Childhood and youth
He was born in 1969 in the German city of Hurth-Hermulheim. Father Rolf Schumacher ran the city's karting track. Elizabeth's mother worked at a school. Michael's interest in racing comes from his dad. At the age of 4, the boy got behind the wheel of a go-kart for the first time, and at the age of 5 he was already driving around the track like a real pilot. Later, in addition to karting, the guy became interested in martial arts - judo and karate.
The biography of Michael Schumacher from the age of 10 is a story of victories in city and regional kart racing championships. Michael's hobby gradually grew into a profession. At the age of 14, the guy received a driver's license, which gave him the right to compete in world-class championships.
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Michael Schumacher in his youth
The younger brother of the star, Ralf Schumacher, also devoted his life to auto racing. He began his career on the court 10 years after Michael and also achieved success. Schumacher Jr.'s resounding victory was the main award at the 4th stage of the World Championship in 2001.
Interestingly, in their youth, the brothers became the first relatives in the history of Formula 1 to stand on the podium together. They succeeded twice.
Contract with Ferrari
The following season in 1996, Michael Schumacher signed a contract with Ferrari. At that time, the team was first among second and had not won the championship in the individual competition for 17 years. At the same time, their cars suffered from constant technical breakdowns and lack of speed.
Despite the internal problems in the team, Schumacher, in his debut season in the red car, was able to win three victories and take a bronze line in the championship protocol.
For Ferrari, Michael became the “Phoenix bird”. Thanks to him, the team united for one goal - Schumacher's victory in the championship.
In 1997, luck turned away from the team, after Schumacher’s collision with Jacques Villeneuve, the driver was completely excluded from the championship protocol and disqualified for the rest of the season. The following year, the “Red Baron” returned, imposing a serious fight on the leading McLaren pilots at that time. At the last race of the season, the fate of the title was to be decided and Schumacher had every chance to take it into his piggy bank, but could not do this, losing the leader's belt to Mika Hakkinen.
The year 1999 was marked by a serious injury for Michael. At the British Grand Prix, the driver broke his leg and dropped out of the race for 6 stages. The only thing Schumacher was able to do this season was help his team win the constructors' championship for the first time since 1983.
The beginning of the second millennium was marked in Formula 1 by Schumacher's third championship title. Over 17 stages, the driver had 9 victories, and one race before the end of the season he became the champion ahead of schedule.
Between 2001 and 2004, Schumacher became world champion for 4 years in a row. His car and team dominated throughout all four seasons, leaving no chance for their opponents.
By 2005, the driver had a record number of championship titles and everything would have been fine if not for Renault. Juan Manuel Fangio's record was passed long ago, but after 2004 it never came to the championship again.
In 2005 and 2006, Fernando Alonso from Renault became the F1 champion.
Race
Michael Schumacher's professional career started in 1984. By 1987, the guy won a number of European and German championships in the Formula Koenig series. From that time on, many large companies began to offer him contracts.
The athlete’s debut race in Formula 1 was successful: he finished seventh, which was an excellent result for a newcomer. The promising racing driver was noticed by the director of Benneton, Flavio Briatore, and lured into his “stable”. Here he receives the nickname Sunny Boy for his radiant smile and bright yellow overalls.
In 1996, Michael Schumacher agrees to collaborate with Ferrari and signs a contract to race their cars. And 2 years later, the pilot won second position in McLaren racing cars.
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Michael Schumacher
In 2000, the driver won his third championship title. In 2001, he was awarded the fourth, and in the summer of 2004, the winner of several titles became champion for the 7th time. This is a record in the history of Formula 1 racing.
In 2005, Sunny Boy experienced failure for the first time. The Renault team took the lead in the championship, confidently overtaking Ferrari. The championship title was won by Renault driver Fernando Alonso. Michael Schumacher unexpectedly got only 3rd place.
In 2006, Alonso won again. Schumacher announced that he was retiring at the end of the season, but remained working for Ferrari as a pundit. Soon the athlete signed a 3-year contract with the Mercedes-Benz team, but in 2010 he lost to teammate Nico Rosberg, finishing only 9th for the first time in the history of his Formula 1 career. In October 2012, Michael Schumacher held a press conference at which he officially announced his retirement and retirement.
