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Michael Schumacher Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.
Michael Schumacher facts for kids
Michael Schumacher at the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix
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| Nationality German | |
| Date of birth | 3 January 1969 |
|---|---|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| 2011 team | Mercedes GP |
| 2011 car # | 7 |
| Races | 280 (279 starts) |
| Championships | 7 (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) |
| Wins | 91 |
| Podiums | 154 |
| Career points | 1,473 |
| Pole positions | 68 |
| Fastest laps | 76 |
| First race | 1991 Belgian Grand Prix |
| First win | 1992 Belgian Grand Prix |
| Last win | 2006 Chinese Grand Prix |
| Last race | 2012 British Grand Prix |
| 2010 position | 9th (72 points) |
Michael Schumacher; born 3 January 1969) is a retired German racing driver who raced in Formula One for Jordan Grand Prix, Benetton and Ferrari, where he spent the majority of his career, as well as for Mercedes upon his return to the sport. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers ever, and regarded by some as the greatest of all time, Schumacher is the only driver in history to win seven Formula One World Championships, five of which he won consecutively. The most successful driver in the history of the sport, Schumacher holds the records for the most World Championship titles (7), the most Grand Prix wins (91), the most fastest laps (77) and the most races won in a single season (13), and according to the official Formula One website (Formula1.com), Schumacher was "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen" at the time of his retirement from the sport.
After success in karting as a child, Schumacher won titles in Formula König and Formula Three before joining Mercedes in the World Sportscar Championship. In 1991, his Mercedes-funded race debut for the Jordan Formula One team resulted in Schumacher being signed by Benetton for the rest of that season. He finished third in 1992 and fourth in 1993, before becoming the first German World Drivers' Champion in 1994 by one point over Damon Hill, albeit in controversial circumstances. In 1995 he repeated the success, this time with a greater margin. In 1996, Schumacher moved to Ferrari, who had last won the Drivers' Championship in 1979, and helped them transform into the most successful team in Formula One history, as he came close to winning the 1997 and 1998 titles, before breaking his leg at the 1999 British Grand Prix, ending another title run.
Schumacher won five consecutive drivers' titles from 2000 to 2004, including an unprecedented sixth and seventh title. In 2002, Schumacher won the title with a record six races remaining and finished on the podium in every race. In 2004, Schumacher won twelve out of the first thirteen races and went on to win a record 13 times as he won his final title. Schumacher retired from Formula One in 2006, after finishing runner-up to Renault's Fernando Alonso. Schumacher returned to Formula One in 2010 with Mercedes. He produced the fastest qualifying time at the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix, and achieved his only podium on his return at the 2012 European Grand Prix, where he finished third. In October 2012, Schumacher announced he would retire for a second time at the end of the season.
His career was frequently controversial, as he was twice involved in collisions in the final race of a season that determined the outcome of the World Championship, with Damon Hill in 1994 in Adelaide, and with Jacques Villeneuve in 1997 in Jerez. Schumacher is an ambassador for UNESCO and has been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts throughout his life, donating tens of millions of dollars to charity. Schumacher and his younger brother, Ralf, are the only siblings to win races in Formula One, and they were the first brothers to finish 1st and 2nd in the same race, a feat they repeated in four subsequent races.
On 29 December 2013, Schumacher suffered a traumatic brain injury in a skiing accident. He was placed in a medically induced coma for six months until 16 June 2014. He left the hospital in Grenoble for further rehabilitation at the University Hospital of Lausanne. On 9 September 2014, Schumacher was relocated to his home where he continues to receive medical treatment and rehabilitation privately. As of 2016 he remained unable to walk or stand.
Contents
Pre-F1 career
In 1984 Michael won the German Kart Championship and went on to win many more. In 1987 he won the German and European Kart Championship. Schumacher signed up with Will Weber's Formula 3 race team and won the 1990 championship.
F1 career
1991
He made his debut in the Belgian Grand Prix on 25 August. He impressed many fans as he qualified 7th on a track where he had never previously(before) driven with an inferior car. At the start he burnt the clutch and retired.
