- published: 25 Nov 2012
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- author: Ayrton01CZ
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24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: 24 Heures du Mans) is the world's oldest active sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining mechanical damage to the car and manage the cars' consumables, primarily fuel, tyres and braking materials. The endurance of the drivers is likewise tested as drivers frequently spend stints of over two hours behind the wheel before stopping in the pits and allowing a relief driver to take over the driving duties. Drivers then grab what food and rest they can before returning to drive another stint. Today it is mandated that three drivers share each competing vehicle.
The race is organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and runs on the Circuit de la Sarthe, a circuit containing a mix of closed public roads and specialist motor racing circuit that are meant not only to test a car and driver's ability to be quick, but also to last over a 24 hour period. The competing teams will race in groups called classes for cars of similar specification while at the same time competing for outright placing amongst all of the classes. Originally the race was held for cars as they were sold to the general public which were then called Sports Cars compared to the specialist racing cars used in Grands Prix. Over time the competing vehicles evolved away from their publicly-available road car roots and today the race is made of two classes specialised enclosed-bodywork two-seat Prototype sports cars and two classes of Grand Touring cars which bear much closer resemblance to high performance sports cars as sold to the public.
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Argentina
Argentina
i/ˌɑrdʒənˈtiːnə/, officially the Argentine Republic (Spanish: República Argentina [reˈpuβlika aɾxenˈtina]), is a country in South America, the continent's second largest by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth-largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations.
Argentina's continental area is between the Andes mountain range in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east. It borders Paraguay and Bolivia to the north, Brazil and Uruguay to the northeast, and Chile to the west and south. Argentine claims over Antarctica, as well as overlapping claims made by Chile and the United Kingdom, are suspended by the Antarctic Treaty of 1961. Argentina also claims the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which are administered by the United Kingdom as British Overseas Territories.
A recognised middle power, Argentina is Latin America's third-largest economy, with a "very high" rating on the Human development index. Within Latin America, Argentina has the fifth highest nominal GDP per capita and the highest in purchasing power terms. Analysts have argued that the country has a "foundation for future growth due to its market size, levels of foreign direct investment, and percentage of high-tech exports as share of total manufactured goods", and it is classed by investors as middle emerging economy. Argentina is a founding member of the United Nations, Mercosur, the Union of South American Nations, the Organization of Ibero-American States, the World Bank Group and the World Trade Organization, and is one of the G-15 and G-20 major economies.
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Austria
Austria (i/ˈɒstriə/ or /ˈɔːstriə/; German: Österreich [ˈøːstɐˌʁaɪç] (
listen)), officially the Republic of Austria (German: 
Republik Österreich (help·info)), is a landlocked country of roughly 8.47 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers 83,855 square kilometres (32,377 sq mi) and has a temperate and alpine climate. Austria's terrain is highly mountainous due to the presence of the Alps; only 32% of the country is below 500 metres (1,640 ft), and its highest point is 3,798 metres (12,461 ft). The majority of the population speak local Austro-Bavarian dialects of German as their native language, and German in its standard form is the country's official language. Other local official languages are Burgenland Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene.
The origins of modern-day Austria date back to the time of the Habsburg dynasty when the vast majority of the country was a part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Austria became one of the great powers of Europe and, in response to the coronation of Napoleon I as the Emperor of the French, the Austrian Empire was officially proclaimed in 1804. In 1867, the Austrian Empire was reformed into Austria-Hungary.
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Autopolis
Autopolis (オートポリス, Ōtoporisu?) is an international racing circuit located near Kamitsue village in Ōita Prefecture, Japan (30 km Northeast of Kumamoto). Opened in 1990, it hosts a range of domestic and international motorsport events throughout the year. Although the track meets a high standard in terms of its facilities, it has never hosted a Formula One race. Due to the circuit ending up in financial difficulties, it has changed hands several times but still operates to this day.
The circuit, located within Aso Kujiyu National Park, was built at a cost of $500 million by the wealthy real-estate developer and investment banker Tomonori Tsurumaki who made headlines in 1989, when during a Paris auction, he successfully bid a Pablo Picasso painting Les Noces de Pierrette for $51.3 million from his Tokyo hotel room. Following his successful bid, he announced that his painting was to hang at the art gallery of the auto racing resort, under development at the time.
The circuit was designed by Yoshitoshi Sakurai who was the project leader of the Honda F1 team during the 1960s.
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Brazil
Brazili/brəˈzɪl/ (Portuguese: Brasil, IPA: [bɾaˈziw]), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: República Federativa do Brasil, listen (help·info)), is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people. It is the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas and the largest lusophone country in the world.
Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 km (4,655 mi). It is bordered on the north by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and the French overseas region of French Guiana; on the northwest by Colombia; on the west by Bolivia and Peru; on the southwest by Argentina and Paraguay and on the south by Uruguay. Numerous archipelagos form part of Brazilian territory, such as Fernando de Noronha, Rocas Atoll, Saint Peter and Paul Rocks, and Trindade and Martim Vaz. It borders all other South American countries except Ecuador and Chile.
Brazil was a colony of Portugal from the landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500 until 1815, when it was elevated to the rank of kingdom and the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves was formed. The colonial bond was in fact broken in 1808, when the capital of the Portuguese colonial empire was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, after Napoleon invaded Portugal.Independence was achieved in 1822 with the formation of the Empire of Brazil, a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system. The country became a presidential republic in 1889, when a military coup d'état proclaimed the Republic, although the bicameral legislature, now called Congress, dates back to the ratification of the first constitution in 1824. Its current Constitution, formulated in 1988, defines Brazil as a Federal Republic. The Federation is formed by the union of the Federal District, the 26 States, and the 5,564 Municipalities.
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Budapest
Budapest ( /ˈbuːdəpɛst/, /ˈbuːdəpɛʃt/ or /ˈbʊdəpɛst/; Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈbudɒpɛʃt] ( listen); names in other languages) is the capital and the largest city of Hungary, the largest in East-Central Europe and the seventh largest in the European Union. It is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre, sometimes described as the primate city of Hungary. According to 2011 Census, Budapest had 1.74 million inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2.1 million due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter Area is home to 3.3 million people. The city covers an area of 525 square kilometres (202.7 sq mi) within the city limits. Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with a unification on 17 November 1873 of west-bank Buda and Óbuda with east-bank Pest.
The history of Budapest began with Aquincum, originally a Celtic settlement that became the Roman capital of Lower Pannonia.Hungarians arrived in the territory in the 9th century. Their first settlement was pillaged by the Mongols in 1241-42. The re-established town became one of the centres of Renaissance humanist culture in the 15th century. Following the Battle of Mohács and nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule, development of the region entered a new age of prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Budapest became a global city after the 1873 unification. It also became the second capital of Austria-Hungary, a great power that dissolved in 1918. After the Treaty of Trianon in 1920, when Hungary lost 72% of its former territory, culturally and economically the country became wholly Budapest-dominated. The capital dominates the country both by the size of its population—which dwarfs those of Hungary's other cities Budapest was the focal point of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the Hungarian Soviet Republic of 1919, Operation Panzerfaust in 1944, the Battle of Budapest of 1945, and the Revolution of 1956.
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Circuito de Jerez
Coordinates: 36°42′30″N 6°2′3″W / 36.70833°N 6.03417°W / 36.70833; -6.03417
Circuito de Jerez (Circuit of Jerez), formerly known as Circuito Permanente de Jerez, is a 4,428 m (2.752-mile) racing circuit located close to the city of Jerez de la Frontera, deep within the sherry-producing south of Spain. The project was led by the Spanish engineer Manuel Medina Lara, based on a preliminary idea from Alessandro Rocci.
The circuit opened on 8 December 1985. During 1986 the circuit hosted the first international motorcycle event in Spain in March and the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix in April. The circuit's relatively remote location hindered significant spectator turnout, although up to 125,000 can be accommodated. Because of this, F1 moved to Barcelona following the 1991 race.
Due to the hosting of the European Grand Prix in 1994, the circuit instituted safety changes from the 1990 configuration, including a new chicane (the Senna curve) at the corner where Martin Donnelly had an appalling accident during qualifying for the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix. Jerez also hosted the 1997 European Grand Prix, which was the championship decider between Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve, who collided during the race.
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Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland. Its position, on the western edge of Africa, is an advantageous departure point for trans-Atlantic and European trade; this fact aided its growth into a major regional port.
According to December 31, 2005 official estimates, the city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 2.45 million people.
Dakar is a major administrative centre, home to the National Assembly of Senegal and Senegal's President's Palace.
The Cape Verde Peninsula was settled, no later than the 15th century, by the Lebou, an ethnic group related to the neighboring Wolof and Sereer. The original villages: Ouakam, Ngor, Yoff and Hann, still constitute distinctively Lebou neighborhoods of the city today. Meanwhile, in 1444, the Portuguese arrived on the island of Gorée and founded a settlement there. By 1536, they had begun using it as a base for the export of slaves. The mainland of Cap-Vert, however, was under control of the Jolof Empire, as part of the western province of Cayor which seceded from Jolof in its own right in 1549. A new Lebou village, called Ndakaaru, was established directly across from Gorée in the 17th century to service the European trading factory with food and drinking water. Gorée was captured by the United Netherlands in 1588, which gave it its present name (spelled Goeree, after Goeree-Overflakkee in Holland). The island was to switch hands between the Portuguese and Dutch several more times before falling to the English under Admiral Robert Holmes on January 23, 1664, and finally to the French in 1677. Though under continuous French administration since, Métis families, descendant from Dutch and French traders and African wives, dominated the slave trade. The infamous "House of Slaves" was built here in 1776.
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Finland
Coordinates: 65°N 27°E / 65°N 027°E / 65; 027
Finlandi/ˈfɪnlənd/ ( Finnish: Suomi; Swedish: Finland (help·info)), officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.
Around 5.4 million people reside in Finland, with the majority concentrated in the southern region. It is the eighth largest country in Europe in terms of area and the most sparsely populated country in the European Union. Finland is a parliamentary republic with a central government based in Helsinki and local governments in 336 municipalities, and an autonomous region of the Åland Islands. About one million residents live in the Greater Helsinki area, which consists of Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa, and a third of the country's GDP is produced there. Other larger cities include Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Lahti and Kuopio.
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Fiorano Circuit
The Fiorano Circuit is a private racetrack owned by Ferrari for development and testing purposes. It is located in Fiorano Modenese, near the Italian town of Maranello.
Built in 1972, it is 8.4 metres (27.6 ft) wide and 3,021 metres (1.9 mi) long. The average F1 lap speed is over 160 km/h (99 mph) and the F1 top speed is 290 km/h (180 mph). As Fiorano is a testing track, it has a wide range of corner types, with corner diameters between 370 metres (1,213.9 ft) and 13.71 metres (45.0 ft). Thus Ferrari is able to simulate corner and track types of other Grand Prix circuits.
The track is equipped with telemetry sensors and a large skidpad for tire testing. When Scuderia Ferrari are testing a F1 car at the track, it is common to see Tifosi watching the test from the roadside, which is the closest point from which the track is viewable to the public.
Ferrari customers are allowed to test drive new cars at the Fiorano circuit. The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano is named after this track.
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French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix (1906-1967: Grand Prix de l'ACF, 1968-2008: Grand Prix de France) is a race held as part of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One automobile racing championships. The last race was held in 2008, but the event is scheduled to return in 2013.
Grand Prix motor racing originated in France and the French Grand Prix, open to international competition, is the oldest Grand Prix race, first run on 26 June 1906 under the auspices of the Automobile Club de France in Sarthe, with a starting field of 32 automobiles.
The first World Championships were organized in 1925 with the French Grand Prix, the Italian Grand Prix, the Belgian Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500. The French Grand Prix was part of the Formula One championships from their inception in 1950 until 2008. It was designated the European Grand Prix four times between 1924 and 1966, when this title was an honorary designation given each year to one grand prix race in Europe.
The race has been held at various racetracks throughout France, such as the Autodrome de Montlhéry. Since 1991 its permanent home was the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. The move to Magny-Cours was an attempt to stimulate the economy of the area, but many within Formula One complained about the remote nature of the circuit.
