Ralf Schumacher facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ralf Schumacher
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Schumacher in 2016
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| Born | 30 June 1975 Hürth, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
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| Spouse(s) |
Cora Brinkmann
(m. 2001; div. 2015) |
| Children | David Schumacher |
| Relatives |
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| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  German |
| Active years | 1997–2007 |
| Teams | Jordan, Williams, Toyota |
| Entries | 182 (180 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 6 |
| Podiums | 27 |
| Career points | 329 |
| Pole positions | 6 |
| Fastest laps | 8 |
| First entry | 1997 Australian Grand Prix |
| First win | 2001 San Marino Grand Prix |
| Last win | 2003 French Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix |
Ralf Schumacher (born 30 June 1975) is a German former racing driver. He also works as a sports commentator. Ralf competed in Formula One from 1997 to 2007. He won six Formula One Grands Prix during his 11 seasons.
Ralf grew up in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He is the younger brother of Michael Schumacher, who won the Formula One World Championship seven times. Ralf and Michael are the only brothers to have both won a Formula One Grand Prix. Ralf started karting when he was just three years old. He had early success before moving into car racing. He competed in the German Formula Three Championship and the Formula Nippon series.
Ralf first joined Formula One with the Jordan Grand Prix team in 1997. He then moved to the Williams team in 1999. That year, he finished sixth in the Drivers' Championship. His first Grand Prix win was in 2001. He finished fourth in the Drivers' Championship that season. He went on to win five more races over the next two years.
Schumacher left Williams at the end of 2004. He joined Toyota Racing in 2005. After the 2007 season, Ralf left Formula One. He then joined the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) series in 2008. He retired from motorsport at the end of 2012. Now, he works as a co-commentator for Sky Sport in Germany.
Contents
Ralf Schumacher's Early Life and Racing Start
Ralf Schumacher was born in Hürth, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany, on June 30, 1975. His father, Rolf Schumacher, was a bricklayer, and his mother was Elisabeth. His older brother is Michael Schumacher. Ralf started karting at age three on his parents' go-kart track in Kerpen.
He had his first big karting wins in 1991, taking the NRW Cup and Gold Cup. In 1992, he won the German Junior Kart Championship. He then moved to the senior karting series and finished second.
At 17, Ralf began car racing. He finished second in the ADAC Junior Formula Championship. This led to him testing a Formula Three car in 1992. He also took part in a Formula Three event. His skills caught the eye of WTS Racing. This allowed him to join the German Formula Three Championship in 1994, where he finished third. He also raced in the Macau Grand Prix and the Masters of Formula 3.
In 1995, Ralf's performance improved. He won the Macau Grand Prix from pole position. He also finished second in the Masters of Formula 3. In the German Formula Three series, he won three races. He finished second in the Championship behind Norberto Fontana.
For 1996, Ralf's manager, Willi Weber, helped him get a spot in the Formula Nippon Series. He drove for Team Le Mans. Ralf won the series on his first try, becoming the first rookie to do so. That same year, he also raced in the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship. He won four races and finished second in the GT500 Championship.
Ralf Schumacher's Formula One Career
Joining Jordan (1997–1998)
1997 Season Highlights
In August 1996, Ralf Schumacher tested for the McLaren team. In September, it was announced he would drive for the Jordan team for three years. This deal also brought in money from his sponsor, Bitburger brewery. In January 1997, Giancarlo Fisichella became his teammate.
Ralf earned his first podium finish in Argentina, coming in third. He had some tough races after that, but then finished sixth in France. He followed this with three fifth-place finishes. He finished 11th in the Drivers' Championship in his first season, scoring 13 points.
1998 Season Highlights
Ralf stayed with Jordan for 1998. His teammate was Damon Hill, the 1996 Drivers' Champion. Ralf had a difficult start with three retirements. He later scored his first point of the season with a sixth-place finish at the British Grand Prix.
He finished second in Belgium behind his teammate Hill. Ralf was told not to overtake Hill, which caused some tension. He then took third place in Italy. After this race, it was announced that Ralf would join the Williams team. His brother, Michael Schumacher, reportedly helped him leave his Jordan contract early. Ralf finished the season 10th in the Drivers' Championship with 14 points.