He was quickly snapped up by Benetton and finished in 5th place at the Italian Grand Prix. He followed it up with 6th in both Portugal and at the then new Circuit de Catalunya in Spain. He then crashed out in Japan and spun in the torrential rain at the season finale in Australia. In the 6 races he entered, he scored 4 points and 14th in the championship.
1992
He started the season off well with 4th in South Africa followed by his maiden podium finish in 3rd at the Mexican Grand Prix. He followed it up with another 3rd place in Brazil and 2nd in Spain. In San Marino he crashed out, then came 4th in Monaco and 2nd in Canada. He spun off in the rain at the French Grand Prix and finished 4th in Britain and 3rd in Germany. He retired again in Hungary but at Spa Francorchamps, where he made his debut, he won a rain-affected race. He came 3rd in Italy, 7th in Portugal, retired in Japan and came 2nd in Australia. He finished the season in 3rd place overall (in front of Senna) with a total of 53 points.
Comeback 2010-2012
In 2010 Schumacher returned to F1 with the Mercedes team. In total he spent 3 years with the team in which he scored 1 pole(he was stripped of it due to a penalty), 1 fastest lap, and 1 podium. He was replaced by Lewis Hamilton for 2013 so he retired again.
Racing record
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | European Formula Ford 1600 | Eufra Racing | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 50 | 2nd |
| German Formula Ford 1600 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 124 | 6th | ||
| Formula König | Hoecker Sportwagenservice | 10 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 192 | 1st | |
| 1989 | German Formula Three | WTS Racing | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 163 | 3rd |
| European Formula Three Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | NC | ||
| Macau Grand Prix | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | NC | ||
| 1990 | World Sportscar Championship | Team Sauber Mercedes | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 21 | =5th |
| German Formula Three | WTS Racing | 11 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 148 | 1st | |
| European Formula Three Cup | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | N/A | NC | ||
| Macau Grand Prix | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 1st | ||
| 1991 | Formula One | Team 7UP Jordan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14th |
| Camel Benetton Ford | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |||
| World Sportscar Championship | Team Sauber Mercedes | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 43 | =9th | |
| Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft | Zakspeed Mercedes | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| Japanese Formula 3000 | Team Le Mans | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 12th | |
| 1992 | Formula One | Camel Benetton Ford | 16 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 53 | 3rd |
| 1993 | Formula One | Camel Benetton Ford | 16 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 52 | 4th |
| 1994 | Formula One | Mild Seven Benetton Ford | 14 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 92 | 1st |
| 1995 | Formula One | Mild Seven Benetton Renault | 17 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 102 | 1st |
| 1996 | Formula One | Scuderia Ferrari S.p.A. | 16 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 59 | 3rd |
| 1997 | Formula One | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | 17 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 78 | DSQ |
| 1998 | Formula One | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | 16 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 86 | 2nd |
| 1999 | Formula One | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 44 | 5th |
| 2000 | Formula One | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | 17 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 12 | 108 | 1st |
| 2001 | Formula One | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | 17 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 14 | 123 | 1st |
| 2002 | Formula One | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | 17 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 144 | 1st |
| 2003 | Formula One | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 93 | 1st |
| 2004 | Formula One | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | 18 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 148 | 1st |
| 2005 | Formula One | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | 19 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 62 | 3rd |
| 2006 | Formula One | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 121 | 2nd |
| 2007 | Formula One | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | Test Driver | ||||||
| 2008 | Formula One | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | Test Driver | ||||||
| 2009 | Formula One | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | Test Driver | ||||||
| 2010 | Formula One | Mercedes GP Petronas | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 9th |
| 2011 | Formula One | Mercedes GP Petronas | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32* | 10th* |
* Season in progress.