What do Mick's results look like in the youth teams?
During his four years in the youth formula series, Mick Schumacher competed in a total of 149 races, scored 23 victories, won 15 pole positions and was on the podium 27 times. The German won one bronze (in the Indian winter series MRF Challenge), twice became vice-champion (in German and Italian F4) and won one championship title (in European F3). The statistics are pretty good, but not great either. For comparison: the rising star of British motorsport Lando Norris, who debuted simultaneously with Mick in German Formula 4 in 2015, during the same time period became the champion in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, Alpine Formula Renault, New Zealand Toyota Racing Series, and immediately took the title in European F3, won silver in Formula 2 and is now preparing for his debut in the Royal Races for McLaren. And George Russell, who came to open-wheel car competition a year earlier, won the British F4 championship, then repeated his success at the international level, in GP3 and Formula 2, and together with Norris will make his debut in F1 in 2019.
Therefore, it is difficult to call Mick the best racer of the young generation. He does not always have enough speed, the ability to quickly adapt and avoid mistakes. But step by step, Schumacher Jr. is progressing, learning, and his unexpected leap in the second part of last season from the end of the top ten in the individual standings to first place is the best confirmation of this. Unlike Harrison Newey, the son of the famous Formula 1 designer Adrian Newey, who initially walked side by side with him, Mick did not “gallop across Europe” through the youth teams, but spent at least two years in one category, improved significantly, and only then moved on further. Tenth in German F4 in 2015 - second in 2016, 12th in European F3 in 2017 with one podium - champion in 2018 with eight victories. And the next step for Schumacher Jr. will be the prestigious Formula 2, from where the road to the Grand Prix opens directly.
Personal life
The athlete met his future wife Corinna Boetsch at a noisy party, where the beauty came with her boyfriend, also a racer, Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Michael fell in love with this bright blonde at first sight. The girl also liked the ardent guy.
The couple started dating. The young people did not delay getting married - they legalized the relationship in 1997.
Michael's personal life was happy. In 1997, his beloved wife gave birth to a girl, whom the couple named Gina Maria. And 2 years later, son Mick appeared. For the sake of her family, Corinna left equestrianism, which she had previously practiced.
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Michael Schumacher with his wife Corinna Boetsch
The famous pilot settled with his family in the cozy provincial Swiss town of Vufflens-le-Chateau, which is located near Lake Geneva.
The children of Michael and Corinna followed in the footsteps of their parents and also play sports. Son Mick has been one of the European Formula 3 racing drivers since 2016, and in 2020 he joined the ranks of Formula 2 pilots. Daughter Gina Maria is seriously interested in equestrian sports and is a two-time world champion in reining (other names are western or cowboy dressage).
At the end of December 2013, an accident occurred at the famous Alpine ski resort of Meribel. Michael Schumacher, while skiing on a ski slope with his son, went beyond its boundaries and continued along a slope that was not equipped for descents. The athlete fell to his death after tripping over a stone. If not for the helmet, death would have been inevitable and instantaneous.
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Michael Schumacher with his wife Corinna Boetsch
Initially, Michael Schumacher's health did not cause concern. Many media outlets were quick to report that the injury was not that serious. But during transportation, an unexpected collapse occurred. The actions taken by doctors did not lead to positive results; the athlete was put into an induced coma.
In 2014, after a course of treatment, Michael was transported home, and reports emerged that the racer had emerged from a coma for the first time. By 2016, the family had already spent €16 million on therapy. A house in Norway and Schumacher’s personal plane were sold.
At home, the racing driver’s health was taken care of by a team of doctors consisting of 15 specialists. Expensive equipment was purchased to work on Michael's muscle corset. The disease affected the general physical condition of the athlete. His height decreased from 174 to 160 cm, and his weight from 74 to 45 kg.
Despite the racing driver’s illness, there is an Instagram page on his behalf, which is regularly updated with photos of Schumacher during his sports career.
Michael Schumacher is 51. We tell you everything that is known about the racing driver’s condition after the accident
Today, Michael Schumacher, the German Formula 1 racing driver, seven-time world champion and author of numerous records (for the number of victories, fastest laps and consecutive championship titles) turns 51 years old.