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Germany
Germany (i/ˈdʒɜrməni/), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)), is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state and the largest economy in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.
A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD 100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward, and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic–Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confederation resulted in the unification of most of the German states into the German Empire in 1871 which was Prussian dominated. After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic in 1918, and partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was proclaimed in 1933. The latter period was marked by Fascism and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990 Germany was reunified.
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Italy
Italyi/ˈɪtəli/ (Italian: Italia [iˈtaːlja]), officially the Italian Republic or the Republic of Italy (Italian: Repubblica italiana), is a unitary parliamentary republic in south-central Europe. To the north, it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia–the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea–and many other smaller islands. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, while Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The territory of Italy covers some 301,338 km2 (116,347 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 60.6 million inhabitants, it is the fifth most populous country in Europe, and the 23rd most populous in the world.
Rome, the capital of Italy, was for centuries a political and religious centre of Western civilisation as the capital of the Roman Empire and site of the Holy See. After the decline of the Roman Empire, Italy endured numerous invasions by foreign peoples, from Germanic tribes such as the Lombards and Ostrogoths, to the Byzantines and later, the Normans, among others. Centuries later, Italy became the birthplace of Maritime republics and the Renaissance, an immensely fruitful intellectual movement that would prove to be integral in shaping the subsequent course of European thought.
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Jamaica
Coordinates: 18°10′57″N 77°19′18″W / 18.1823878°N 77.3217773°W / 18.1823878; -77.3217773
Jamaica (
i/dʒəˈmeɪkə/), officially the Commonwealth of Jamaica, is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, 234 kilometres (145 mi) in length, up to 80 kilometres (50 mi) in width, and 10,990 square kilometres (4,240 sq mi) in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about 145 kilometres (90 mi) south of Cuba, and 191 kilometres (119 mi) west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The indigenous Arawakan-speaking Taíno name for the island was Xaymaca, meaning the "Land of Wood and Water" or the "Land of Springs".
Once a Spanish possession known as Santiago, it became an English colony in 1655 under the name "Jamaica". It achieved full independence from Britain on August 6, 1962. With 2.8 million people, it is the third most populous anglophone country in the Americas, after the United States and Canada. It remains a Commonwealth realm in concert with the Monarchy of Jamaica holding ultimate executive power, where Queen Elizabeth II is the current head of state and Queen of Jamaica.Kingston is the country's largest city and the capital.
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Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima Metropolitan Area. With a population approaching 9 million, Lima is the fifth largest city in Latin America, behind Mexico City, São Paulo, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. Lima is home to one of the largest financial hubs in Latin America. It has been defined as a beta world city by GaWC international ranking.
Lima was founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro on January 18, 1535, as la Ciudad de los Reyes, or "the City of Kings". It became the capital and most important city in the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru. Following the Peruvian War of Independence, it became the capital of the Republic of Peru. Today, around one-third of the Peruvian population lives in the metropolitan area.
Lima is home to one of the oldest higher learning institutions in the New World. The National University of San Marcos, founded on May 12, 1551 during Spanish colonial regime, is the oldest continuously functioning university in the Americas.
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Luxembourg
Luxembourg (i/ˈlʌksəmbɜrɡ/ LUKS-əm-burg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Luxembourgish: Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg, French: Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, German: Großherzogtum Luxemburg, Dutch: Groothertogdom Luxemburg), is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland ("good country") in the south. Luxembourg has a population of over half a million people in an area of approximately 2,586 square kilometres (998 sq mi). A representative democracy with a constitutional monarch, it is ruled by a grand duke. It is now the world's only remaining sovereign grand duchy. The country has a highly developed economy, with the world's highest GDP (nominal) per capita according to the IMF. Its historic and strategic importance dates back to its founding as a Roman era fortress site and Frankish count's castle site in the Early Middle Ages. It was an important bastion along the Spanish Road when Spain was the principal European power influencing the whole western hemisphere and beyond in the 16th–17th centuries.
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Macau Grand Prix
The Macau Grand Prix is a motor-racing event held annually in Macau, one of China's Special Administrative Regions. It is known for being the only street circuit racing event in which both car and motorcycle races are held. Every year in November hundreds of racing drivers and riders compete in different categories of motor-racing, including single-seaters, touring cars and motorbikes.
One of the highlights of the race weekend is the Macau Formula Three Grand Prix, which features many national Formula 3 champions and drivers around the world. Due to the challenging nature of the circuit, which consists of fast straights (a Formula Three car can reach a top speed of 275 km/h (171 mph) at the end of this stretch), tight corners and uncompromising crash barriers, the Macau Grand Prix is famously known as one of the most demanding circuits in the world. Many current or former Formula One drivers have participated in the event early in their careers and some of them have won the prestigious prize. Famous winners include Riccardo Patrese, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher and Takuma Sato.
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Madonna di Campiglio
Coordinates: 46°13′55″N 10°49′34″E / 46.23194°N 10.82611°E / 46.23194; 10.82611
Madonna di Campiglio (German: Sankt Maria im Pein) is a village and a ski resort in northeast Italy. It is a frazione of the comune of Pinzolo. The village lies in the Val Rendena at an altitude of 1,522 m. It has some 1,000 inhabitants.
It is today most certainly Italy’s number one ski resort as well as one of the most important resorts in the Alps. The variety of its mountain surroundings mean that in winter it is possible to ski over countless kilometres of runs, up to an altitude of 2600 metres and with different degrees of difficuly. Today the Ski Area can boast 57 lifts and 150 km of ski runs, with a capacity of more than 31,000 people per hour, 50,000 sq m of snow park, 40 km for Nordic skiing and, from the next winter 2011/2012, the link up to the pistes in Pinzolo (since it is already possible to ski the link to Folgarida and Marilleva).
The village regularly plays host to Alpine Skiing World Cup and Snowboarding races. The Scuderia Ferrari Formula One and Ducati Corse MotoGP teams hold an annual media event every January at the resort through their shared sponsor Marlboro.
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Maranello
Maranello is a town and comune in the region of Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy, 18 km from Modena, with a population of 16,841 as of 2009. It is best known as the home of Ferrari S.p.A. and the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One racing team. Maranello was also home to coachbuilding firm Carrozzeria Scaglietti, now owned by Ferrari.
Maranello has been the location for the Ferrari factory since the early 1940s, when Enzo Ferrari transferred operations from the Scuderia Ferrari Garage and Factory in Modena, which had been his base of operations dating back to Scuderia Ferrari's days as an arm of Alfa Romeo, due to bombing during World War II. Initially the factory in Maranello was a base not only for Scuderia Ferrari but also for Auto Avio Costruzioni, the machine tool manufacturing business started by Enzo to tide the company over while Alfa Romeo's ban on Enzo Ferrari making cars bearing the Ferrari name was in force. The public museum Galleria Ferrari, which displays sports and racing cars and trophies, is also located here. The Ferrari 550 Maranello and Ferrari 575 Maranello are named after the town. Maranello Kart, an Italian kart chassis, is also named after the town.
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Mercedes GP
Coordinates: 52°01′19″N 1°08′42″W / 52.021964°N 1.144899°W / 52.021964; -1.144899
Mercedes-Benz is currently involved in Formula One, running the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team based in Brackley, United Kingdom, using a German licence. Mercedes-Benz had competed in the pre-war European Championship winning three titles, and debuted in Formula One in 1954, running a team for two years. Mercedes-Benz returned as an engine supplier in 1994, and two constructors and four drivers championships have been won with Mercedes-Benz engines. The current team has been competing since 2010 after the purchase of Brawn GP. Mercedes have won two drivers championships and ten races as a constructor in Formula One.
After winning their first race at the 1954 French Grand Prix, driver Juan Manuel Fangio won another three grands prix to win the 1954 drivers championship, and repeated this success in 1955 when he won Mercedes' second title. Despite winning two championships Mercedes-Benz withdrew from motor racing as a response to the 1955 Le Mans disaster, and did not return until rejoining as an engine supplier in association with Ilmor. The return of Mercedes-Benz as a constructor has been with limited success, having achieved only one win, in the 2012 season. Mercedes' current drivers are Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg, while Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains supply McLaren and Force India with engines.
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Monaco
Monacoi/ˈmɒnəkoʊ/, officially the Principality of Monaco (French: Principauté de Monaco; Monégasque: Principatu de Múnegu; Italian: Principato di Monaco; Occitan: Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city state, located on the French Riviera in Western Europe. Bordered by France on three sides, with one side bordering the Mediterranean Sea, its center is about 16 km (9.9 mi) from Italy, and is only 15 km (9.3 mi) north east of Nice, France. It has an area of 1.98 km2 (0.76 sq mi), and a population of 35,986, making Monaco the second smallest and the most densely populated country in the world. Monaco has a land border of only 4.4 km (2.7 mi), a coastline of 4.1 km (2.5 mi), and a width that varies between 1.7 km (1.1 mi) and 349 metres (382 yards). The highest point in the country is a narrow pathway named Chemin des Révoires on the slopes of Mont Agel, in the Les Révoires district, which is 161 metres (528 feet) above sea level. Monaco's most populated Quartier is Monte Carlo, and the most populated Ward is Larvotto/Bas Moulins. After a recent expansion of Port Hercules, Monaco's total area is 2.05 km2 (0.79 sq mi), with new plans to extend the district of Fontvieille, with land reclaimed from the Mediterranean Sea.
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Nürburgring
Coordinates: 50°20′08″N 6°56′51″E / 50.33556°N 6.9475°E / 50.33556; 6.9475
The Nürburgring is a motorsports complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about 70 km (43 mi) south of Cologne, and 120 km (75 mi) northwest of Frankfurt. The old track was nicknamed "The Green Hell" by Jackie Stewart and is widely considered one of the most demanding purpose-built racing circuits in the world.
Originally, the track featured four configurations: the 28.265 km (17.563 mi)-long Gesamtstrecke ("Whole Course"), which in turn consisted of the 22.810 km (14.173 mi) Nordschleife ("Northern Loop"), and the 7.747 km (4.814 mi) Südschleife ("Southern Loop"). There also was a 2.281 km (1.417 mi) warm-up loop called Zielschleife ("Finish Loop") or better known as Betonschleife, around the pit area.
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Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios /ˈpɪksɑr/ is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned twenty-six Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. It is best known for its CGI-animated feature films created with PhotoRealistic RenderMan, its own implementation of the industry-standard RenderMan image-rendering application programming interface used to generate high-quality images. Pixar began in 1979 as the Graphics Group, part of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm before it was acquired by Apple Computer co-founder Steve Jobs in 1986. The Walt Disney Company bought Pixar in 2006 at a valuation of $7.4 billion; the transaction made Jobs the largest shareholder in Disney.
Pixar has produced twelve feature films, beginning with Toy Story in 1995. It was followed by A Bug's Life in 1998, Toy Story 2 in 1999, Monsters, Inc. in 2001, Finding Nemo in 2003, The Incredibles in 2004, Cars in 2006, Ratatouille in 2007, WALL-E in 2008, Up in 2009, Toy Story 3 (to date, the highest-grossing animated film of all-time, grossing over $1 billion worldwide) in 2010, and Cars 2 in 2011. Eleven of the films have received critical and financial success, with the notable exception being Cars 2, which received substantially less praise than Pixar's previous films. As of February 2012, its films have made over $7 billion worldwide, with its $602 million average gross by far the highest of any studio in the industry. In addition, all of the films produced by Pixar are among the top 50 highest-grossing animated films of all time, with Finding Nemo (#27), Up (#44), and Toy Story 3 (#8) all in the top 50 highest-grossing films of all time.
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Renault F1
Coordinates: 51°55′12″N 1°23′25″W / 51.92°N 1.39028°W / 51.92; -1.39028
Renault has been associated with Formula One as both constructors and engine suppliers for various periods since 1977. It was in 1977 that the company entered Formula One as a constructor, introducing the turbo engine to Formula One in their first car, the Renault RS01. Although the Renault team won races and competed for world titles, it withdrew at the end of 1985. Renault continued its involvement as a supplier of engines to other teams, which it had started doing in 1983, until 1986, and again from 1989 to 1997.
