jean Alesi in the closing stages of a race which all-but put the seal on his conclusive 1995 title win.
1995 Pacific GP - Champion for the second time
Image:Michael became the then-youngest double world champion in emphatic style with victory at the Aida circuit. In what had become their ace card, Schumacher and Benetton beat Williams on strategy around the pitstops.
1996 January - The Ferrari adventure begins
Image:The transfer that came to change the face of the sport. Could Michael tame the Prancing Horse after a title drought of nearly two decades? The answer – eventually – was emphatically and overwhelmingly ‘yes’, but it was no overnight success.
1996 Monaco GP - Pace and pain in the Principality
Image:Schumi’s first Monaco as a Ferrari driver was certainly eventful. A stunning pole – half a second ahead of the Williams cars – was followed by a poor start in the wet and then an unforced crash inside eight corners. Ouch.
1996 Spanish GP - The first Ferrari win
Image:And what a victory it was. In atrocious wet conditions, Schumacher left the field in his wake, lapping up to four seconds faster at times, to win by 45 seconds. 1996 had its low moments for Ferrari, but this was jaw-dropping from their new star.
1996 Italian GP - Winning for Ferrari at Monza
Image:This race was remembered for two things – the bizarre tyre stacks placed at the chicanes to stop drivers running wide and, for more historical reasons, Schumacher’s first win at Monza for Ferrari. It was the team’s first at home for eight years.
1997 Monaco GP - The Monaco masterclass
Image:Race wins don’t get much more dominant than this. In a wet race that saw rivals spin off and hit walls, Schumacher was serene around F1’s most famous circuit and triumphed by nearly a minute. A class apart.
1997 European GP - That Villeneuve collision
Image:A blatant case of foul play in the eyes of most observers. Schumacher’s bid to deliver Ferrari the title in his second season year failed when he hit Villeneuve's Williams as the Canadian overtook him. Michael was disqualified from the championship.
1998 British GP - The pit-lane victory
Image:An extraordinary finish, even by Schumacher’s standards. He crossed the timing bean to ‘win’ the wet race in the pit lane, rather than the track, as Ferrari called him in to serve a late stop/go-penalty. Chaos ensured but, ultimately, the win stood.
1998 Hungarian GP - Schumi and Brawn's three-stop trick
Image:How do you win a race from third place with the second-fastest car on a track you cannot overtake? Confuse your rivals on strategy to gain track position and tell your superstar driver to find 25s in 19 laps. Brilliance from Schumi and Ross Brawn.
1998 Belgian GP - The ruin and the ruckus
Image:“OH GOD,” wailed a stunned Murray Walker as dominant race leader Schumacher slammed into the back of a lapped Coulthard at a treacherous Spa. Returning to the pits on three wheels, an incensed Schumi attempted to confront the Scot in pit lane!
1998 Japanese GP - The first Mika-Michael showdown
Image:Schumacher’s second title decider with Ferrari but his second defeat as stalling on the grid at Suzuka effectively handed the title to points leader Mika Hakkinen. A spirited charge from the back of the field then ended with a puncture.
1999 British GP - The unlucky break
Image:The one serious injury Schumacher suffered during his racing career. On the opening lap at Silverstone, a brake problem sent him straight on at high-speed Stowe and across the gravel trap at barely-unabated speed. It ruled him out for three months.
1999 October - Montezemolo's phone call
Image:So the story goes, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo rang up the Schumacher household to check on his star driver's recovery only for Michael's young daughter to answer the phone and tell him that daddy was outplaying football...
1999 Malaysian GP - The stunning return
Image:Whether he really wanted to or not, Michael Schumacher returned at the Malaysian GP in support of team-mate Eddie Irvine's title bid - and was sensational. He qualified on pole by almost one second and TWICE slowed down to let Irvine through to win.
2000 Italian GP - The tension and the tears
Image:Just when another title fight with McLaren's Hakkinen appeared to be turning against him, Schumi beat the Finn at Monza in one of his most emotional victories. When told he'd matched Senna's haul of 41 wins afterwards, the red Barron broke down.
2000 Japanese GP - The day it all changed for Ferrari
Image:The race Michael described as his very best. At the fifth attempt, he won his first world title with Ferrari - ending their 21-year wait. A gripping Suzuka duel with Hakkinen at 2000's penultimate round turned at the final stops in Michael's favour.
2001 Canadian GP - The old One-Schu
Image:It was a race the younger Ralf Schumacher won, but Canada 2001 was the first time siblings had ever finished first and second in the same grand prix. They achieved a family one-two four more times, but with Michael ahead.
2001 Hungarian GP - The four-time champion
Image:With the title weight lifted from Schumacher and Ferrari, they never looked back and a dominant 2001 title triumph was clinched at the end of summer with a class win - inevitably - in Hungary.
2001 Belgian GP - The record 52nd win
Image:Schumacher cemented his place in the record books at Spa, overtaking Alain Prost’s all-time record to become the driver with the most F1 wins to his name with 52. It was an incident-filled race, also notable for Luciano Burti’s huge crash.