His career began in 1983, when Schumacher was 14, with karting competitions and ended in 2012 after working with the Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Benetton-Ford teams and winning his 91st race victory! And a year later, Michael’s name was again in all the media: the most famous racing driver in the world almost died while vacationing at a ski resort in the Alps and has been recovering from the accident for seven years.
On Schumacher’s birthday, they collected everything that is known about the tragic event and the athlete’s condition over the years.
December 29, 2013
Michael Schumacher drove off the ski slope of the Meribel resort, drove about 20 meters along an unprepared slope, tripped over a stone and during the fall hit the right side of his head on a rock ledge - the impact split his helmet. According to the first information from doctors, Schumacher’s condition was assessed as not serious, and he himself was conscious.
He was taken to the hospital in the commune of Moutiers by helicopter, which, after collapse (a life-threatening condition), made an emergency landing to connect Schumacher to a ventilator. From Moutiers, Michael was transported to a clinic in Grenoble, where he underwent two neurosurgical operations and was put into an artificial coma. At that time, the athlete’s condition was already assessed as critical; doctors refrained from making predictions and claimed that only the helmet saved him from instant death.
January 3, 2014
On Schumacher’s 45th birthday, his whole family came to the clinic where the athlete was: his wife Corrinna with her son Mick and daughter Gina, father Rolf and brother Sebastian. And the driver’s friends and fans specially flew to Grenoble to congratulate the athlete.
Corrina Schumacher
Gina Schumacher
Mick Schumacher
Rolf Schumacher
January 30, 2014
From that day on, Michael began to reduce the dosage of sedatives in order to bring him out of an induced coma.
February 17, 2014
The prosecutor of the French city of Albertville, Patrick Quency, told a press conference that the investigation into the incident had been completed: the authorities had identified irregularities in the operation of the ski slope and malfunctions of the equipment used by Schumacher.
February 24, 2014
At the end of February, information appeared in the media that the racer had come out of a coma, but on the 24th, the athlete’s manager Sabine Kem reported that this was not true. On March 7, she said that Schumacher was in an awakening phase.
June 16, 2014
According to Sabine, Michael has left the hospital in Grenoble and will continue his rehabilitation course elsewhere: “He is no longer in a coma.” The athlete’s manager asked everyone to treat the situation with understanding and said that it was decided to take the course at another hospital in order to avoid increased attention.
September 9, 2014
Since September, Schumacher's recovery has been taking place at home. According to former Formula 1 driver and colleague Michael Philipp Streiff, he is confined to a chair, cannot speak, and also suffers from memory problems. True, Kem denied Streiff’s statements.
July 7, 2020
After two years of rehabilitation and no comment on Schumacher's condition, Sabine issued a statement and said: "The situation is currently so complex that we are unable to provide any details."
December 2020
It became known that the athlete’s family spent 16 million euros on his treatment and sold their house in Norway and Michael’s plane. Weekly expenses for a team of 15 doctors monitoring Schumacher’s health and the necessary equipment, according to media reports, reach 114 thousand euros (7.9 million rubles)!
October 2020
FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile) President Jean Todt shared that he visits Schumacher at least twice a month, and about his state of health he said: “I wish the situation were different...” Then it became known that Michael watched the Brazilian Grand Prix together with Jean and is no longer bedridden.
January 3, 2020
In honor of his 50th birthday, the athlete's family issued a statement about his health: “We thank you from the bottom of our hearts that we can do this with you... We want you to remember his previous victories and records. You can be sure that he is now in very good hands, we are doing everything possible to help him. Please understand that we follow Michael's wishes and keep such an important topic as his health confidential. We thank you for your love and wish you a Happy New Year." And on this day, the launch of the official application for Schumacher mobile phones was announced. The Official App, in collaboration with the Keep Fighting Foundation, is a virtual museum that tells the story of the life and achievements of the German racer.
September 2020
According to media reports, the athlete was transferred to the cardiology department of the Georges Pompidou Clinic in Paris to undergo an experimental operation to introduce stem cells into cardiac tissue. A nurse on duty during the procedure told Le Parisien newspaper: “I can assure you that Michael is conscious. We cannot give any other comments about his state of health. This is confidential information".