Renault returned to Formula One in 2000 when they acquired the Enstone-based Benetton Formula team (formerly Toleman Motorsport), a team which had won the drivers' championship in 1994 and both the drivers' and constructors' championships in 1995. For the first two seasons under Renault the team continued to be called "Benetton Formula" and used "Benetton" as their constructor name. In 2002 Renault rebranded the team as the "Renault F1 Team" and started to use "Renault" as its constructor name. Under this Renault guise, the Enstone team won the drivers' and constructors' championships in 2005 and 2006.
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Republic of Ireland
Ireland (/ˈaɪərlənd/ or /ˈɑrlənd/; Irish: Éire, pronounced [ˈeːɾʲə] ( listen)) is a sovereign state in Europe occupying about five-sixths of the island of Ireland. Its capital is Dublin. The population of the state was 4.59 million in 2011. It is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy, with an elected president serving as head of state. In the 1937 constitution, the name of the state is given as simply "Ireland". The Constitution of Ireland (Article 4) and the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 provides that the "Republic of Ireland" (Irish: Poblacht na hÉireann) is "the description of the state".
Ireland is a member of the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organisation and the United Nations. A developed country with the seventh highest Human Development Index, Ireland is also highly ranked for press freedom, economic freedom and democracy and political freedom.
The modern Irish state was established in 1922 as the Irish Free State, a dominion within the British Empire, following the Anglo-Irish Treaty which brought an end to the Irish War of Independence. The partition of Ireland had already been provided for in previous British legislation in 1921 in response to opposition to Irish Home Rule or independence by Unionists, who formed a majority in the north-eastern part of the country. Six of the nine counties in the northern province of Ulster were established under that legislation as Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, with which the Irish state shares its only land border. The state is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, St George's Channel to the south east, and the Irish Sea to the east.
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Sarajevo
Sarajevo (Cyrillic: Сарајево) (pronounced [sǎrajɛʋɔ]) is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with an estimated population of over 311,161 people within its administrative limits. It is also the capital of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity, as well as the center of the Sarajevo Canton, which has a population of 438,757. Nestled within the greater Sarajevo valley of Bosnia, it is surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans.
Sarajevo is the leading social and cultural center of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and its region-wide influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, and the arts contribute to its status as Bosnia and Herzegovina's major economic center.
The city is historically famous for its traditional cultural and religious diversity, with adherents of Islam, Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Judaism coexisting there for centuries. Due to this long and rich history of religious and cultural variety, Sarajevo is often called the "Jerusalem of Europe" or "Jerusalem of the Balkans". It was, until recently in the 20th century, the only major European city to have a mosque, cathedral, Orthodox church and synagogue within the same neighborhood.
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Serbia
Serbiai/ˈsɜrbiə/, officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: Република Србија / Republika Srbija, pronounced [rɛpǔblika sř̩bija]), is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans. Serbia borders Hungary to the north; Romania and Bulgaria to the east; the Republic of Macedonia to the south; and Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro to the west; additionally, it borders Albania through Kosovo, whose status as part of Serbia is disputed. Serbia covers an area of 88,361 km2 and has a population of just over 7.1 million, while the capital and largest city is Belgrade.
The arrival of the Serbs to the Balkans in the 7th century, established several states, eventually forming the Serbian Empire in the 14th century. By the 16th century, Serbia was conquered and occupied by the Ottoman Empire, at times interrupted by the Habsburgs. In the early 19th century the Serbian revolution re-established the country as the region's first constitutional monarchy, which subsequently expanded its territory and pioneered the abolition of feudalism in the Balkans. The former Habsburg crownland of Vojvodina united with Serbia in 1918. Following World War I, Serbia formed Yugoslavia with other South Slavic peoples which existed in several forms up until 2006, when the National Assembly of Serbia declared independence and the legal succession to the former State Union. In February 2008 the parliament of UNMIK-governed Kosovo, Serbia's southern province, declared independence, with mixed responses from international governments.
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South Africa
Coordinates: 30°S 25°E / 30°S 25°E / -30; 25
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of Africa. It is divided into nine provinces and has 2,798 kilometres (1,739 mi) of coastline. To the north of the country lie the neighbouring territories of Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland; while Lesotho is an enclave surrounded by South African territory.
South Africa is multi-ethnic and has diverse cultures and languages. Eleven official languages are recognised in the constitution. Two of these languages are of European origin: South African English and Afrikaans, a language which originated mainly from Dutch that is spoken by the majority of white and Coloured South Africans. Though English is commonly used in public and commercial life, it is only the fifth most-spoken home language. All ethnic and language groups have political representation in the country's constitutional democracy comprising a parliamentary republic; unlike most parliamentary republics, the positions of head of state and head of government are merged in a parliament-dependent President.
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Spain
Spain (i/ˈspeɪn/ SPAYN; Spanish: España, pronounced: [esˈpaɲa] ( listen)), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a sovereign state and a member of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar; to the north and north east by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the northwest and west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal.
Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that border Morocco. Furthermore, the town of Llívia is a Spanish exclave situated inside French territory. With an area of 504,030 square kilometres (194,610 sq mi), it is the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union after France, and the fourth largest country in Europe after Russia, Ukraine and France.
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Switzerland
Switzerland (German: die Schweiz[ˈʃvaɪts]; French: Suisse [sɥis(ə)]; Italian: Svizzera [ˈzvit͡sːɛra]; Romansh: Svizra [ˈʒviːtsrɐ] or [ˈʒviːtsʁːɐ]), in its full name the Swiss Confederation (Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica, hence its abbreviation CH), is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in western Europe, where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.
Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km2 (15,940 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8 million people is concentrated mostly on the Plateau, where the largest cities are to be found. Among them are the two global cities and economic centres of Zurich and Geneva.
The Swiss Confederation has a long history of armed neutrality—it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815—and did not join the United Nations until 2002. It pursues, however, an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. Switzerland is also the birthplace of the Red Cross and home to a large number of international organizations, including the second largest UN office. On the European level, it is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association and is part of the Schengen Area – although it is notably not a member of the European Union, nor the European Economic Area.
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.
The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Associated with the UK, but not constitutionally part of it, are three Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom has fourteen overseas territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.
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United States
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
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West Germany
West Germany (German: Westdeutschland) is the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990.
During this period, West Germany and the communist East Germany were divided by the Inner German border. After 1961, West Berlin was physically separated from East Berlin as well as from East Germany by the Berlin Wall. This situation ended when East Germany was dissolved and its five states joined the ten states of the Federal Republic of Germany along with the reunified city-state of Berlin. The enlarged Federal Republic of Germany with sixteen states (known simply as "Germany") is thus the continuation of the pre-1990 Federal Republic of Germany.
The Federal Republic of Germany was established from eleven states formed in the three Allied Zones of occupation held by the United States, the United Kingdom and France (the "Western Zones"). The city of Bonn was its provisional capital city. The fourth Allied occupation zone (the East Zone, or Ostzone) was held by the Soviet Union. The parts of this zone lying east of the Oder-Neisse were in fact annexed by the Soviet Union and communist Poland; the remaining central part around Berlin became the communist German Democratic Republic (abbreviated GDR; in German Deutsche Demokratische Republik or DDR) with its de facto capital in East Berlin. As a result, West Germany had a territory about half the size of the interwar democratic Weimar Republic.
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Alain Prost
Alain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (born 24 February 1955 in Lorette, Loire) is a French racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion, Prost has won more titles than any driver except for Juan Manuel Fangio (five championships), and Michael Schumacher (seven championships). From 1987 until 2001 Prost held the record for most Grand Prix victories. Schumacher surpassed Prost's total of 51 victories at the 2001 Belgian Grand Prix. In 1999, Prost received the World Sports Awards of the Century in the motor sport category.
Prost discovered karting at the age of 14 during a family holiday. He progressed through motor sport's junior ranks, winning the French and European Formula Three championships, before joining the McLaren Formula One team in 1980 at the age of 25. He finished in the points on his Formula One début and took his first race victory at his home Grand Prix in France a year later, while he was driving for Renault's factory team.
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Alan Henry
Alan Henry is a Grand Prix reporter, working since the early 1970s. Until recently, he was the Formula One correspondent of the Guardian newspaper and currently holds the title of Editor at Large of F1 Racing magazine. Henry is also the chief editor of the yearly Autocourse Formula One season review books, a position he has held since 1988 and Grand Prix editor of "Autocar" magazine. The author of more than 50 motorsport-related books, he won the 1984 Pierre Dreyfus award from the Guild of Motoring Writers for his book "Ferrari: The Grand Prix Cars". Henry lives in rural Essex with his wife and family.
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Alberto Ascari
Alberto Ascari (13 July 1918 – 26 May 1955) was an Italian racing driver and twice Formula One World Champion. He is one of only two Italian Formula One World Champions in the history of the sport, and the only one to win his two championships in a Ferrari.
Born in Milan, Ascari was the son of Antonio Ascari, a talented Grand Prix motor racing star in the 1920s, racing Alfa Romeos. Antonio was killed while leading the French Grand Prix in 1925 but the younger Ascari had an interest in racing in spite of it. He raced motorcycles in his earlier years; it was after he entered the prestigious Mille Miglia in a Ferrari sports car that he eventually started racing on four wheels regularly.
Following the end of World War II Alberto Ascari began racing in Grands Prix with Maserati. His team-mate was Luigi Villoresi, who would become a mentor and friend to Ascari. Formula One regulations were introduced by the FIA in 1946, with the aim of eventually replacing the pre-war Grand Prix structure. During the next four transitional years, Ascari was at the top of his game, winning numerous events around Europe. He won his first Grand Prix race in Sanremo, Italy in 1948 and took second place in the British Grand Prix the same year. Ascari won another race with the team the following year. His biggest success came after he joined Villoresi on the Ferrari team; he won three more races that year with them. The first Formula One World Championship season took place in 1950, and the Ferrari team made its World Championship debut at Monte Carlo with Ascari, Villoresi, and the popular French driver Raymond Sommer on the team. Ascari finished 2nd in the race and later in the year shared a 2nd place at the first World Championship race at Monza. He was only 5th in the championship standings however. He won his first World Championship F1 race the following season on the Nürburgring circuit and added a win at Monza, finishing runner up in the championship to Juan Manuel Fangio.
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Aldo Costa
Aldo Costa (born 5 June 1961) is an Italian engineer and former Technical Director of the Ferrari Formula One team.
Costa was born in Parma. After school, he continued studying and graduated from the University of Bologna in mechanical engineering.
Costa started his F1 career as the chief designer for Minardi in 1988 and became the technical director in 1989 after Giacomo Caliri, ex-technical director of the team, left. Costa joined the Scuderia Ferrari in 1995 and in 1998 became assistant to the team's Chief Designer, Rory Byrne. When Byrne announced his intention to retire in 2004, Costa was named as his successor. Byrne credited the design of the 2005 Ferrari to Costa.
Before the 2006 season, Costa was promoted to be the Head of Design and Development at Ferrari, as the team announced Nicholas Tombazis as their new Chief Designer. On 12 November 2007 Ferrari announced that Costa would take on the role of technical director. In May 2011, Ferrari announced that Costa had relinquished his position as technical director to take on new responsibilities within the company. Pat Fry took over the role of Chief Designer at Scuderia Ferrari.
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Alexander Wurz
Alexander Wurz (born 15 February 1974 in Waidhofen an der Thaya, Lower Austria) is an Austrian racing driver. He competed in Formula One from 1997 until 2007, and is also a two-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours.
He was a test driver for the Brawn GP team for the 2009 Formula One season. Since then he is still active in Formula 1 as a consultant, expert for TV and media and has established himself as a road safety expert.
From 2008 - 2011 he competed for Peugeot Sport in various races of the International Le Mans Cup Series. In 2012 he will compete in the FIA - WEC (FIA World Endurance Championship) with the Toyota factory team.
He is the second son of former rallycross driver Franz Wurz, who won the European Rallycross Championship in 1974, 1976 and 1982.
Wurz first tasted competition in the BMX World Championship, which he won in 1986 at the age of 12. This gave him an underlying physical fitness suitable for motor racing. In 2000, Wurz returned somewhat to his cycling roots, starting an MTB team with countryman Markus Rainer. The team, Rainer-Wurz.com, is currently sponsored by sponsors McLaren, Siemens, and Cannondale amongst others. They are multiple World Cup winners.