Complete Formula One results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Team 7UP Jordan | Jordan 191 | Ford HBB 4 3.5 V8 | USA | BRA | SMR | MON | CAN | MEX | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL Ret |
14th | 4 | |||||||||
| Camel Benetton Ford | Benetton B191 | Ford HBA 5 3.5 V8 | ITA 5 |
POR 6 |
ESP 6 |
JPN Ret |
AUS Ret |
||||||||||||||||||
| 1992 | Camel Benetton Ford | Benetton B191B | Ford HB 3.5 V8 | RSA 4 |
MEX 3 |
BRA 3 |
3rd | 53 | |||||||||||||||||
| Benetton B192 | ESP 2 |
SMR Ret |
MON 4 |
CAN 2 |
FRA Ret |
GBR 4 |
GER 3 |
HUN Ret |
BEL 1 |
ITA 3 |
POR 7 |
JPN Ret |
AUS 2 |
||||||||||||
| 1993 | Camel Benetton Ford | Benetton B193 | Ford HB 3.5 V8 | RSA Ret |
BRA 3 |
4th | 52 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Benetton B193B | EUR Ret |
SMR 2 |
ESP 3 |
MON Ret |
CAN 2 |
FRA 3 |
GBR 2 |
GER 2 |
HUN Ret |
BEL 2 |
ITA Ret |
POR 1 |
JPN Ret |
AUS Ret |
|||||||||||
| 1994 | Mild Seven Benetton Ford | Benetton B194 | Ford Zetec-R 3.5 V8 | BRA 1 |
PAC 1 |
SMR 1 |
MON 1 |
ESP 2 |
CAN 1 |
FRA 1 |
GBR DSQ |
GER Ret |
HUN 1 |
BEL DSQ |
ITA |
POR |
EUR 1 |
JPN 2 |
AUS Ret |
1st | 92 | ||||
| 1995 | Mild Seven Benetton Renault | Benetton B195 | Renault RS7 3.0 V10 | BRA 1 |
ARG 3 |
SMR Ret |
ESP 1 |
MON 1 |
CAN 5 |
FRA 1 |
GBR Ret |
GER 1 |
HUN 11 |
BEL 1 |
ITA Ret |
POR 2 |
EUR 1 |
PAC 1 |
JPN 1 |
AUS Ret |
1st | 102 | |||
| 1996 | Scuderia Ferrari S.p.A. | Ferrari F310 | Ferrari 046 3.0 V10 | AUS Ret |
BRA 3 |
ARG Ret |
EUR 2 |
SMR 2 |
MON Ret |
ESP 1 |
CAN Ret |
FRA DNS |
GBR Ret |
GER 4 |
HUN 9 |
BEL 1 |
ITA 1 |
POR 3 |
JPN 2 |
3rd | 59 | ||||
| 1997 | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | Ferrari F310B | Ferrari 046/2 3.0 V10 | AUS 2 |
BRA 5 |
ARG Ret |
SMR 2 |
MON 1 |
ESP 4 |
CAN 1 |
FRA 1 |
GBR Ret |
GER 2 |
HUN 4 |
BEL 1 |
ITA 6 |
AUT 6 |
LUX Ret |
JPN 1 |
EUR Ret |
DSQ↓ | 78 | |||
| 1998 | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | Ferrari F300 | Ferrari 047 3.0 V10 | AUS Ret |
BRA 3 |
ARG 1 |
SMR 2 |
ESP 3 |
MON 10 |
CAN 1 |
FRA 1 |
GBR 1 |
AUT 3 |
GER 5 |
HUN 1 |
BEL Ret |
ITA 1 |
LUX 2 |
JPN Ret |
2nd | 86 | ||||
| 1999 | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | Ferrari F399 | Ferrari 048 3.0 V10 | AUS 8 |
BRA 2 |
SMR 1 |
MON 1 |
ESP 3 |
CAN Ret |
FRA 5 |
GBR Ret |
AUT |
GER |
HUN |
BEL |
ITA |
EUR |
MAL 2 |
JPN 2 |
5th | 44 | ||||
| 2000 | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | Ferrari F1-2000 | Ferrari 049 3.0 V10 | AUS 1 |
BRA 1 |
SMR 1 |
GBR 3 |
ESP 5 |
EUR 1 |
MON Ret |
CAN 1 |
FRA Ret |
AUT Ret |
GER Ret |
HUN 2 |
BEL 2 |
ITA 1 |
USA 1 |
JPN 1 |
MAL 1 |
1st | 108 | |||
| 2001 | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | Ferrari F2001 | Ferrari 050 3.0 V10 | AUS 1 |
MAL 1 |
BRA 2 |
SMR Ret |
ESP 1 |
AUT 2 |
MON 1 |
CAN 2 |
EUR 1 |
FRA 1 |
GBR 2 |
GER Ret |
HUN 1 |
BEL 1 |
