Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher; born 3 January 1969) is a German retired racing driver. He is a seven-time Formula One World Champion and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time. He was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year twice. He won two titles with Benetton in 1994 and 1995 before moving to Ferrari where he drove for eleven years. His time with Ferrari yielded five consecutive titles between 2000 and 2004...
NationalityGerman
ProfessionRace Car Driver
Date of Birth3 January 1969
CityHurth, Germany
CountryGermany
The switch from ten-cylinder to eight-cylinder engines means that each manufacturer has to redevelop its power train. Not all will manage to successfully combine performance with reliability the first time around. That could shake things up a bit when it comes team hierarchy.
If I didn't even stand a chance of winning races and competing for the title, I don't think I would be that interested in continuing my career.
Ross Brawn knows that I prefer to have odd race numbers.
If you do things to the limit, and don’t purposely go over that limit, then I think it’s fine to do whatever you want. So long as you enjoy it. That’s what’s important.
Technology has certainly reduced performance differences among drivers. Whereas a talented driver could get a half-second out of every lap in the past, nowadays talent makes up for only about one or two tenths of a second. But the driver is still the key factor.
I'm not very comfortable with what people sometimes say or think about me - things I don't feel responsible for.
Everyone is replaceable, including me.
When you are part of a community for 14 years, it inevitably shapes you. I will always have a part of Ferrari beside me; a part of my heart will always be red.
Ferrari's only objective is to be at the top, in other words, to compete for the World Championship. That's our right. Winning is another matter. It wouldn't be a disgrace to come in second after a tough fight.
Every year we find something new, we go faster, and that's what Formula One is about .
When you're very successful, you become careless and try to turn many things into routine.
I always thought records were there to be broken.
I didn't have statistics in my mind when I was racing. It was always a consequence - a nice consequence. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't the reason I was racing.
An engineer can look at the data, but he needs a translator from the cockpit - the driver - to understand it completely. For example, only the driver can tell you why he abruptly takes his foot off the gas pedal at a certain point. The data doesn't necessarily tell the engineer whether the driver made a mistake at that point or the car was acting up. The information the driver provides often helps determine the direction of development.