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Alfred Neubauer
Alfred Neubauer (29 March 1891 in Neutitschein – 22 August 1980 in Stuttgart) was the racing manager of the Mercedes Grand Prix team from 1926 to 1955.
Neubauer's father, Karl Neubauer, was a furniture-maker in Neutitschein, which then was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Karl christened his only son Alfred, but the child quickly became known to family and friends as Friedl.
Neubauer was involved in the repair of motor vehicles while an officer in the Imperial Austrian army. After the First World War, he joined the Austrian car manufacturer Austro-Daimler, where Ferdinand Porsche appointed him chief tester. From 1922 onwards, Neubauer also drove in races, but without any great success. In 1923, when Ferdinand Porsche moved to the Daimler Works at Stuttgart (Daimler-Benz was not founded until 1926), he took Neubauer with him. In 1926, recognizing that he himself was not a great racing driver, Neubauer had an inspiration. He invented the position of racing team manager (Rennleiter).
Racing drivers in those days being isolated from the outside, they often did not know their position in a race. Occasionally a driver would be surprised to learn after a race that he had won. To overcome this situation, Alfred Neubauer devised a well thought-out system, with flags and boards, to give his drivers tactical information. When he tried out the system for the first time at the Solitude races on 12 September 1926, the chief steward demanded angrily that he leave the track, since his ‘antics’ were irritating the drivers. To Neubauer’s explanation that he was the Rennleiter, the organizer responded: ‘Are you mad? I’m the Rennleiter’.
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Andrea de Cesaris
Andrea de Cesaris (born May 31, 1959) is an Italian former race car driver. He started 208 races but never won; his is the longest career without a race victory. A string of accidents early in his career earned him the nickname 'Andrea de Crasheris',. Though the nickname stuck, he became a more reliable driver in his later career.
In 2005 and 2006 he competed in the Grand Prix Masters formula for retired F1 drivers.
De Cesaris was born in Rome on May 31, 1959. A multiple karting champion, he graduated to Formula 3 in Britain, winning numerous events before his tendency to make careless mistakes cost him dearly, and he finished 2nd in the championship to Chico Serra. A wheel banging incident with Nigel Mansell broke the Briton's neck, and did little to improve Andrea's wild reputation. From Formula 3, he graduated to Formula 2 with future McLaren boss Ron Dennis' Project 4 team.
In 1980, de Cesaris was then picked up by Alfa Romeo for the final events of the 1980 World Championship, replacing Vittorio Brambilla who had, in turn, replaced Patrick Depailler when he was killed testing at Hockenheim. At just 21 years old, his first race in Canada ended after eight laps because of engine failure. In his second race, at Watkins Glen in the United States, he went off at the Ninety corner on the first lap at the start and crashed into some catch fencing at the Junction corner on lap two.
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Aurelio Lampredi
Aurelio Lampredi (16 June 1917 - 1 June 1989) was an Italian automobile and aircraft engine designer.
Born in Livorno, he began his career at Piaggio, makers of the Vespa scooter, but quickly moved up to larger engines. He worked at Isotta-Fraschini before World War II, and then joined Reggiane to design aircraft engines.
Lampredi's fame brought him to Ferrari in 1946 where he designed a large 4.5 L V12 (the "Lampredi engine") which first saw use in 1950s 257S. Lampredi returned to Isotta-Fraschini in March 1947 but returned to Ferrari at the beginning of 1948. Lampredi's engines were used as large naturally aspirated alternatives to the diminutive Gioacchino Colombo-designed V12s used in most Ferrari cars until that time. Especially after the failure of Colombo's supercharged engine in Formula One, Lampredi's design began to find favor in the company. Lampredi oversaw Ferrari's racing effort during its early success in 1952 and 1953.
Lampredi's work at Ferrari ended permanently in 1955 when Ferrari bought Lancia's racing team and famed engine designer Vittorio Jano, formerly of Alfa Romeo. Though Lampredi's engine designs lived on in Ferrari road cars, Jano's V6 and V8 engines quickly replaced Lampredi's large V12s for racing use.
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Austria
Austria (i/ˈɒstriə/ or /ˈɔːstriə/; German: Österreich [ˈøːstɐˌʁaɪç] ( listen)), officially the Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich (help·info)), is a landlocked country of roughly 8.47 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers 83,855 square kilometres (32,377 sq mi) and has a temperate and alpine climate. Austria's terrain is highly mountainous due to the presence of the Alps; only 32% of the country is below 500 metres (1,640 ft), and its highest point is 3,798 metres (12,461 ft). The majority of the population speak local Austro-Bavarian dialects of German as their native language, and German in its standard form is the country's official language. Other local official languages are Burgenland Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene.
The origins of modern-day Austria date back to the time of the Habsburg dynasty when the vast majority of the country was a part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Austria became one of the great powers of Europe and, in response to the coronation of Napoleon I as the Emperor of the French, the Austrian Empire was officially proclaimed in 1804. In 1867, the Austrian Empire was reformed into Austria-Hungary.
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Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva (pronounced [aˈiɾtõ ˈsenɐ da ˈsiwvɐ] ( listen); 21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver. Senna was a three-time Formula One world champion and is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. He died in a crash at Tamburello corner while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix and is the most recent driver to die at the wheel of a Formula One car.
Senna began his motorsport career in karting, moving up to open-wheel racing in 1981, and winning the British Formula 3 championship in 1983. He made his Formula One debut with Toleman-Hart in 1984 before moving to Lotus-Renault the following year and winning six Grands Prix over the next three seasons. In 1988, he joined Frenchman Alain Prost at McLaren-Honda. Between them, they won all but one of the 16 Grands Prix that year and Senna his first World Championship. Prost claimed the championship in 1989, and Senna his second and third championships in 1990 and 1991. In 1992, the Williams-Renault combination began to dominate Formula One. Senna nonetheless managed to finish the 1993 season as runner-up, winning five races and negotiating a move to Williams in 1994.
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Bas Leinders
Bas Leinders (born 16 July 1975 in Bree) is a racing driver from Belgium. He was a Formula One test and reserve driver in 2004 for the Minardi F1 team, taking part in the Friday practice sessions during Grand Prix weekends, making 17 appearances in all. Leinders is currently active in the FIA GT1 World Championship with the Marc VDS Racing Team.
Leinders was one of the most successful Belgian racing drivers of the nineties and the beginning of the 21st century. He started his career in karting, winning his very first race. At the age of 14 he was already a European Champion beating Jarno Trulli, Ralph Firman and others. In 1992 Bas was an official works driver for the Italian Tony-Kart outfit.
Leinders started his automobile career with the Formula Ford. He was not only crowned Benelux Champion but he also obtained the pole position at the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at his first participation, later becoming European and British Formula Ford Champion. Not being able to gather enough money to make the step to Formula Three, Leinders decided on the European Formula Opel Championship (for Van Amersfoort Racing). With a record of 8 wins he secured the Championship several races before the end.
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Bastian Kolmsee
Bastian Kolmsee (born 11 March 1981 in Engelskirchen, Germany) is a German racing driver who won the 2004 German Formula 3 Championship.
he began karting in 1993 before moving up the domestic Formula Ford and Formula VW championships. He moved up to Formula 3 in 2004, winning the championship in his first season.
He has more recently been seen in the German Seat Leon Cupra Cup.
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Benetton family
Four members of the Italian Benetton Family (pronounced [benetˈton]) founded the Benetton Group S.p.A. fashion company in 1965. The three brothers and one sister were all born in Treviso, Veneto, Italy. Their father owned a bicycle shop. Through Edizione S.r.l., a financial holding company, they control a number of other businesses including 30% of Atlantia S.p.A., an operator of nearly two-thirds of Italy's motorways, 60% of Autogrill, a chain of roadside restaurants, and investments in the hotel industry including the Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal in Venice, Italy.
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Bertrand Gachot
Bertrand Gachot (born 23 December 1962) is a French former racing driver.
Gachot was born in Luxembourg, the son of a French European Commission official. He began karting at the age of 15. In 1983 he attended Winfield School, a well-known racing-driving school in France. After this, he focused on his racing career, competing first in the Formula Ford 1600 series. By 1986, he had won the British Formula Ford championship.
In 1987, Gachot joined the British Formula 3 series, finishing second in the championship for the West Surrey Racing team. In 1988, he switched to the Formula 3000 series, but met some success. In 1989, he entered the storied world of Formula One, driving for the newly-formed Onyx team. Although his performances were promising, after making statements in the press which raised the ire of his erratic team boss, Gachot lost his drive before the season's end. Instead, he switched in 1990 to the Subaru-powered Coloni team with little success.
In 1991, he joined the Jordan Grand Prix racing team, helping them to fifth in the constructor championship. However, his season was cut short by a two-month prison stint, received for spraying CS gas on a London taxicab driver after a traffic altercation (his race seat was filled temporarily by then-unknown Michael Schumacher, making his Formula One debut). When he was finally released from prison after two months, he had missed four Grands Prix (including his home Grand Prix in Belgium). The Jordan Grand Prix racing team was not interested in returning his seat (which was given to Alessandro Zanardi) for the last two races of the season, in Japan and Australia. Finally, he was able to compete in the last Grand Prix of that season with Larrousse, replacing Éric Bernard, but he failed to qualify. Gachot then spent the complete 1992 season with the Larrousse team, scoring 1 point in the Monaco Grand Prix where he finished in 6th place.
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Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III; August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation. Clinton has been described as a New Democrat. Many of his policies have been attributed to a centrist Third Way philosophy of governance.
Born and raised in Arkansas, Clinton became both a student leader and a skilled musician. He is an alumnus of Georgetown University where he was Phi Beta Kappa and earned a Rhodes Scholarship to attend the University of Oxford. He is married to Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has served as the United States Secretary of State since 2009 and was a Senator from New York from 2001 to 2009. Both Clintons received law degrees from Yale Law School, where they met and began dating. As Governor of Arkansas, Clinton overhauled the state's education system, and served as Chair of the National Governors Association.
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Bruno Senna
Bruno Senna Lalli (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈbrunu ˈsenɐ], born 15 October 1983 in São Paulo) is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver and the nephew of the late three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna. His mother is Ayrton's older sister, Viviane. His father, Flávio Lalli, died in a motorcycle crash in 1996. He wears a slightly modified version of his uncle's helmet. Senna made his Formula One début in 2010, driving for Hispania Racing. He moved to Renault in 2011, replacing Nick Heidfeld as a driver from August of that year, and since January 2012 he is signed to the Williams team.
As a child, Bruno raced go-karts against Ayrton on the family farm, and Ayrton regarded his nephew's potential very highly. When leaving McLaren at the end of 1993, Ayrton said: "If you think I'm fast, just wait until you see my nephew Bruno". Ayrton's death while driving a Williams at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, however, brought Bruno's own racing career to an abrupt halt.
At Imola in 2004, however, on the 10th anniversary of his uncle's death, Senna was given an example of his uncle's 1986 Lotus 98T as a gift from an Italian friend. Senna drove the car at the 2004 Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix meeting in São Paulo, at Interlagos, where Ayrton had won in 1991 and 1993.
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Carlo Chiti
Carlo Chiti (19 December 1924 – 7 July 1994) was an Italian racing car and engine designer. Chiti is best known for his long association with Alfa Romeo's racing department.
Born in Pistoia, he graduated with a degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Pisa in Italy in 1953. He joined Alfa Romeo in 1952 and designed the Alfa Romeo 3000 CM sports car, moving on to Ferrari when Alfa's competition department was closed down in the late 1950s.
At Ferrari he was involved with the design of the famous Ferrari 156 Sharknose cars, with which Phil Hill won the 1961 championship. Shortly afterwards Chiti was part of the breakaway ATS Formula One team formed by a number of disaffected ex-Ferrari personnel. The ATS project was not a success and did not last long.
