Michael Shumacher

Schumacher is a former Formula One driver, and seven-time world champion. According to the official Formula One web site, he is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen". He is the first German to win the F1 World championship and is credited with popularising Formula One in Germany. Schumacher was the world's first billionaire athlete, with an annual salary reported to be around $80 million in 2004. In a 2006 FIA survey Michael Schumacher was voted the most popular driver with F1 fans.

After winning two championships with Benetton, Schumacher moved to the Ferrari team in 1996, which had not won a drivers' championship since 1979, with Jody Scheckter. From 2000 to 2004, Schumacher won five consecutive drivers' titles with the team. Triple World Champion Jackie Stewart believes his transformation of the Ferrari team was Schumacher's greatest feat. As of 2006, Schumacher holds nearly every record in Formula One, including most drivers' championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, and most races won in a single season.

Schumacher has twice been involved in collisions which determined the outcome of the world championship. He was disqualified from the 1997 championship for deliberately driving into title rival Jacques Villeneuve.

On September 10, 2006, Schumacher announced his retirement as a driver. It was revealed on 29 October 2006 that Schumacher will act as assistant to the newly appointed Scuderia Ferrari CEO Jean Todt for the 2007 Formula One Season in particular scouting for new drivers.

Discuss Michael Shumacher in our Forums
Bookmarks: Digg   del.icio.us   StumbleUpon   Google

Detailed Information