Old Time F1 Racer

Michael Schumacher


(born 3 January 1969, in Hürth-Hermülheim, Germany[1]) is a German former Formula One driver and seven-time Formula One world drivers' champion, and current advisor for Ferrari. According to the official Formula One website, he is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen".[2] He is the only German to win the Formula One World championship,[3] and is credited with popularizing Formula One in Germany.[4] In a 2006 FIA survey, Michael Schumacher was voted the most popular driver of the season among Formula One fans.[5]
After winning two championships with Benetton, Michael Schumacher moved to Scuderia Ferrari in 1996 and won five consecutive drivers' titles with them from 2000–2004. Schumacher holds many records in Formula One, including most drivers' championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, points scored and most races won in a single season. Schumacher is the only Formula One driver to have an entire season of podium finishes, a feat he accomplished in 2002. His driving sometimes created controversy: he was twice involved in collisions that determined the outcome of the world championship, most notably his disqualification from the 1997 championship for causing a collision with Jacques Villeneuve.[6] After the 2006 Formula One season Schumacher retired from race driving.[7]
Schumacher planned to return to F1 racing for the 2009 European Grand Prix as a replacement for injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa.[8] However, it then became apparent that he was not fit enough to race due to a neck injury he sustained during a German Superbike test earlier in the year.[9]
Off the track, Schumacher is an ambassador for UNESCO and a spokesman for driver safety. He has been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts throughout his life and donated tens of millions of dollars to charity.[10] He is the elder brother of former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, currently racing in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM).[1] They stand as the only brothers in F1 history to have both won races and they scored the first sibling 1-2 finish in Formula One.



2009 - Planned comeback
In his capacity as racing advisor to Ferrari, Schumacher was present in Budapest for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix when Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was seriously injured after being struck by a suspension spring during qualifying. As it became clear that Massa would be unable to compete in the next race at Valencia, Schumacher was chosen as a replacement for the Brazilian driver.[81] Therefore, on 29 July 2009, Ferrari announced that they planned to draft in Schumacher for the 2009 European Grand Prix, and subsequent Grands Prix until Massa is able to race again.[8] He had already started to test in a modified F2007 to prepare himself.[82] He had been unable to test the 2009 car, due to testing restrictions. Ferrari appealed for special permission to test, but Williams, Red Bull and Toro Rosso were against this test.[83][84] However, Schumacher called off his return on August 10 due to the severity of his neck injury which he got in a motorcycle accident earlier in the year.[85] It is still unclear if Schumacher will race in 2009 after Valencia, or possibly in 2010, as Ferrari's president Luca di Montezemolo hinted Ferrari might push for a rule change which would allow Formula One teams to run three cars during a Grand Prix.