Through a new project, Autodelta, Chiti re-entered competitive motor racing in 1963. He rekindled his association with Alfa Romeo, for whom he designed a V8 and then a flat-12 engine for their Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 sportscars. These were eventually successful, winning the world championship for makes in 1975. At this time Chiti became involved in Formula One again, through the Brabham team, who signed an agreement with Alfa Romeo to use Chiti's engines. There was some success - Niki Lauda won two races in a Brabham BT46 with the Alfa engine in the 1978 Formula One season. Brabham designer Gordon Murray persuaded Chiti to produce a V12 engine to allow ground effect to be exploited by the team. During the 1979 Formula One season, and after some persuasion by Chiti, Alfa Romeo gave Autodelta permission to start developing a Formula One car on their behalf. The partnership with Brabham finished before the end of the season.
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Carlo van Dam
Carlo van Dam (born February 27, 1986 in Vlaardingen) is a Dutch racing driver.
A veteran of karting, and a former member of the Renault Driver Development programme, van Dam stepped up into single-seaters in 2004, competing mainly in the Dutch Formula Renault series. In his debut season, he achieved three pole positions and three fastest laps, on his way to fifth in the championship. He also competed in four German Formula Renault races, amassing eighteen points in total. He continued in the Dutch series in 2005, and also moved up to the pan-European championship with SG Formula. With most of his focus on the European series, van Dam finished on the podium four times on his way to fourth in the championship. He ended up seventh in the Dutch series, despite only competing in six races. 2006 saw a second season of European Formula Renault for van Dam, and he added a campaign in the French series, again with SG Formula. Despite only winning one of the first twelve races, van Dam trailed Chris van der Drift by just two points in the Eurocup standings, going into the final round in Barcelona. However, both drivers were overtaken by Filipe Albuquerque as the Portuguese driver won both races to clinch the title. Van Dam was fourteenth overall in the French series, competing in just six of the races due to his Eurocup campaign.
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Cesare Fiorio
Cesare Fiorio (born May 5, 1939 in Turin, Italy) is a former Formula One sporting director for Ferrari, Ligier and Minardi, and former team manager of Lancia's factory World Rally Championship team. He is currently employed as a TV commentator. His son Alessandro "Alex" Fiorio became a professional rally driver.
Cesare Fiorio is the son of Sandro Fiorio, former chief of the public relations department of Lancia. He began racing with Fiat, winning the Italian GT championship in 1961. He also entered the Monte Carlo Rally, but the race ended with an accident; this was his only rally he competed in.
He obtained a degree in political science. Soon afterwards, in February 1963, he joined the Lancia management and established a racing team which he called HF Squadra Corse, which would become one of the most successful rally teams. Lancia was initially not keen on racing, and Fiorio wanted to change this attitude: he started preparing some Lancia Flavias, which entered many local rallies, obtaining some victories. In 1965, the team became a semi-works operation, and began hiring talented engineers to improve the Flavias; finally, in 1967, Ove Andersson won the Spanish Rally and Sandro Munari won the Tour de Corse.
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Charles Pic
Charles Pic (born 15 February 1990 in Montélimar, France) is a French-born professional racing driver, who currently competes in Formula One for Marussia F1 Team.
Pic had a successful career in karting, winning minor championships and individual races and coming close to winning the European Championship ICA Junior.
Pic raced in Formula Renault Campus in France in 2006, where he finished third. Pic raced in the Championnat de France Formula Renault 2.0 and the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 in 2007, and he finished fourth in the French series and third in the championship.
He was signed to drive for Formula Renault 3.5 Series team Tech 1 Racing in early 2008. He was partnered by Julien Jousse, and finished sixth in the championship with two wins at Circuit de Monaco — dominating the whole weekend, with pole position and fastest lap — and at Le Mans. He continued in the series in 2009 with Tech 1, starting in embarrassing fashion, when he spun off on the parade lap in Barcelona. He recovered from a slow start to the season, by winning two races at Silverstone and the Nürburgring, and finished third in the championship. In 2009 he was also a member of the Renault Driver Development.
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Chris Dyer
Chris Dyer (born in 1969)[citation needed] is the former race engineer of Michael Schumacher and Kimi Räikkönen at Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro and currently an engineer of the team. Born in Bendigo, Victoria,
Dyer worked with the top V8 Supercar outfit, the Tom Walkinshaw owned Holden Racing Team in the mid nineties alongside drivers such as Peter Brock and Craig Lowndes. In 1997, he switched to Walkinshaw's Formula One team Arrows, working as Damon Hill's chief data engineer. In 1998, he stepped up to race engineering, working with drivers such as Jos Verstappen.
For the 2001 season, Dyer moved to Scuderia Ferrari, working as Michael Schumacher's vehicle engineer, alongside Luca Baldisserri. By the end of 2002, Dyer engineered Schumacher at the tests, and after the championships had been won, at the last three races at Monza, Indianapolis and Suzuka. Dyer then race engineered Michael Schumacher to his 2003 and 2004 world titles, appearing with the German on the podium after his triumph at the 2003 Canadian Grand Prix. Dyer was quoted saying that 'One of Michael’s strengths is that, apart from driving quickly, he has an understanding of the car and how all the systems work'.
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Christijan Albers
Christijan Albers ( Christijan Albers (help·info)) (born 16 April 1979 in Eindhoven) is a Dutch racing driver. After success in the DTM he drove in Formula One from 2005 until the 2007 British Grand Prix, shortly after which he was dropped by his Spyker F1 team. In 2008, he returned to the DTM-series as a driver for the Audi Futurecom TME-team.
Christijan is the son of former rallycross ace and Porsche 911 Carrera campaigner André Albers, whose best overall result ever was to win the 1979 Dutch International Rallycross Championship (GT Division). They are not related to their compatriot Marcel Albers, who was killed in a British F3 accident at Thruxton in 1992.
Christijan is married to Liselore Kooijman. Their wedding took place on 11 November 2006 in Amsterdam. He resides in Monaco.
Albers began kart racing at a young age, winning the Dutch National championship in 1997. That same year, he was crowned Formula Ford 1800 champion in both Netherlands and Belgium. He also participated in the Renault Megane Marlboro Masters series. In 1998, he moved up to the German Formula Three series, winning the championship in 1999 behind 6 wins and ten poles.
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Damon Hill
Damon Graham Devereux Hill OBE (born 17 September 1960) is a retired British racing driver from England. In 1996 Hill won the Formula One World Championship. As the son of the late Graham Hill, he is the only son of a world champion to win the title. His father died in an aeroplane crash when Hill was 15.
Hill was born in Hampstead, London on 17 September 1960 to Graham and Bette Hill. Graham Hill was a racing driver in the international Formula One series. He won the world drivers' championship in 1962 and 1968 and became a well known personality in the United Kingdom. Graham Hill's career provided a comfortable living. By 1975 the family lived in a "25-room country mansion" in Hertfordshire and Damon attended the independent Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School. The death of his father in an aeroplane crash in 1975 left the 15-year-old Hill, his mother, and sisters Samantha and Brigitte in drastically reduced circumstances. Hill worked as a labourer and a motorcycle courier to support his further education.
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Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo (born 1 July 1989 in Perth, Western Australia) is an Australian racing driver who is currently competing in Formula 1 for Scuderia Toro Rosso. He won the British Formula Three Championship in 2009.
Ricciardo started karting at the age of nine and entered numerous karting events since. In 2005, he entered the Western Australian Formula Ford championship driving a 15-year-old Van Diemen, finishing eighth by season's end. Towards the end of the season Ricciardo took a leased 13-year-old Van Diemen across to Sandown Raceway in Melbourne to compete at the national Formula Ford series but his ageing car was uncompetitive as he finished sixteenth, seventeenth and retired during the weekend's three races. The following year, however, he won a scholarship into the Formula BMW Asian championship with Eurasia Motorsport. During his début season, Ricciardo took two victories (both at Bira) and also achieved a pole position at Zhuhai. He finished third in the Drivers' Championship with 231 points, 59 points behind the champion Earl Bamber.
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David Brabham
David Brabham (born 5 September 1965) is an Australian racing driver and one of the most successful and experienced specialists in sports car racing. He has won three international Sports Car series and is one of four Australians to have won the Le Mans 24 Hour sports car race, winning the event in 2009. Brabham is the reigning American Le Mans Series champion and also won the title in 2009. He also competed in Formula One, racing for the Brabham and Simtek teams in 1990 and 1994 respectively. David is the youngest son of three-time Formula One world champion Sir Jack Brabham.
Brabham, who was born in Wimbledon, London, spent his childhood in Australia. Despite his father's motor racing fame he took little interest in motor racing until after he left school. As a child he played the more accessible sport of soccer up until the age of twelve and then took up Australian rules football when the family moved to Sydney. Growing up, Sir Jack did not force David into racing, and it was only after discovering go-karts at 17, that he became enthusiastic enough to purchase a second-hand go-kart with his next-door neighbour and begin racing.
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David Coulthard
David Marshall Coulthard, MBE, (/ˈkoʊlθɑrt/; born 27 March 1971,, often known as DC, is a Scottish former Formula One racing driver .
Coulthard, who was born and raised in Twynholm, made his Formula One debut in 1994 and won 13 Grands Prix in a career spanning 15 seasons. Twice a winner in Monaco, Coulthard was team-mate to Mika Häkkinen in the Finn's two Drivers' Championship-winning seasons for McLaren Mercedes before helping establish the Red Bull team. His best Drivers' Championship finish was second in 2001.
After retiring from racing in Formula One, Coulthard continued to be involved with the Red Bull Racing team as a consultant, as well as joining the BBC as a Television commentator and pundit. He returned as an active driver in the DTM series for 2010, piloting a 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class for Mücke Motorsport. He has finished in 16th position in the drivers championship in both years of competing in the series.
Coulthard began karting as soon as he was permitted, at the age of 11. He raced karts for six years, moving south once he had started to win local championships. He regarded Rowrah, in Cumbria, as his home circuit. It was there that he won the Cumbria Kart Racing Club championship in 1985, a year after Allan McNish. McNish credited the start given to him, David Coulthard, and Dario Franchitti largely to David Leslie, senior and junior.
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Denny Hulme
Denis Clive "Denny" Hulme, OBE (18 June 1936 – 4 October 1992) was a New Zealand racing driver, and the 1967 Formula One World Champion for the Brabham team.
Hulme went on to race for McLaren in Formula One, the Canadian-1970 (driving the McLaren M8D "Batmobile"). He drove the McLaren M8F in 1971; teammate Peter Revson won the CanAm championship that year. Hulme and Revson drove the McLaren M20 in the 1972 CanAm races, but the M20 was overpowered by Roger Penske's Porsche American Challenge Cup series (for Group 7 sports cars), and at Indianapolis. He was CanAm champion in 1968 (driving the McLaren M8A) and 917]]s (driven by Mark Donohue and George Follmer). Hulme retired from Formula One at the end of the 1974 season but continued to race Australian Touring Cars. Hulme's death, caused by a heart attack whilst driving a BMW M3 during the Bathurst 1000, made him the first former Formula One champion to die of natural causes.
He was born and raised on a tobacco farm belonging to his parents in Motueka in the South Island of New Zealand. His father Clive Hulme was awarded a Victoria Cross while fighting in the Battle of Crete in 1941.
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Eddie Irvine
Edmund "Eddie" Irvine, Jr. (born 10 November 1965, Newtownards, County Down) is a former racing driver from Northern Ireland. He grew up in Conlig, County Down, and was influenced by his parents, who were also involved in motor racing. His father, Edmund Sr, and his sister, Sonia (now a physiotherapist), worked with him during his career.
His professional racing career began in 1983 and he progressed to Formula Three racing in 1988, before moving on to Formula 3000 in 1989. He got his break in the top of the Formula racing series after he started racing for Jordan in the Formula 3000 series in 1990, and was subsequently picked up by the Jordan Formula One team in 1993. His reputation steadily increased in Formula One, eventually leading Ferrari to sign him to partner Michael Schumacher in 1996.
1999 was his most successful season; Irvine won four races, taking the Drivers' Championship to the last race in which he finished third. In the overall Championship he finished as runner-up to McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen. He left Ferrari the following year for the new Jaguar Racing team and was the only driver to get Jaguar to the podium in their short F1 history; he achieved this feat twice.
