Michael Schumacher

Contents

? Michael Schumacher and his On-track Achievements

? Michael Schumacher and his Off-track Achievements

? Michael Schumacher Today

On-track Achievements

Michael Schumacher was born on January 3, 1969.

His father, Rolf Schumacher, was a bricklayer by trade.

Rolf built Michael a motorised cart when he was four years old.

Rolf instilled strong values of discipline and perseverance whilst providing encouragement and emotional support.

Michael won his first club championship at age six; at 15, he was the German Junior Karting Champion.

At 18, in 1987, he became the German and European champion.

By 1990, he was racing in Formula 3 and crowned German Formula 3 Champion that year.

In 1991 he entered the world of Formula One.

In 1991, he only drove in the last six races, scoring four points and being classified in fourteenth place in the championship.

Michael's first race was with Jordan.

His stint with Jordan was short-lived; placed seventh on the grid at Spa-Francorchamps, his clutch failed within minutes of the start.

Flavio Briatore, Benetton's team principal and not one to miss an opportunity, immediately recruited Michael to race for his team in the very next race.

Michael claimed 7th at his first outing with Benetton and won the Driver’s title for them in 1994.

Michael won 91 GP races and seven F1 series championships.

Off-track Achievements

Beyond the track, Michael was multi-talented; he enjoyed skydiving, motorcycling and playing football.

Michael was a philanthropist; he established the 'Keep Fighting Foundation’ and was a UNESCO ambassador supporting education and environmental projects.

Michael’s immense generosity will never be forgotten; he donated $10 million dollars to the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, plus numerous other charities.

Known by various nicknames, Schu, Schuey, Schumi, Rain Master, the Kaiser, the Red Baron (with reference to the German flying ace, Manfred von Richthofen), and the Master, to name but a few.

There are many silly stories that make you admire the phenomenon that is Michael Schumacher even more.

He once raced a taxi driver through the streets of Monaco.

Regardless of his incredible skill as a racing driver, he once admitted that parallel parking was his nemesis.

The same man that lost his car in a parking lot.

The same man who challenged his uncle to race, riding lawnmowers.

This amusing behaviour demonstrates that Michael Schumacher is human, possibly superhuman, but nonetheless human.

Today

While Michael Schumacher's career is filled with remarkable achievements and moments of glory, there are also tragic aspects to his life:

December 29, 2023, was the ten-year anniversary of probably the most tragic of events that Michael and his loyal family have had to cope with.

The story is well known, and it is not the purpose of this article to dwell upon it.

Suffice it to say, in a heartbeat, this irrepressible man was no longer the man we knew, but what we have is his legacy.

In July 2022, Michael’s wife, Corrina Schumacher, accepted the prestigious State Prize of North-Rhine-Westphalia.

She made a speech that tells the story of a deeply devoted family who have been by his side throughout.

?‘We try to carry on a family as Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives. 'Private is private', as he always said. It is very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting Michael.’

?'Michael's legacy isn't just about winning races; it's about never giving up'

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