Michael Schumacher made his F1 debut in August 1991 at the Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium but the way how he got to know about the track on a bike and as a spectator is simply remarkable.
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The legend of Michael Schumacher and his dominance in F1 is a story that warms the hearts of every sports fan. Schumacher pushed the barriers of brilliance in the sport. His seven world titles and 91 Grand Prix wins remained a benchmark which was only recently broken by Lewis Hamilton. When he entered the world of racing, everyone was of the opinion that Schumacher would be the next big thing in the industry.
Before the epic streak of seven world titles and 91 wins in Formula One, there was the story of his F1 debut in 1991. Schumacher had put up a great performance in F3 and in the World Sportscar Championship seasons. Mercedes snapped up Schumacher but he did not get a single race. In the interim, Schumacher was signed by Jordan but that was only after Mercedes paid USD 150,000 to release Schumacher. It started a sequence of events that showed Schumacher to be in a different league altogether.
As a kid, Michael Schumacher had attended the Belgian Grand Prix and he had made a vague map of the Spa Francorchamps circuit. During the weekend, his Jordan teammate Andrea de Cesaris was meant to show Schumacher around the Spa Francorchamps circuit. But, de Cesaris was imprisoned! Not in jail, but in lengthy contract negotiations with another team. This meant that Schumacher had to find some other way to get to know the circuit.
In a moment of ingenuity, Schumacher learned the track on his own. He used his cycle, a fold-up bike that he had bought with him. He cycled around the 7 km track and managed to know the dynamics of the race track brilliantly.
Schumacher’s proactiveness also impressed Jordan. His test drive in Silverstone had given Jordan core members, which included designer Gary Anderson and team manager, Trevor Foster. Schumacher got his first chance to race with the Jordan team at the Spa Francorchamps circuit and he put in a brilliant display to qualify seventh on debut. He out-qualified 11-year veteran de Cesaris and it was a glimpse of his potential.
Schumacher got going in grand style as he was in sixth heading into the high-speed Eau Rouge corner. But, Schumacher suffered a clutch failure and he had to retire in the opening lap on his debut. Jean Alesi of Ferrari led the race but he suffered an engine failure. Aryton Senna in McLaren Honda won the race while his team-mate Gerhard Burger finished second to make it a McLaren 1-2. Nelson Piquet finished third while Schumacher’s teammate, de Cesaris was on the cusp of finishing on the podium. But, with three laps to go, de Cesaris suffered an engine failure and he had to retire.
But, all eyes were on Schumacher as he managed to outperform de Cesaris in qualifying. Some in the media started hailing him as the next big thing in F1.
The qualifying performance at Spa Francorchamps had boosted Schumacher. After the season with Jordan, Schumacher moved to the Benetton team and he started getting success. In the 1994 F1 season, there was plenty of controversies as Schumacher won the championship by one point. The season was marred by the collision between Schumacher and Damon Hill. Schumacher was leading by one point over Hill but in Adelaide, Schumacher ran off the track.
As he came back, he turned into Hill who tried to move down the inside line. Schumacher collided and was out of the race and Hill suffered damage on his left wheel suspension. Schumacher won the race and it was his first F1 championship.
In 1995, Schumacher won nine races in the F1 calendar as he sealed his second world championship in grand style. Schumacher made the move to Ferrari in 1996 and he revived the fortunes of the team. After a couple of near misses in 1997 and 1998, Schumacher finally broke his jinx to win the F1 championship in 2000. That started a streak of five consecutive F1 titles. The dominance that was witnessed by the sport was simply unparalleled. In order to curb the dominance of Schumacher and Ferrari, there were rules put in place in 2004 by the FIA which blunted their advantage.
Spa Francorchamps would hold very fond memories for Michael Schumacher. He would go on to win six races at the prestigious circuit. His first win came in the 1992 season but his dominance reached the peak in the mid-90s in which he won three consecutive races. Schumacher would have won the 1998 Grand Prix had it not been for a collision with David Coulthard of McLaren. In torrential rain, Schumacher was putting in a masterful display of driving. He was lapping the entire field for close to two seconds. Schumacher was about to lap Coulthard when a big spray of water blind sighted the German.
The German collided and he had a fiery confrontation with Coulthard, shouting, “Are you trying to kill me?” Schumacher would win two more times at Spa as he became the most successful driver in the Spa circuit. The legend of Michael Schumacher was established in Spa in 1991. The later years would only symbolize his legendary status.