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Eddie Jordan
Edmund "Eddie" Jordan, also known as "EJ" (born March 30, 1948) is an Irish former racing driver. He is the founder and owner of Jordan Grand Prix, a Formula One constructor which operated from 1991 to 2005. He is currently the lead analyst for F1 coverage on the BBC.
Born in Ireland in 1948, Jordan grew up in Bray, County Wicklow, and was educated at Synge Street Christian Brothers School in Central Dublin.
Intending to become a dentist, he ended up working for the Bank of Ireland as a clerk. During a strike in Dublin, he went on holiday to the island of Jersey, where he witnessed and took part in kart racing for the first time.
Upon his return to Dublin, Jordan bought a kart and began racing. His first race was at Bouley Bay, Jersey, in 1970; he entered the Irish Kart Championship in 1971 and won it.
In 1974 Jordan moved on to Formula Ford, where he competed for two years, but was forced to sit out the 1976 season when he broke both his legs in a crash. After his injuries had healed, he switched to Formula Atlantic, won three races in 1977, and won the Irish Formula Atlantic Championship in 1978. Jordan and Stefan Johansson raced in British Formula Three in 1979, under the name "Team Ireland". The same year, Jordan drove in one Formula Two race and did a small amount of testing for McLaren.
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Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɛmeɾsõw fitʃiˈpawdʒi]; born December 12, 1946 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian automobile racing driver who throughout a long and successful career won the Indianapolis 500 twice and championships in both Formula One and CART.
Emerson Fittipaldi is the youngest son of prominent Brazilian motorsports journalist and radio commentator Wilson Fittipaldi Sr and his wife Józefa "Juzy" Wojciechowska, a immigrant from Poland of Polish and Russian descent. He was named after American author and philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Both his parents had raced production cars shortly after the Second World War and Wilson Sr was also responsible for the first Mil Milhas race in 1956, in São Paulo, having been inspired by the 1949 Italian Mille Miglia. Emerson became a motorsports enthusiast at an early age.
Emerson Fittipaldi is the younger brother of former Formula One driver and team owner Wilson Fittipaldi. He is the uncle of former CART, Formula One and NASCAR driver Christian Fittipaldi. He was married to Maria Helena from 1970 to 1982. They had three children together, Juliana, Jayson and Tatiana. He was married again, to Teresa, in the mid-1980s. They have one daughter, Joana, and a son, Luca. Now, he has another son, Emerson Fanucchi Fittipaldi, born on March 6, 2007, with his new wife, Rossana Fanucchi Fittipaldi.
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Enzo Ferrari
Enzo Anselmo Ferrari (pronounced [ˈɛntso anˈsɛlmo ferˈrari]) (February 18, 1898 – August 14, 1988) Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian race car driver and entrepreneur, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari car manufacturer. He was often referred to as "il Commendatore".
Born in Modena, Italy, Ferrari grew up with little formal education but a strong desire to race cars. At the age of 10 and seeing 1908 Circuit di Bologna, he decided to become a driver of race car. During World War I he was assigned to the third Alpine Artillery division of the Italian Army. His father Alfredo, as well as his older brother, also named Alfredo, died in 1916 as a result of a widespread Italian flu outbreak. Ferrari became severely ill himself in the 1918 flu pandemic and was consequently discharged from Italian service. Upon returning home he found that the family firm had collapsed.
Having no other job prospects, Ferrari eventually settled for a job at a smaller car company called CMN (Costruzioni Meccaniche Nazionali), redesigning used truck bodies into small passenger cars. He took up racing in 1919 on the CMN team, but had little initial success.
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Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz (born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari.
On 25 September 2005, he won the Formula One World Driver's Championship title at the age of 24 years and 58 days, at the time making him the youngest Formula One World Drivers' Champion. After retaining the title the following year, Alonso also became the youngest double Champion at the time. Nicknamed El Nano, a typical pseudonym for Fernando in Asturias, his place of birth, Alonso acts as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF.
Fernando Alonso was born in Oviedo, Asturias in northern Spain. His mother worked in a department store and his father was employed as a mechanic in an explosives factory near Oviedo. Alonso has an older sister, Lorena. Alonso's father José Luis, an amateur kart racer, wanted to pass on his passion to his children. He built a kart, originally meant for eight-year-old Lorena, but unlike her three-year-old brother, she showed no interest in the sport.
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Frank Busemann
Frank Busemann (born February 26, 1975 in Recklinghausen) is a former German decathlete.
Busemann started his career as a 110 m hurdler and was junior world champion in this discipline in 1994. After his surprising decathlon silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics with his personal best of 8706 points he became one of Germany's most popular sportsmen. He also was elected German Sportsmen of the Year. At the World Championships of the following year Busemann became third.
After these successes Busemann confronted severe injuries from which he only recovered partly. He made a comeback at the 2000 Olympics where he finished on place seven. In 2003, at the age of just 28, he retired because of his deteriorating physical condition. His personal best of 8706 points ranks him fourth among German decathletes, behind Jürgen Hingsen, Uwe Freimuth and Siegfried Wentz. [1]
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Frank Jelinski
Frank Jelinski (born May 23, 1958) is a retired German racing driver.
After karting, Jelinski moved to the German Formula Three Championship in 1978 and European Formula Super Vee in 1979 finishing 4th. In 1980 he won the German F3 championship and finished 13th in the European championship. He repeated his German F3 championship in 1981. He moved to Formula Two in 1982 and finished 12th. In 1983 he made 4 F2 starts and began a transition to sports cars that would last the rest of his career. In 1984 he made 6 World Sportscar Championship starts and two DTM starts. He captured his first World Sportscar Championship win in 1986 driving for Brun Motorsport and moved to Joest Racing in 1987. He continued with Joest until the 1991 24 Hours of Daytona, which he won with teammates Hurley Haywood, "John Winter", Henri Pescarolo, and Bob Wollek. He moved to DTM full-time that year driving an AZR Audi to 10th in points. He retired from full-time racing in 1992, but returned for the 24 Hours of Le Mans every year until 1995, and has since occasionally come out of retirement for one-off appearances.
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François Fillon
François Charles Armand Fillon (French pronunciation: [fʁɑ̃swa fijɔ̃]; born 4 March 1954) is a French lawyer and politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 17 May 2007 to 15 May 2012. He was appointed by President Nicolas Sarkozy on 17 May 2007. As a member of the UMP, Fillon became Jean-Pierre Raffarin's Minister of Labour in 2002 and undertook controversial reforms of the 35-hour working week law and of the French retirement system. He became Minister of National Education in 2004 and proposed the much debated Fillon law on Education. In 2005, he was not included in the new government headed by Dominique de Villepin, but was elected Senator for the Sarthe Département. His role as a political advisor in Nicolas Sarkozy's successful race for President led to his becoming Prime Minister. Fillon resigned upon Sarkozy's defeat to François Hollande in the 2012 presidential elections.
Fillon was born in Le Mans, Sarthe. His father is a civil law notary, while his mother, Anne Fillon, is a celebrated historian and his youngest brother, Dominique, is a talented pianist.
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Frédéric Vervisch
Frédéric Vervisch (born 10 August 1986 in Kortrijk) is a Belgian racing driver who currently races for Luxembourg in the Superleague Formula.
A winner of numerous karting championships, Vervisch moved to auto racing in 2003 making a single start in the Formula Three French Cup and immediately won upon his debut. Following that initial success, he participated in the entire 2004 Formula Three French Cup championship and finished runner-up.
In 2005 Vervisch moved to the Formula Renault 3.5 series, participating with GD Racing in 4 rounds with a best result of 12th in Zolder in a race won by Robert Kubica. The season ended after round 4 in Le Mans when it became clear that his sponsor Kizz-Me was not fulfilling its financial obligations, a fraud that the same company committed again against a WRC driver and his team in 2006.
In 2006 the 19-year old Vervisch took a step back and competed full-time in Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup with SL Formula Racing, finishing 9th in points and scoring a season-best 5th place at the Anderstorp round.
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Gary Paffett
Gary Paffett (born 24 March 1981 in Bromley) is a British racing driver in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. He is also a test driver for the McLaren Formula One team. Paffett progressed through the ranks of karting and junior formulae in the United Kingdom, winning the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award in 1999. He now lives in Ousden, Suffolk, England.
In 1993, Paffett joined the British Cadet Championships and earned himself a respectable third place. A year later he moved to British Junior TKM Championship and finished second overall. In 1995, he won the British Junior TKM Championship and also second place in the Junior ICA European Championship. Successes continued into 1996, winning the McLaren Mercedes Karting Champion of the Future award and also second in the British Junior ICA Championship. The next year he moved into single-seaters, winning the Formula Vauxhall Junior Winter Series, picking up the best newcomer's award in that series in the process. In 1998, he was Formula Vauxhall Junior Class B Champion with thirteen fastest laps, thirteen poles and thirteen wins, dominating every race of the season. He also set a track record which had never before been set by any "B" class car. He got promoted to the Formula Vauxhall Junior and won the championship with two track records, four wins, five fastest laps, three pole positions. At the season's end he was awarded the prestigious McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year award.
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Geoff Willis
Geoffrey "Geoff" Willis (born December 23, 1959) is the Technology Director of Mercedes GP. He was also the Technical Director of Red Bull Racing team from 2007 to 2009 and Technical Director of Hispania Racing from 2010 to 2011.
In 1987 after a degree at Cambridge University in engineering, he was approached to join the design team of the Peter de Savary's British America's Cup challenge and he spent the next three years designing and developing hull and keel designs for the team in preparation for the competition in San Diego. Prior to working for Honda, Willis was employed as chief aerodynamicist by the Williams Formula One team and also worked as a consultant at the Leyton House team in the early 1990s. While at Leyton House, Willis met Adrian Newey and it was through this association that he joined Williams, after Newey was recruited by the British team. When Newey moved to rival McLaren in 1997, Willis was promoted, alongside Gavin Fisher, to take his role.
Willis joined the British American Racing outfit in 2001, which was later bought by Honda in 2005. His status within the team became unclear as of 22 June 2006, following the appointment of Shuhei Nakamoto as Senior Technical Director. Willis had been told to stop going to races in order to focus on aerodynamics, which appeared to conflict with the appointment of Mariano Alperin-Bruvera to head the aerodynamics group using Honda's new full-size wind tunnel. Willis eventually left the team later in the year. On July 17, 2007, Willis was hired by Red Bull Racing as the team's Technical Director, once again under Newey. He left Red Bull in July 2009 for unknown reasons.
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Gioacchino Colombo
Gioacchino Colombo (1903–1988) was an Italian automobile engine designer.
Colombo was born in Legnano. He began work as an apprentice to Vittorio Jano at Alfa Romeo. In 1937, Colombo designed the 158 engine for the Alfetta and caught the attention of Enzo Ferrari. Ferrari asked Colombo to design a small V12 for use in the new Ferrari marque's racing and road cars. The first Ferrari-Colombo engine appeared on May 11, 1947.
Colombo's great work for Ferrari was a tiny 1.5 L V12, first used in the 166 sports cars. This engine, known in Ferrari circles as the "Colombo engine", was produced for road cars and endurance racing cars for more than 15 years in displacements up to 3.3 L. These included the famed 3.0 L Ferrari 250 racing, sports, and GT cars.
Colombo's engine was not as successful in Formula One racing. After stunning early success in the 166, the engine was supercharged for use in Formula One but failed to perform well. Ferrari hedged his bets, as he often did, by bringing on competing designer Aurelio Lampredi to create a large naturally aspirated V12, which replaced Colombo's. Later, Colombo's former mentor, Vittorio Jano, came to Ferrari and displaced the work of both men.
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Giorgio Francia
Giorgio Francia (born November 8, 1947 in Bologna) is a former racing driver from Italy. He was the German Formula Three champion in 1974.
Francia unsuccessfully entered two Formula One Grands Prix. The first was in a works Brabham BT45B, in Martini Racing colours, at the 1977 Italian Grand Prix. He was withdrawn during practice. His second attempt was with Osella at the 1981 Spanish Grand Prix, where he was the slowest in practice and failed to qualify.
He raced in many categories and competed in sports car racing and touring cars until the late 1990s, driving a works Osella sports prototype in endurance racing in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and also taking part in the factory Alfa Romeo team in the CIVT (Italian Superturismo) and the DTM.
