High speed finish
K. KEERTHIVASAN
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Schumacher has chosen to say farewell even while he is at the top of the race.
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For a man who by sheer chance made his F1 debut for Jordan in 1991 HE has had an illustrious and controversial career spanning 15 years.
PHOTO: REUTERS
A GOOD RUN: Winner all the way.
With seven world championship titles and 90 race victories, Michael Schumacher, without a doubt, is the most accomplished and successful Formula One driver in the history of the sport. For a man who by sheer chance made his F1 debut for Jordan in 1991 — Bertrand Gachot's prison sentence left the team without any driver days before the Belgian Grand Prix — what he has achieved in an illustrious and controversial career spanning 15 years is unparalleled.
The 37-year-old German's announcement that he would retire at the end of the 2006 season, will for sure be a letdown for his legion of fans, but the timing couldn't have been more right. Having won the F1 championship in 1994 and `95 and consecutively from 2000 to 2004, the Ferrari driver — in line for his eighth title with three races (China, Brazil and Japan) to go — has chosen his farewell when the going is good.
Successful partnership
Even though Schumacher had won two titles with Benetton by the time he signed the contract with Ferrari in 1996, the German's rise as a world class driver coincided with the Italian car manufacturer. Before Schumacher, no Ferrari driver had won a world title since 1979. It didn't bother Schumacher. Throwing caution to the winds, like he has always done on the racetrack, Schumacher took the plunge. After letting the title slip through his grasp in 1997, Schumacher claimed his third world driver's title in 2000, thereby ending Ferrari's 21-year drought.
Now that Schumacher has bid adieu, how will the future generations look at his career? As much as fans enjoyed his driving skills, the fact that he has been a ruthless driver, sometimes bordering on unsportsmanlike behaviour, has not been lost out. In order to take pole positions, he has deliberately, on several occasions, blocked the way of other drivers.
The allegation that Schumacher will do anything to ensure a win continues till this day. "Where Schumacher cannot draw the right line is on track," wrote Schumacher's former team mate Martin Brundle. Such transgressions aside, it's an acknowledged fact that no driver dominated F1 like Schumi did, and none will, at least, in the foreseeable future.
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Schumi snippets
Schumacher pledged $10 million to help victims of Asia's tsunami and earthquake disaster in January 2005.
Schumacher is a committed spokesman for road safety, most recently in support of the Make Roads Safe campaign.
Schumacher began kart racing at the age of four-and-a-half, using a homemade kart built by his father, Rolf.
Schumacher won the first of his seven world titles in 1994 while driving for the Benetton team.
After winning the French Grand Prix on July 16, 2006, Schumacher became the only driver in history to win the same Grand Prix eight times.
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