2002 Austrian GP - After you, Michael...
Image:Schumacher won in controversial fashion after Barrichello ceded first position just yards from the line following Ferrari’s orders. Schumacher won by 0.1s but even he was embarrassed, giving up the victory podium for his team-mate as the crowd booed.
2002 French GP - Level with Fangio
Image:Schumacher moved level with Fangio’s historic benchmark of five titles in 2002. Victory at Magny-Cours, aided by a Raikkonen error, earned Schumacher the championship with six races to spare.
2002 Japanese GP - The podium clean-sweep
Image:Yet more history for Michael. Schumacher completed a 100% podium record for the season by winning in Suzuka – finishing in the top three in all 17 races. No driver had managed that before, nor have they since.
2003 Japanese GP - The most successful F1 driver
Image:The German became F1’s first ever six-time champion after a nervy season-ender in Suzuka. Schumacher had to fight through the field to eighth, and had Ferrari team-mate Barrichello to thank for holding off title rival Raikkonen for the win.
2004 Belgian GP - Schumacher's seventh heaven
Image:Schumacher wrapped up an astonishing seventh, and final, F1 title with four grands prix remaining in 2004, finishing second behind McLaren’s Raikkonen at Spa, in what was Ferrari’s 700th race.
2005 San Marino GP - Schumacher v Alonso - Part 1
Image:Schumacher started 13th after a qualy mistake but muscled his way through the field, and for 12 gripping laps he hounded the race-leading Alonso without mercy. Alonso resiliently held the German back, but they crossed the line just 0.2s apart.
2005 United States GP - The hollow win
Image:The strangest win of Schumacher’s career? Quite possibly. Only six cars out of a possible 20 took part after several Michelin tyre failures. Ferrari, on Bridgestone tyres, did race – and Schumacher edged out Barrichello for his only win of the year.
2006 San Marino GP - Schumacher v Alonso - Part 2
Image:Not only did Schumacher break Senna’s all-time pole record in qualifying, but he then went on to masterfully hold off Alonso, a year after their first epic Imola battle, to kickstart his title challenge.
2006 Monaco GP - Rascassegate
Image:A major scandal. Schumacher had provisional pole in qualifying, but with Alonso on a faster lap, he ‘locked up’ and parked his Ferrari at Rascasse, denying all drivers their final laps. Schumacher protested his innocence but was stripped of his pole.
2006 Italian GP - The first retirement
Image:Within minutes of sending the Tifosi wild by winning Ferrari’s home race and cutting Alonso’s title advantage, Schumacher ended months of speculation over his future by confirming he would be retiring at the end of the season.
2006 Chinese GP - 91 and out
Image:Schumacher added a 91st race win to his incredible tally, one that would be a fitting final victory. He superbly held off Alonso in mixed conditions, leaping ahead of him in the standings to set up a thrilling title finale.
2006 Japanese GP - The classy gesture
Image:Schumacher’s title hopes in his last F1 season were effectively ended when his engine blew late on in Japan, but he accepted the cruellest of fates in the most impressive of manners by consoling his distraught Ferrari mechanics in the garage.
2006 Brazilian GP - Bowing out in style
Image:Alonso won the title, but it is Schumacher’s contribution in his last Ferrari race that lives longest in the memory. He suffered an engine failure in qualifying and a puncture in the race that dropped him to the back, but still battled to fourth.
2009 December - The comeback of all comebacks
Image:Schumacher committed to the most-anticipated comeback in sport at the end of 2009, signing on with Mercedes for three years. There, he would be reunited with Ross Brawn, the mastermind behind seven of his titles. Cue excitement for the next season.
2010 Bahrain GP - The silver Barron
Image:18 years after his debut, and four years after his retirement, F1’s record-breaker returned for the 2010 curtain-raiser. Undoubtedly the main attraction, the Mercedes driver embraced the extra attention before finishing sixth in his first race back.
2012 Monaco GP - The pole that wasn't
Image:"I have to admit I had a bit of a tear in my eye,” said Ross Brawn after Schumacher’s stunning lap – one which should have seen him claim a first pole since 2006. A five-place grid penalty denied that, but the memory of a Monaco masterclass remains.
2012 European GP - The final podium
Image:Six years after his last podium, Schumacher, in an unreliable and underperforming Mercedes, rolled back the years in Valencia with a typically dogged drive at the age of 43 – making up nine places on race day to finish behind Alonso and Raikkonen.
2012 Japanese GP - The second retirement
Image:Though his final stint in F1 didn’t go to plan on the track, the respect for Schumacher off of it grew. Schumacher, now much more open with the media, was given a round of applause after fighting back tears to announce his second retirement.
2012 Brazilian GP - The final goodbye
Image:It was only fitting that the last of Schumacher’s 306 races was one of F1’s most dramatic. The retiring gladiator not only showed his skill by scoring points, but also his class when allowing protege Vettel through for sixth place and a third title.