November 13, 2020
A scandal erupted: Schumacher's ex-manager Willi Weber said that the driver's wife does not allow him to meet with Michael because she is afraid that he will find out the truth and make it public.
Corrinna Schumacher responded: “He is in good hands now and we are doing everything we can to help him. You can be sure of this. Try to understand that Michael's desire is to maintain confidentiality, and we are guided by this."
Michael Schumacher now
Now the athlete is still in rehabilitation. In the fall of 2018, it became known that Michael began to show emotions. After his wife showed him a photo of the mountainous area, Schumacher began to cry. Relatives and doctors considered this reaction a breakthrough in treatment.
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In September 2020, Michael was transferred to the Georges Pompidou European Hospital, which is located in Paris. The race car driver underwent a stem cell transplant. According to doctors, the surgical intervention led to a positive effect; the athlete experienced improvements in consciousness. Jean Todt, who previously held the post of chief sporting director of Ferrari, colleagues Alain Prost and Jean Alesi, and his son Mick arrived to visit Schumacher.
Early years, childhood and family of the future racer Michael Schumacher
The legendary racer was born in the small German town of Hert-Hurmutheim on January 3, 1969.
His mother was a housewife, and his father worked as a simple bricklayer. That is why, in early childhood, hardly anyone could have imagined that little “Shumi” would become a truly great athlete. Perhaps only his father, Rolf Schumacher, a man whose main passion has always been auto racing, could have thought about this. In 1974, he built a small go-kart for his son, based on a very ordinary lawn mower.
Michael Schumacher, the legendary Formula 1 driver, retired from the sport in 2012
That day, five-year-old Michael was in seventh heaven. He drove along country streets and literally knocked around at the helm of his little car. Subsequently, our today's hero got the opportunity to develop his innate skills when his father organized a small karting track in their town. From that moment on, the race track became a second home for Shumi.
It is worth noting that as a child, our today’s hero was involved in other sports. In particular, he attended the judo section for a long time and even achieved good results in this sport.
However, his main dream always remained auto racing. At the age of fourteen, Michael Schumacher received his first driver's license, which allowed him to compete in various official competitions.
Michael Schumacher - Red Baron After that, in just three years, Michael won several prestigious karting championships both in Germany and abroad. The most impressive are his victories in the Formula König and German Formula 3 competitions. In addition, as part of Mercedes Junior, our today's hero also took part in the world endurance championship.
Schumacher's career in the world of professional sports, Formula 1
Michael's appearance in the Formula 1 team was greatly helped by chance.
In 1991, Team Jordan's main driver, Bertrand Gachot, went to jail due to an accidental quarrel with a taxi driver. This episode was an unpleasant surprise for team owner Eddie Jordan, and he was urgently forced to look for a replacement for the retired pilot. At this point, Schumacher’s manager intervened, convincing the president of Team Jordan that Michael knew this track very well (although the driver himself was racing on it for the first time).
Thus, our today's hero had the chance to prove himself in the Formula 1 team, and he took full advantage of it.
In his debut race, the young rider finished seventh, which was quite good for the relatively weak Team Jordan. After such an impressive debut, the talented pilot was noticed by representatives of the Benetton team, who did not fail to lure Michael under their banner. So the next year Schumacher ended up in the Benetton-Ford team.
Michael Schumacher remains in critical condition, French doctors promise to give a prognosis in... In the first race, the young pilot beat his teammate, former champion Nelson Piquet, and finished in fifth place. In 1992, Schumacher won his first car race.
Subsequently, victories at various stages of Formula 1 became commonplace for our today's hero. During his career, the driver became the world champion seven times, and also the vice-champion of the world championship twice. The athlete won five championship titles in a row.
In addition, Michael Schumacher holds the record for the total number of victories (of which the driver has accumulated as many as 91 throughout his career), as well as the record for the number of victories in one season (13) and the number of fastest laps (77). In this context, it is also worth noting that during his career the driver took a place on the podium 155 times, bringing points to the Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz teams in different years.
In 2012, the legendary racing driver left Formula 1 and announced the end of his sports career.
