Michael Schumacher: Seven-Time World Drivers' Champion

• 1991 Jordan - Benetton
• 1992 - 1995 Benetton
• 1996 - 2006 Ferrari

Here are some F1 records set by Michael Schumacher:

World titles:

7 (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)

Consecutive titles:

5

Victories:

91

Consecutive victories in one season:

7 (2004)

Victories at same team:

72

Victories at same race:

8 (French Grand Prix)

Victories at different Grands Prix:

22

Second places:

43

Podiums:

154

Consecutive podiums:

19 (2001-2002)

Points finishes:

190

Laps led:

4471

Pole positions:

68

Front rows:

115

Fastest laps:

76

Championship points:

1369

Consecutive race finishes:

24 (2001-2003)

Victories in a season:

13 (2004)

Podiums in a season:

17 (2002 - 100 percent)

Michael began go-karting at 4 when his father built him a kart. He began racing at six, and soon won several national and European titles but never the world championship.

Michael never had much money to develop his career as his father was a modest bricklayer by profession. Michael's career was made on talent alone, first with the help of local businessmen, then his future manager, Willi Weber. After racing in German Formula Ford and winning the Formula König series in 1988, Schumacher joined Weber's German Formula 3 team, which he won in 1990. He then joined the Mercedes Jr. team and raced in sports cars.

Michael's F1 debut was at the Belgian Grand Prix of 1991. A Jordan driver, Bertrand Gachot, had been involved in a fight in England and could not race. Michael was called in to replace him at the last minute from sports car racing. He was seventh fastest in qualifying at a track he had never raced on: Spa-Francorchamps. His car broke down during the race, but he had made his mark. By the next race, he was racing for the Benetton team, with whom he finished the season and signed to race with the next year.

Schumacher: The Benetton Years:

These would become the golden age of the Benetton years, and it marked a transformation for the sport as suddenly a team everyone called "the T-Shirt Team" into a winner. Michael was part of a strong combination of technical director - Ross Brawn - and car designer - Rory Byrne. He won his first race at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1992. In 1993 he again won a race. It was a period of domination by the Williams team. But when in 1994 Williams began the season with Ayrton Senna driving, the car was not up to the same level. Michael, suddenly, won the first three races of the season, where Senna crashed out in each race. The Brazilian's crash in the third race, at Imola, proved fatal. Michael had been driving right behind him before he crashed. What followed was one of the most controversial seasons in recent Formula 1 history, with Benetton being accused of cheating. In the end, Schumacher would win the title in the last race by a single point after crashing into Damon Hill in the Williams.

Schumacher's Ferrari Years:

Having won the title in 1994 and 1995, Michael surprised F1 by joining Ferrari, which had not won a drivers' title since 1979. He was joined there by Byrne and Brawn. He won a race in 1996, and lost the title in 1997 only in the last race, when he ran into his chief opponent, Jacques Villeneuve. This time, Michael was disgraced and disqualified from the championship table for running into Villeneuve. Finally, by 2000, the Schumacher and Ferrari machine was perfectly oiled, and together the combination won five championships in a row.

Character:

Michael was a complex driver in that he was gentle, kind, attentive and simple as a human being - but once inside the car and racing, he was ruthless. He was frequently despised by both fans and other drivers for his racing ploys. But he was also one of the most naturally talented racers in the history of the sport.