Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher was born on 3 January 1969 in Hurth-Hermulheim, Cologne, West Germany.
Michael Schumacher was German Formula Three Champion in 1990 and had his first Grand Prix start in Belgium in 1991 for Jordan. Later that year Schumacher joined Benetton, and a year later gained his first Grand Prix win.
In 1994 and 1995 Michael Schumacher was world champion with Benetton and in the five consecutive years from 2000 to 2004 he won the title with Ferrari.
Interestingly, a fair number of Michael Schumacher's victories have not been from pole position. At one stage his record was 195 starts, 70 wins from 55 pole positions.
Whereas in 1988 Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, although both driving for McLaren, would race against each other with Senna winning the title with eight wins to seven, the same situation does not arise with Ferrari.
According to Simon Barnes's article in The Times, 10 December 2004, entitled Michael Schumacher: the serial winner who murdered Formula One:
"Barrichello doesn't race Schumacher, whose power is such that his team-mate is required to be a lackey, a domestique, a gopher, a private soldier who begins each day: 'Good morning, Sergeant-Major, here's a sparrow for your cat.'"
Barnes goes on to say, "the most exciting thing in Formula One is the question of when Schumacher is going to stop for petrol."
The 2005 season, however, proved a different story for Michael Schumacher and his difficulties were enhanced by criticism from his younger brother, Ralf Schumacher after the Monaco Grand Prix.
Ralf accused Michael of risking both their lives with a "crazy" move at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Nevertheless, Schumacher came 17th in the Forbes list of the most powerful celebrities 2005.
In 2006, Michael Schumacher achieved his 66th career pole position at the San Marino GP to break the late Ayrton Senna's all-time record.
Michael Schumacher had already gained more wins, championship titles, and points than any other Forumla 1 driver.
On 10 September 2006, after winning his 90th GP - the Italian Grand Prix - Michael Schumacher announced that he was retiring from Formula One at the end of the season.
Schumacher fought a brave last race in the Brazilian GP but the odds were against him. In the end he finished fourth in the race (in spite of a puncture). To win the drivers title, Michael Schumacher would have to had to have won the GP with Alonso finishing out of the points.
In the event, Schumacher ended the 2006 drivers' standings second to Alonso.