When Michael Schumacher was taken to the last race of the season in 2003 before winning his record-breaking sixth championship, there were many who thought that last year would be just as tough.

Michael Schumacher: once again the overwhelming F1 favourite

This season, Schumi is, once again, the overwhelming favourite and few would bet against him adding yet another title to his already impressive array of trophies.

Whatever happens, the 36-year-old already ranks amongst the likes of Cassius Clay/Mohamed Ali, Jesse Owens and Lew Hoad as the best-ever sportsmen.

He took over the mantle as the best-ever Grand Prix driver two years ago year when he broke the record of five titles that he shared until 2003 with the legendary Argentinean driver Juan Manuel Fangio.

And he himself says that he is confident that he can add another. “I am feeling even stronger now than I did at the beginning of my career. I have a love/hate relationship with the sport, but there is more love than there was at first," he said.

It is thus not surprising that he has no idea when he will retire. “I see no end," he says, adding though that he is also not interested in signing lengthy contracts when his current one expires in 2006. “That is not something one does at my age."

The German, who learned the ABC of racing on the cart track in his home town of Kerpen, moved on through Formula Ford and Formula Three. His first start in a Grand Prix came through the misfortune of French driver Bertrand Gachot.

*quote1*The Jordan driver was involved in a traffic incident with a London taxi driver, whom he sprayed with a CS gas canister. The canister was illegal in England and when he appeared in court a year later, Gachot was jailed for six months.

This was just before the Belgian Grand Prix in August 1991 and Jordan team boss Eddie Jordan offered Schumacher a drive. Although he managed to qualify with the seventh fastest time, there was disappointment on race day, as he failed to complete a single lap, having to retire with clutch problems.

A 23-year-old Schumacher however, had impressed enough for Benetton to snap him up from underneath Jordan's nose.

Two weeks later, in a venue that was to become like a second home for him, Schumacher - now driving in a Benetton - picked up his first championship points as he finished fifth in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

A year and five days after getting his first drive in a Grand Prix, Schumacher managed his first win - in the Belgium Grand Prix in Spa. Surprisingly, that was two years before picking up his first Grand Prix pole position.

In 1994 - three years after debuting in Formula One - Schumacher won his first world title. After winning the first four races of the season in his Benetton, he went on to add four more in the course of the year, to win the title from Damien Hill.

But while his talents were undisputed, a number of incidents in which he crashed with rivals and allegations of using illegal petrol during his early career tarnished his reputation.

*quote2*Notwithstanding, he gave his team a second championship the very next year, again winning from Hill, but this time by an incredible 33 points.

The German was then lured away by Ferrari, who were hoping that Schumacher could give them a first world title since 1979, when South African Jody Scheckter won.

It was to take four years, before he finally won the trophy for the Scudetto. During this time, Schumacher also managed to do much to rehabilitate his image.

Since picking up his first championship with Ferrari, he has not looked back - picking up victories, titles and records like no other driver before him.

He presently holds more than a dozen Grand Prix records, including the most Grand Prix led (126), the most podium finishes (137), most fastest laps (66), most race wins (82), most wins from pole (36), most consecutive podium places (19), most consecutive points scoring races (24), most points (1186/with new scoring) and most race wins in a season (13).

One of the few records still eluding the German is that of oldest championship winner. That is a record Fangio still holds with 46 years. But with Schumacher's record of chasing records, only one thing is certain: nothing is certain. And that is something that should send shivers down the spine of other drivers.

March 2005

[Copyright Expatica 2005]

Subject: Life in Germany, Michael Schumacher