Michael Schumacher, born on January 3, 1969, is a German race car driver celebrated for his achievements in Formula One (F1). He set records for the most Grand Prix victories (91, later broken by Lewis Hamilton) and F1 drivers’ championships (7, later tied by Hamilton).
Schumacher’s early passion for go-kart racing led him to win German junior karting championships in 1984 and 1985 and the German and European karting titles in 1987. Progressing to Formula Three (F3) cars in 1988, he won the German F3 championship in 1990. In 1991 he entered F1 with the Jordan team and then moved to Benetton in September of that year, winning world drivers’ championships in 1994 and 1995. He joined Ferrari in 1996 and won 5 consecutive world drivers’ championships with the team from 2000 to 2004.
After initially retiring in 2006, Schumacher returned to F1 with Mercedes from 2010 to 2012. Beyond racing, he has been known for his charitable work, including serving as a UNESCO ambassador and donating to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami relief.