Driving for Williams (1999–2004)
1999 Season Highlights
Ralf started his season strong, finishing third in Australia. He followed this with a fourth-place finish in Brazil. He had some retirements but then scored more points in Spain, Canada, and France. He took another podium, finishing third in Britain.
In October, Ralf's contract was extended for three years. He finished the 1999 season sixth in the Drivers' Championship with 35 points.
2000 Season Highlights
Ralf continued with Williams in 2000. His new teammate was rookie Jenson Button. Ralf started well with a third-place finish in Australia. He then took fifth in Brazil. He had some retirements due to car issues and crashes.
He finished fifth in France. He also had two third-place finishes in Belgium and Italy. Ralf finished fifth in the Drivers' Championship with 24 points.
2001 Season Highlights
At the first race in Australia, Ralf retired after a crash. He scored his first points of the season in Malaysia. At the San Marino Grand Prix, Ralf started third and led every lap to win his first Formula One race!
He won his second race in Canada. His brother Michael finished second, making it the first time siblings finished first and second. Ralf then finished fourth in the European Grand Prix and second in France. In Germany, Ralf took his third win of the season. He finished the 2001 season fourth in the Drivers' Championship with 49 points.
2002 Season Highlights
For 2002, Ralf decided to wear glasses while racing to improve his vision. The FIA, Formula One's governing body, approved this.
His season started with a crash in Australia. But in the next race in Malaysia, Ralf won his only victory of the season. He then had two more podiums, finishing second in Brazil and third in San Marino. He continued to score points in many races, including third-place finishes in Germany and Hungary. For the second year in a row, Ralf finished fourth in the Drivers' Championship with 42 points.
2003 Season Highlights
In 2003, Ralf continued with Williams alongside Juan Pablo Montoya. He had a strong first half of the season, scoring points in the first seven races. He got his first podium of the season with second place in Canada. Ralf then won two races in a row: the European and French Grands Prix.
At a test, Ralf had a high-speed accident and suffered a concussion. He had to miss the Italian Grand Prix. He returned for the United States Grand Prix but retired after crashing on a wet track. He finished the season fifth in the Drivers' Championship with 58 points. He also helped Williams finish second in the Constructors' Championship.
2004 Season Highlights
Ralf stayed with Williams for 2004. He started the season well, finishing fourth in Australia. He then had some retirements and non-points finishes. At the Canadian Grand Prix, Ralf started from pole position and finished second. However, he was later disqualified because of issues with his car's brake ducts.
At the United States Grand Prix, Ralf had a serious accident. He suffered a concussion and two minor fractures to his spine. He had to miss the next six races. In July, Ralf signed a three-year contract with the Toyota team. He returned for the Chinese Grand Prix. He finished second in Japan and fifth in Brazil. He finished the season ninth in the Drivers' Championship with 24 points.
Moving to Toyota (2005–2007)
2005 Season Highlights
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For 2005, Ralf joined Jarno Trulli at Toyota. He scored points in his first two races with the team. He then had some more points finishes. He retired from the European Grand Prix after a spin.
During practice for the United States Grand Prix, Ralf crashed due to a tire failure. He had to miss that race. He returned for the French Grand Prix and had a good run of four straight points finishes. This included a podium in Hungary. He finished the season strong, scoring points in all remaining races. He also took a podium finish in the final race in China. He finished sixth in the Drivers' Championship and helped Toyota finish fourth in the Constructors' Championship.
2006 Season Highlights
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Ralf continued with Toyota in 2006. He started the season with a non-points finish. He then scored his first points of the season in Malaysia. He achieved Toyota's only podium finish of the season in Australia.
Ralf had some retirements but also scored points in France, Hungary, and Turkey. He finished the season tenth in the Drivers' Championship with 20 points.
2007 Season Highlights
Ralf stayed with Toyota for 2007. He scored a point in the first race in Australia. However, he struggled in the next few races. At the Spanish Grand Prix, he crashed and retired. Toyota was reportedly unhappy with his performance.