(key)
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Giuseppe Farina
Emilio Giuseppe "Nino" Farina (30 October 1906, Turin, Piedmont - 30 June 1966) was an Italian racing driver. He stands out in the history of Grand Prix motor racing for his much copied 'straight-arm' driving style and his status as the first ever Formula One World Champion.
Born in Turin, Italy and nicknamed "Nino", Farina was a doctor of engineering and nephew of Pinin Farina of the coach building company. He began his motor racing career in hillclimbs, graduating to circuit racing with Maserati. But it was not until he moved to Alfa Romeo, as number two driver to Tazio Nuvolari, that his racing career really blossomed. During the late 1930s he won numerous minor races in the Voiturette class, securing himself the Italian Drivers' Champion three years in a row (1937–1939). He then went on to take his first major race win, at the 1940 Tripoli Grand Prix in Libya. Sadly for Farina, he was just reaching his peak as a driver at the outbreak of World War II, and it would be another eight years before he would win a major race.
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Graham Hill
Norman Graham Hill (15 February 1929 – 29 November 1975) was a British racing driver and team owner from England, who was twice Formula One World Champion. He is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport — the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.
Graham Hill and his son Damon are the only father and son pair both to have won the Formula One World Championship. Graham's grandson Josh, Damon's son, is also a racing driver.
Graham Hill died when the aeroplane he was piloting crashed in foggy conditions near Arkley golf course in North London. Hill and five members of his racing team were returning from car testing at Circuit Paul Ricard in France and due to land at Elstree Airfield. All six were killed.
Hill, who was born in Hampstead, London, served in the Royal Navy as an Engine Room Artificer. After leaving the Navy he re-joined Smiths Instruments. Hill did not pass his driving test until he was 24 years old, and he himself described his first car as "A wreck. A budding racing driver should own such a car, as it teaches delicacy, poise and anticipation, mostly the latter I think!"[citation needed] He had been interested in motorcycles but in 1954 he saw an advertisement for the Universal Motor Racing Club at Brands Hatch offering laps for 5 shillings. He made his debut in a Cooper 500 Formula 3 car and was committed to racing thereafter. Hill joined Team Lotus as a mechanic soon after but quickly talked his way into the cockpit. The Lotus presence in Formula One allowed him to make his debut at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix, retiring with a halfshaft failure.
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Gustav Brunner
Gustav Brunner (born 12 September 1950 in Graz, Austria) is an Austrian Formula One designer and engineer. He got his start in racing car design at the German-based constructor McNamara. He first entered F1 in a brief spell working for the ATS team in 1978, before designing cars for Formula Two and sportscar racing. He came to prominence in Formula One in 1983, by returning to ATS. He would design two chassis for the team, the 1983 D6 and the 1984 D7, before quitting after a number of arguments with team principal Hans Gunther Schmidt. 1985 would see him joining RAM Racing, designing the RAM 03 car. By now he was gaining a reputation within the sport for designing good chassis on a limited budget, even if the teams he had worked for had a conspicuous lack of results.
He then worked for Arrows and Ferrari, before reuniting with ATS boss Schmidt as designer for his new Rial F1 outfit in 1988. He fell out with Schmidt again and became Technical Director of the Zakspeed team. When the team folded at the end of the 1989 season, he moved on to Leyton House, staying as they reverted to March Engineering - during this period, he is perhaps best remembered for vaulting the pitlane wall and running on to the track when Ivan Capelli finished 2nd in the 1990 French Grand Prix. With March Engineering folding, he moved to Minardi for 1993, designing their successful M193 chassis, before another switch, to Ferrari's Research & Development department, eventually returning to Minardi as chief designer in 1997 to help new technical director, Gabriele Tredozi, and became the technical director in 1999.
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Hans Herrmann
Hans Herrmann (born February 23, 1928) is a former Formula One and Sports car racing driver from Stuttgart, Germany.
In F1, he participated in 19 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on August 2, 1953. He achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 10 championship points.
In Sports car racing, he also scored the first overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Porsche in 1970, on a Porsche 917.
The racing career of Herrmann, who is a baker by trade, spans from cooperation with pre-war legends like Alfred Neubauer to the beginning of the dominance of Porsche at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He took part in now legendary road races like Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and Carrera Panamericana and is one of the few remaining witnesses of this era. Hans im Glück (lucky John) escaped from several spectacular incidents or accidents.
Herrmann had a remarkable Mille Miglia race in 1954, when the gates of a railroad crossing were lowered in the last moment before the fast train to Rome passed. Driving a very low Porsche 550 Spyder, Herrmann decided it was too late for a brake attempt anyway, knocked on the back of the helmet of his navigator Herbert Linge to make him duck, and they barely passed below the gates and before the train, to the surprise of the spectators.
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Harvey Postlethwaite
Harvey Postlethwaite (4 March 1944 – 15 April 1999) was a British engineer and Technical Director of several Formula One teams during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He died of a heart attack in Spain while supervising the testing of the abortive Honda F1 project. He was married to Cherry and had two children, Ben and Amey.
After leaving the Royal Masonic School for Boys, Harvey Postlethwaite attended Birmingham University, England to study Mechanical Engineering and graduated, with a doctorate, during the 1960s. He was a keen follower of motor sport, competing in a Mallock at club level for a while. After graduation Postlethwaite joined ICI as a research scientist, but bored by this he soon began to pursue a career as a race car engineer, joining March in 1970, then aged just 26. Postlethwaite worked on the fledgling company's Formula 2 and Formula 3 cars but was lured away to join the Hesketh Formula One team who were a March customer. The Hesketh team was well known for an unconventional approach to Formula One—Postlethwaite was himself considered 'eccentric':
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Heikki Kovalainen
Heikki Johannes Kovalainen (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈheikki ˈkoʋɑlɑinen], born 19 October 1981 in Suomussalmi, Finland) is a Finnish Formula One racing driver who races for Caterham F1. He drove for McLaren in 2008 and 2009 and Team Lotus in 2010 and 2011, before its rebranding to Caterham.
He was supported by the Renault Driver Development programme early in his racing career, during which he won the World Series by Nissan championship and finished runner-up in the GP2 series. Renault signed him on as a full-time Formula One test driver for 2006, and then promoted him to a race seat for 2007. He gained his first podium by finishing second in the Japanese Grand Prix.
He moved to McLaren for the 2008 season, where he partnered Lewis Hamilton. His second season saw him achieve his first pole position at Silverstone and his first victory at Hungaroring, becoming the 100th driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix. He remained with the team for the 2009 season. In 2010, he moved to Team Lotus where he remained for 2011.
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Hermann Lang
Hermann Lang (April 6, 1909 – October 19, 1987) was a German champion race car driver.
Born in the Cannstatt district of Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, at age fourteen Hermann Lang had to go to work to help support his family following the death of his father. Young Lang found a job as a motorcycle mechanic, eventually buying his own used bike with which he began amateur racing. He won the very first race he entered and before long decided to compete in the sidecar class. At age twenty-two, he won the German sidecar mountain race championship.
Lang's big break came when he landed a job at the Mercedes factory where he became part of their Grand Prix motor racing team. He was made head mechanic for the Mercedes-Benz W25A model to be driven by the Italian star Luigi Fagioli who had left Alfa Romeo to create a powerhouse Mercedes factory team that also included Rudolf Caracciola. Following a very successful season in which Fagioli won both the Italian and Spanish Grand Prix, Hermann Lang was given a chance to drive for the Mercedes team. He proved to be most capable on high-speed racetracks, capturing his first win in the 1937 Tripoli Grand Prix at the Mellaha Lake course in Libya which was then the fastest racetrack in the world. Lang dominated the event, winning it for three straight years. That year he won his second major race at the AVUS extravaganza.
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Hirohide Hamashima
Hirohide Hamashima (浜島 裕英, Hirohide Hamashima?, born 1952 in Tokyo), also known as Hammy, is the director of the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team Tyre Development. He served for Bridgestone as the director of its Motorsport Tyre Development until 2011.
After graduating from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology for master's course in macromolecule, Hamashima joined a Japanese tire company, Bridgestone, in 1977.
He is consistently working on the development of the tyres for motor sports since 1981. He worked in many racing categories, such as Formula Two, DTM, the Indianapolis 500, Formula One and MotoGP. When the company started to supply tire to Formula One in 1997, Hamashima took leading role to develop racing tire.
During the Formula One era, he often appeared on the Fuji TV's F1 program even in Grands Prix week-ends and commented as a tyre engineer, about the compatibility of the circuit and the tyre etc. Thus, he became well known among Formula One fans in Japan.
On 11 January 2012, Scuderia Ferrari announced that Hamashima moved to the team and took role in its technical department to improve the interaction of the Ferrari car and its tyres.
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Ho-Pin Tung
Ho-Pin Tung (Chinese: 董荷斌; pinyin: Dǒng Hébīn; born December 4, 1982 in Velp, Gelderland, Netherlands) is a Chinese-Dutch auto-racing driver who races with a Chinese license.
Tung started kart racing in the Netherlands in 1997 before graduating to single-seaters. He won the 2003 Formula BMW Asia series and was rewarded with a test drive with the Williams F1 team.
In 2004 he joined the ATS Formel 3 Cup. Although he scored race wins and podium finishes, he finished 7th in his rookie year.
Tung stayed in the ATS F3 Cup in 2005, finishing the series in third place, before taking the title in 2006, winning 9 races, 4 pole positions and 5 fastest laps.
At the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix he was announced as a BMW Sauber test driver for the rest of the year.
On 4 April 2007, BCN Competición announced that it had signed Tung as its second driver alongside Japanese driver Sakon Yamamoto for the 2007 GP2 series. [1]
Tung drove for Trident Racing team in the 2008 GP2 Asia Series and GP2 Series, scoring his first podium finish in the latter.
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Jack Brabham
Sir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham, AO, OBE (born 2 April 1926) is an Australian former racing driver who was Formula One champion in 1959, 1960 and 1966. He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name.
Brabham was a Royal Australian Air Force flight mechanic and ran a small engineering workshop before he started racing midget cars in 1948. His successes in midgets and Australian and New Zealand road racing events led to him going to the United Kingdom to further his racing career. There he became part of the Cooper Car Company's racing team, building as well as racing cars. He contributed to the design of the mid-engined cars that Cooper introduced to Formula One and the Indianapolis 500, and won the Formula One world championship in 1959 and 1960. In 1962 he established his own Brabham marque with fellow Australian Ron Tauranac, which became the largest manufacturer of customer racing cars in the world in the 1960s. In 1966 Brabham became the first - and still the only - man to win the Formula One world championship driving one of his own cars.
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Jackie Stewart
Sir John Young 'Jackie' Stewart, OBE (born 11 June 1939) is a Scottish former racing driver. Nicknamed the 'Flying Scot', he competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships. He also competed in Can-Am. He is well known in the United States as a color commentator (pundit) of racing television broadcasts, and as a spokesman for Ford, where his Scottish accent has made him a distinctive presence. Between 1997 and 1999, in partnership with his son, Paul, he was team principal of the Stewart Grand Prix Formula One racing team. In 2009 he was ranked fifth of the fifty greatest Formula One drivers of all time by journalist Kevin Eason who wrote: "He has not only emerged as a great driver, but one of the greatest figures of motor racing."
Stewart's family were Austin, later Jaguar, car dealers and had built up a successful business, Dumbuck Garage, in Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland where Stewart was born and was educated at Dumbarton Academy. His father had been an amateurmotorcycle racer, and his brother Jimmy was a racing driver with a growing local reputation who drove for Ecurie Ecosse and competed in the 1953 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, until he went off at Copse Corner in the wet.
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Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve, OQ (French pronunciation: [ʒɑk vilnœv]) (born April 9, 1971), is a Canadian musician and retired automobile racing driver. He is the son of Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, and is the namesake of his uncle (also a racer). Jacques Villeneuve won the 1995 CART Championship, the 1995 Indianapolis 500 and the 1997 Formula One World Championship, making him only the third driver after Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi to achieve such a feat. To date, no other Canadian has won the Indianapolis 500 or the F1 Drivers' title.