ITA 4 |
USA 2 |
JPN 1 |
1st | 123 | |||
| 2002 | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | Ferrari F2001 | Ferrari 050 3.0 V10 | AUS 1 |
MAL 3 |
1st | 144 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ferrari F2002 | Ferrari 051 3.0 V10 | BRA 1 |
SMR 1 |
ESP 1 |
AUT 1 |
MON 2 |
CAN 1 |
EUR 2 |
GBR 1 |
FRA 1 |
GER 1 |
HUN 2 |
BEL 1 |
ITA 2 |
USA 2 |
JPN 1 |
|||||||||
| 2003 | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | Ferrari F2002 | Ferrari 051 3.0 V10 | AUS 4 |
MAL 6 |
BRA Ret |
SMR 1 |
1st | 93 | ||||||||||||||||
| Ferrari F2003-GA | Ferrari 052 3.0 V10 | ESP 1 |
AUT 1 |
MON 3 |
CAN 1 |
EUR 5 |
FRA 3 |
GBR 4 |
GER 7 |
HUN 8 |
ITA 1 |
USA 1 |
JPN 8 |
||||||||||||
| 2004 | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | Ferrari F2004 | Ferrari 053 3.0 V10 | AUS 1 |
MAL 1 |
BHR 1 |
SMR 1 |
ESP 1 |
MON Ret |
EUR 1 |
CAN 1 |
USA 1 |
FRA 1 |
GBR 1 |
GER 1 |
HUN 1 |
BEL 2 |
ITA 2 |
CHN 12 |
JPN 1 |
BRA 7 |
1st | 148 | ||
| 2005 | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | Ferrari F2004M | Ferrari 053 3.0 V10 | AUS Ret |
MAL 7 |
3rd | 62 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ferrari F2005 | Ferrari 055 3.0 V10 | BHR Ret |
SMR 2 |
ESP Ret |
MON 7 |
EUR 5 |
CAN 2 |
USA 1 |
FRA 3 |
GBR 6 |
GER 5 |
HUN 2 |
TUR Ret |
ITA 10 |
BEL Ret |
BRA 4 |
JPN 7 |
CHN Ret |
|||||||
| 2006 | Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro | Ferrari 248 F1 | Ferrari 056 2.4 V8 | BHR 2 |
MAL 6 |
AUS Ret |
SMR 1 |
EUR 1 |
ESP 2 |
MON 5 |
GBR 2 |
CAN 2 |
USA 1 |
FRA 1 |
GER 1 |
HUN 8 |
TUR 3 |
ITA 1 |
CHN 1 |
JPN Ret |
BRA 4 |
2nd | 121 | ||
| 2010 | Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team | Mercedes MGP W01 | Mercedes FO 108X 2.4 V8 | BHR 6 |
AUS 10 |
MAL Ret |
CHN 10 |
ESP 4 |
MON 12 |
TUR 4 |
CAN 11 |
EUR 15 |
GBR 9 |
GER 9 |
HUN 11 |
BEL 7 |
ITA 9 |
SIN 13 |
JPN 6 |
KOR 4 |
BRA 7 |
ABU Ret |
9th | 72 | |
| 2011 | Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team | Mercedes MGP W02 | Mercedes FO 108Y 2.4 V8 | Please update the F1 race stats templates | Please update the F1 race stats templates | Please update the F1 race stats templates | Please update the F1 race stats templates | Please update the F1 race stats templates | Please update the F1 race stats templates | Please update the F1 race stats templates | Please update the F1 race stats templates | Please update the F1 race stats templates | Please update the F1 race stats templates | Please update the F1 race stats templates | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | KOR | IND | ABU | BRA | 10th* | 32* |
* Season in progress.
↓ Schumacher was disqualified from the 1997 WDC due to dangerous driving in the European Grand Prix, where he caused an avoidable accident with Villeneuve. His points tally would have placed him in second place in that year's standings.
