Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher (born January 3, 1969) is a German Formula One driver. He is the most statistically successful driver ever with the most career victories and a record six Driver's championships. His nicknames are the "red baron" and "Schumi". As of 2004, he earns an estimated US$49 million annually; this includes all of his endorsement deals. One notable deal is with a German investment firm (Its logo is the circle with the "V" inside it), which will pay him US$8 million over 3 years for him to wear a four-inch ad on his post-race hat.

He was born in Hürth (close to Cologne). Married to Corinna, he has two children - Gina Maria and Mick. His brother Ralf, six years his junior, is also an F1 driver.

He made his debut in 1991 as a fill-in driver for the Jordan team. He was then signed on by Benetton-Ford for his next race, and quickly showed some potential. The following year, 1992, he was third in the F1 World Drivers' Championship, and fourth the following year. He demonstrated his great ability by winning the championship for Benetton in 1994 and 1995.

He signed a contract with Ferrari for 1996 and in the 2000 season he won the first drivers' title for Ferrari since 1979. Next year, on the way to his fourth title, he broke Alain Prost's record for the most wins. In a dominant 2002, he easily took his fifth world title, simply through the sheer dominance of his Ferrari car, equalling the record set by Juan Manuel Fangio. In 2003 he topped that record by winning the F1 championship title for the sixth time in a very close season. Schumacher started off the 2004 championship with typical domination, winning ten of the first eleven races of the season.

Indianapolis

Since the 1994 death of Ayrton Senna, Schumacher has been widely regarded as the fastest driver in F1. However, in his early days, he had a tendency to crash into his rivals. Some observers (but by no means all) considered them deliberate attempts to take rivals out of the race, an act widely regarded in F1 as not only bad sportsmanship but incredibly dangerous in fragile, super-fast open wheelers. The most infamous examples were in 1994, where his crash with Damon Hill in the last race of the year in Adelaide ensured his championship win, and 1997 where he swerved into the path of Jacques Villeneuve which led to his disqualification for the entire season for dangerous driving.

In more recent years, however, his success with Ferrari (which brought to an end a success drought), moderation of his on-track tactics, and a more relaxed public persona have rehabilitated Schumacher's image for some fans.

Awards

• World Champion: 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
• Grand prix starts: 206
• Pole positions: 60
• Fastest laps: 61
• Wins: 80
• Podiums: 132
• Points: 1138
• First GP: Belgium 1991
• First podium: Mexico 1992
• First win: Belgium 1992
• First pole: Monaco 1994
• Car number: 1