He scored another point in Canada. However, Toyota's vice-chairman publicly asked him to improve. At the United States Grand Prix, Ralf crashed on the first corner. On October 1, Ralf announced he would leave Toyota at the end of the season. He finished his final Formula One season 16th in the Drivers' Championship with 5 points.
Trying for a Comeback
After leaving Toyota, Ralf talked with several Formula One teams. He spoke with Toro Rosso but they signed other drivers. He also asked McLaren about a seat but was turned down.
Ralf's last time driving a Formula One car was at a test for the new Force India team in December 2007. He was the slowest driver there. He then announced he would not join the team for 2008. He realized it was unlikely he would race in Formula One again.
Racing in DTM (2008–2012)
2008 DTM Season
On February 18, 2008, it was announced that Ralf Schumacher would race in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) series. He drove for Mücke Motorsport. He finished 14th in his first race. He later scored his first DTM points by finishing eighth at the Nürburgring. He finished the season 14th in the Drivers' Championship with 3 points.
2009 DTM Season
For 2009, Ralf extended his contract with Mercedes-Benz and moved to the HWA Team. He scored his first points of the season with a sixth-place finish at the Norisring. He then scored more points with a seventh place at the Nürburgring. He finished the season 11th in the Drivers' Championship with 9 points.
2010 DTM Season
Ralf stayed with HWA for 2010. He started the season with a ninth-place finish. He then scored his first points of the season with sixth place at the Nürburgring. He had some retirements due to collisions and car damage. Ralf finished the season 14th in the Drivers' Championship with 3 points.
2011 DTM Season
In 2011, Ralf remained at HWA. He had his best DTM results, taking two podiums. He finished third at the Hockenheimring and second at the Red Bull Ring. He also clinched sixth place in Norisring. He finished the season eighth in the Drivers' Championship with 21 points.
2012 DTM Season
Ralf continued with HWA for the 2012 season. He started well, scoring points in the first two races. He had to retire from a race at the Norisring due to an electrical problem while he was leading. He finished the season 17th in the Drivers' Championship with 10 points.
Life After DTM Racing
Ralf Schumacher announced his retirement from active racing in March 2013. He then took on a management role at Mücke Motorsport. He also became a part-owner of the team. In this role, he helps guide young drivers who are signed with Mercedes-Benz.
In 2015, Ralf had a guest role in a German TV crime series. From 2016, he helped run the ADAC Formula 4 team HTP Junior Team Ungar. In 2019, Ralf became a commentator for Formula One races on Sky Deutschland. In August 2024, he made a special return to racing. He competed in the Prototype Cup Germany with his son, David. They won both races that weekend!
Ralf Schumacher's Family Life
In April 2001, Ralf became engaged to Cora-Caroline Brinkmann. They got married on October 5, 2001. Their son, David Schumacher, was born on October 23, 2001. David also became a racing driver. Outside of racing, Ralf enjoys cycling, tennis, and playing backgammon.
In February 2015, Ralf and Cora decided to separate and later divorced. They worked out arrangements for their son and divided their assets. In 2011, Ralf became a Laureus Ambassador for the Laureus Foundation.
Images for kids
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Schumacher in 2016
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Schumacher driving for Williams in the 1999 Canadian Grand Prix
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Schumacher driving for Williams at the 2001 Canadian Grand Prix, where he took his second career victory
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Schumacher in 2002
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Schumacher driving for Williams at the 2003 United States Grand Prix
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Schumacher after a serious accident at the 2004 United States Grand Prix
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Schumacher driving for Toyota in the 2005 Canadian Grand Prix
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Schumacher (bottom) leads teammate Jarno Trulli in the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix.
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Schumacher driving for Toyota at the 2007 British Grand Prix
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Schumacher driving for Mücke at the DTM round at Brands Hatch in 2008
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Schumacher driving for HWA at the Hockenheimring in 2009
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Schumacher driving for HWA at the Hockenheimring in 2010
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Schumacher competing in the 2011 DTM season
See also
In Spanish: Ralf Schumacher para niños