Formula One records
As of the end of the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher holds the following Formula One records:
| Record | Number |
|---|---|
| Championship titles | 7 (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) |
| Consecutive titles | 5 (2000–2004) |
| Race victories | 91 |
| Consecutive wins | 7 (2004, Europe–Hungary) |
| Wins with one team | 72 (Ferrari) |
| Wins at same GP | 8 (France) |
| Wins at different GPs | 22 |
| Longest Time between first and last wins | 14 years, 1 month and 2 days |
| Second places | 43 |
| Podiums (Top 3) | 154 |
| Consecutive podium finishes | 19 (2001 US 2001–2002 Japan 2002) |
| Total races finished in the points | 208 |
| Consecutive points finishes | 24 (2001 Hungary 2001–2003 Malaysia 2003) |
| Laps leading | 4741 (22,155 km) |
| Total pole positions | 68 |
| Front row starts | 115 |
| Fastest laps | 76 |
| Doubles (Pole and win) | 40 |
| Perfect Score (Pole, fastest lap and win) | 22 |
| Career Championship points | 1,469 |
| Most wins in a season for a runner-up | 7 (2006) |
| Wins at Indianapolis (any racing class) | 5 |
| Wins at Monza (Formula One) | 5 |
| Most wins in a season | 13 (72%) (2004) |
| Most fastest laps in a season | 10 (2004) |
| Most podium positions in a season | 17 (100%) (2002) |
| Championship won with most races left | 6 (2002) |
| Largest championship-winning margin | 67 (2002) |
| Consecutive years with a win | 15 (1992–2006) |
| Most races with 1 team | 181 (Ferrari) |
| Consecutive days as champion | 1813 (from 8 October 2000 until 25 September 2005) |
Record shared with Alberto Ascari (1952 Belgian Grand Prix–1953 Argentine Grand Prix). Some sources credit Ascari with nine consecutive wins, disregarding the 1953 Indianapolis 500 race, in which Ascari did not compete. The American race formed part of the world championship, but was not run to the same regulations as the other races and was very rarely attended by world championship drivers.
Record shared with Alain Prost (1984 and 1988) and Kimi Räikkönen (2005).
Record shared with Kimi Räikkönen (2005 and 2008).
Images for kids
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Schumacher's title-winning German Formula Three car from 1990
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Schumacher testing the Jordan 191
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Schumacher driving for Benetton at the 1992 Monaco Grand Prix
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Schumacher drove the Benetton B194 to his first World Championship in 1994.
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Schumacher driving for Benetton at the 1995 British Grand Prix
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Schumacher celebrates a second-place finish at the 1997 German Grand Prix
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Schumacher battles with David Coulthard at the 1998 British Grand Prix
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Schumacher at Indianapolis in 2004, where he won the 2004 United States Grand Prix
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Schumacher battling with Kimi Räikkönen during the 2005 Canadian Grand Prix
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Schumacher overtakes Kimi Räikkönen for 4th with three laps to go of his final race for three years at Interlagos, having dropped to 19th early on
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BMW Sauber with "Thanks Michael" messages towards Michael Schumacher on the back of their cars, Schumacher and Peter Sauber worked together in sports cars prior to entering F1 in 1992
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Schumacher at Finali Mondiali celebrations in the F2007
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Schumacher at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix
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Schumacher qualified fastest at the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix.
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Schumacher at the 2012 US Grand Prix
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Turns 9–10 of the Nürburgring were renamed after Schumacher in 2007.
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Rubens Barrichello makes way for Schumacher at the end of the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix
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Helmet for the 1994 season (Benetton); Schumacher used the Bell helmet for 9 years in Formula One, from the 1992 Canadian Grand Prix to 2001 Australian Grand Prix.
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Schuberth helmet for the 2006 season (Ferrari); At the 2001 Malaysian Grand Prix, Schumacher switched his helmet from Bell to Schuberth though there was contract with Bell for the 2001 season. From the 2001 season, Schumacher continued to use the Schuberth helmet until his last race in Formula One.
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Schuberth helmet for the 2011 season (Mercedes GP); Schumacher kept using red-coloured helmet at Silver Arrows. Chinese dragon illustration and a Chinese character "力" ("power") are inscribed in back of the helmet.