Following two successful years in CART, Villeneuve moved into Formula One with the front running Williams team, alongside Damon Hill. In his debut season, Villeneuve challenged Hill for the title, winning four races and taking the fight to the final round in Japan, where the Canadian retired and Hill won the title. Villeneuve, however, did win the following year's title, this time challenging Michael Schumacher and once again taking it to the final round in Jerez. In the race, the two collided, resulting in Schumacher's retirement and subsequent disqualification from the 1997 World Championship, with Villeneuve going on to take third place in the race, and the overall title.
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Jaime Alguersuari
Jaime Víctor Alguersuari Escudero (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxaime alɣerˈswaɾi]; also known as Jaume Alguersuari, born 23 March 1990 in Barcelona, Spain), is a Spanish racing driver best known for competing in Formula One between 2009 and 2011, and for being the 2008 British Formula Three champion.
Alguersuari became the youngest Formula One driver to start a Grand Prix in history at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix – at the age of 19 years, 125 days – and in the process, became the first driver to be born in the 1990s to compete in Formula One. After losing his drive with the Toro Rosso team in late 2011, Alguersuari joined British radio station BBC Radio 5 Live to be their expert summariser for the 2012 Formula One season, alongside lead commentator James Allen.
Alguersuari began his formula racing career, in the Italian Formula 1600 Junior Series, in 2005. In 2006, he won the Italian Formula Renault Winter Series, before finishing as runner-up to Mika Mäki in the main championship the following year.
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James Hunt
James Simon Wallis Hunt (29 August 1947 – 15 June 1993) was a British racing driver from England who won the Formula One World Championship in 1976. Hunt's often action packed exploits on track earned him the nickname "Hunt the Shunt." After retiring from driving, Hunt became a media commentator and businessman. Never one to take himself too seriously, Hunt endeared himself to the British public with his charisma and charm and in the process brought a whole new fanbase to the sport of Formula One.
Beginning his racing career in touring car racing, Hunt progressed into Formula Three where he attracted the attention of the Hesketh Racing team and was soon taken under their wing. Hunt entered Formula One in 1973, driving a March 731 entered by the Hesketh Racing team. He went on to win for Hesketh, driving their own Hesketh 308 car, in both World Championship and non-Championship races, before joining the McLaren team at the end of 1975. In his first year with McLaren, Hunt won the World Drivers' Championship, and he remained with the team for a further two years, although with less success, before moving to the Wolf team in early 1979. However, following a string of races in which he failed to finish, Hunt retired from driving half way through the 1979 season.
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Jan Ullrich
Jan Ullrich (born 2 December 1973 in Rostock, Germany) is a German former professional road bicycle racer. In 1997, he was the first German to win the Tour de France. He went on to take five second places and a fourth in 2004 as well as 3rd in 2005 (the latter result being declared void in 2012 following his doping ban). He is considered the best time-trialist in the history of the sport. In 2006, Ullrich was barred from the Tour amid speculation of having doped. He retired in late February 2007.
Ullrich won a gold and a silver in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He also won the 1999 Vuelta a España. Although not a one-day specialist, he won the HEW Cyclassics in front of a home crowd in Hamburg in 1997, and had podium finishes in the hilly classic Clásica de San Sebastián. His victorious ride in the 1997 Tour de France led to a bicycle boom in Germany.
In February 2012, Ullrich was found guilty of a doping offence by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He was retroactively banned from August 22, 2011, and all results gained since May 2005 were also removed from his Palmares.
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Jean Alesi
Jean Alesi (born Giovanni Alesi; June 11, 1964) is a French racing driver of Italian origin. His Formula One career included spells at Tyrrell, Benetton, Sauber, Prost, Jordan and most notably Ferrari where he proved very popular among the tifosi. In 2006 Alesi was awarded Chevalier de la Legion d’honneur.
Alesi was born to Sicilian parents in Avignon, Vaucluse. Starting his career with a passion for rallying rather than racing, he graduated to single seaters through the French Renault 5 championship. In the late 1980s he was very much a coming man in motor racing, winning the 1987 French Formula 3 title before moving up to International Formula 3000 in 1988. In 1989, his second season in International F3000, he won the championship. Both crowns were after duels with his rival Érik Comas. In 1989 Alesi tied on points for the F3000 title with Comas but won the titled based on the fact Alesi had three wins to Comas' two.
Alesi debuted in the 1989 French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard in a Tyrrell-Cosworth, replacing Michele Alboreto, finishing fourth. He drove most of the rest of the season for Tyrrell while continuing his successful Formula 3000 campaign, (occasionally giving the car up in favour of Johnny Herbert when Formula 3000 clashed), scoring points again at the Italian and Spanish Grands Prix.
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Jean Todt
Jean Todt (born February 25, 1946) is a French driver. After a successful career as a rally co-driver he made his reputation in motor sport management, first with Peugeot Talbot Sport, then with Scuderia Ferrari, before being appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ferrari from 2004 to 2008. Since 23 October 2009 he has been President of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).
Under his direction, Peugeot won 4 World Rally Championship titles (drivers and manufacturers), triumphed 4 times in the Paris-Dakar Rally, and were twice victorious in the Le Mans 24 Hours. During his time at Ferrari, the Scuderia won a total 13 Formula One World Championship titles (drivers and manufacturers).
Todt was born in Pierrefort, a southern Cantal village in the Auvergne region of France, the son of a country doctor. His father was a Polish Jew.
Todt was always hugely enthusiastic about cars and motor racing. Even while he was graduating from the École des Dirigeants et Créateurs d'Entreprise (EDC) business school in Paris, he would devote his spare time to tuning cars with a group of friends at the Madeleine garage in Asnières near Paris.
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Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May. He also writes weekly columns for The Sunday Times and The Sun.
From a career as a local journalist in Northern England, Clarkson rose to public prominence as a presenter of the original format of Top Gear in 1988. Since the mid-1990s, Clarkson has become a recognised public personality, regularly appearing on British television presenting his own shows and appearing as a guest on other shows. As well as motoring, Clarkson has produced programmes and books on subjects such as history and engineering. From 1998 to 2000 he also hosted his own chat show, Clarkson.
His opinionated but humorous tongue-in-cheek writing and presenting style has often generated much public reaction to his viewpoints. His actions both privately and as a Top Gear presenter have also sometimes resulted in criticism from the media, politicians, pressure groups and the public.
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Joachim Winkelhock
Joachim Winkelhock (born 24 October 1960), is a German motor racing driver.
The younger brother of the late Manfred Winkelhock, Winkelhock was born in Waiblingen, near Stuttgart. The youngest brother, Thomas Winkelhock, and Manfred's son Markus Winkelhock are also racing drivers.
After the death of his brother interrupted his career in 1985, he resumed later on, winning the 1988 German Formula Three Championship as well as that year's European Cup, at the unusually late age of 28. The next year was less successful, as he tried Formula One with the small AGS team. Failing to pre-qualify on 7 occasions, Winkelhock then linked up with BMW Motorsport in touring car racing and the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft.
He won the 24 Hours Nürburgring in 1990 and 1991 with a BMW M3 entered by Schnitzer Motorsport.
His first title was the 1993 British Touring Car Championship. There, he was also commonly known as Smokin' Jo, for his cigarette smoking habit.
Winkelhock's next win was the 1994 Asia Pacific Touring Car Championship, and in 1995 he won the German Supertouring Championship (STW). He also triumphed in the 1995 Spa 24 Hours, and the 1994 and 1998 Macau Grand Prix's Guia touring car races. His last success for BMW came at the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans, which he won driving the BMW V12 LMR prototype run by Schnitzer Motorsport.
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Jochen Rindt
Karl Jochen Rindt (April 18, 1942 Mainz, Germany - September 5, 1970 Monza, Italy) was a German racing driver who represented Austria during his career. He is the only driver to posthumously win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship (in 1970), after being killed in practice for the Italian Grand Prix. Away from Formula One, Rindt was highly successful in other single-seater formulae, as well as sports car racing. In 1965 he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, driving a Ferrari 250LM in partnership with Masten Gregory from the United States of America. He was a close friend to Jackie Stewart, and was a neighbour to the Scotsman in Switzerland.
Jochen Rindt was born in Mainz, Germany, but after his parents were killed in a bombing raid in Hamburg during the Second World War, he was raised by his grandparents in Graz, Austria, where he grew up and started motor racing. Although Rindt never became an Austrian citizen, he did drive his entire career under an Austrian racing licence.
Despite being very successful in Formula 2 (by winning for instance the 1964 London Trophy), Rindt kept on choosing the wrong F1 cars. Rindt made his Formula One debut for the Rob Walker Racing Team in the 1964 Austrian Grand Prix. It was to be his only Grand Prix of the year. From 1965 to 1967, Rindt raced for the Cooper Car Company, scoring 32 points in 29 races. In 1968, Rindt raced for Brabham, but his season wasn't what he had hoped for because of technical problems. He also raced in the Indianapolis 500 in both 1967 and 1968, but finished no better than 24th.
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Jock Clear
Jock Clear, born 1963 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, is a senior race engineer working for Nico Rosberg. Previously he has been race engineer for Rubens Barrichello from (2006 to 2009) and Takuma Sato (from 2003 to 2005).
Clear attended The Portsmouth Grammar School and graduated in 1987 with a degree in mechanical engineering from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.
His career in motorsport began at Lola Cars, where he worked as a design engineer before moving to the position of head of composite design at Benetton Formula in 1989. In 1992 he worked as senior designer at Leyton House Racing, then joined Team Lotus where he became Johnny Herbert's race engineer in 1994. When Lotus collapsed at the end of the year, he transferred to Williams F1 and engineered David Coulthard, who won his first Grand Prix in Portugal and finished third in the drivers' championship.
Jacques Villeneuve joined Williams in 1996 and Clear was his race engineer; the Canadian won the world championship the following year under Clear's guidance. When Villeneuve moved to British American Racing for the 1999 season, his engineer followed suit. The relationship continued until the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix, when Villeneuve walked out on the eve of the race. Takuma Sato took up the vacant seat and drove to sixth position on his racing debut with the team. Clear worked with Sato again in 2004-2005 and then with Rubens Barrichello from 2006-2009. After the team became Brawn GP in 2009, Barrichello won the European and Italian Grands Prix and finished in third place in the World Championship.
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Jody Scheckter
Jody David Scheckter (born 29 January 1950) is a South African former auto racing driver, the 1979 Formula One World Drivers' Champion.
Scheckter was born in East London, South Africa and educated at Selborne College.
He rapidly ascended to the ranks of Formula One after moving to Britain in 1970. His Formula 1 debut occurred at Watkins Glen in 1972 with McLaren where he ran as high as third place before spinning and finishing ninth. Immediately becoming a name to watch, he continued his development the following year, winning the SCCA Formula 5000 championship and racing five times in F1. In France, he almost won in his third start in F1 before crashing into Emerson Fittipaldi, the reigning World Champion, who said after the crash about Scheckter: "This madman is a menace to himself and everybody else and does not belong in Formula 1." In his next start, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Scheckter was involved in a big accident which took nearly a dozen cars out of the race. The Grand Prix Drivers Association demanded his immediate banishment, which was only put off when McLaren agreed to rest their driver for four races. Scheckter's McLaren M23 bore the number zero during the Canadian and American Grands Prix of 1973. Scheckter is one of only two F1 drivers to compete under this number, the other being Damon Hill.
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Joe Saward
Joe Saward (born 14 July 1961 in London) is a British Formula One journalist. He was educated at Haileybury College and attained a degree in history at Bedford College, University of London. In 1984 he joined Autosport magazine in London. He began reporting on Formula One in 1988, working alongside Nigel Roebuck and remained as Grand Prix Editor of Autosport until 1993. He later wrote for the F1 News magazine, and went on to create the Business of Motorsport newsletter and grandprix.com, a Formula One website. This was followed by a blog and the launch of GrandPrix+, an e-magazine developed in partnership with David Tremayne. Saward also hosts Audiences for Formula 1 fans who can ask questions about the sport. He also features in An Aside With Joe podcasts at Sidepodcast. He has the distinction of attending all the F1 Races for the past 23 years. He is accredited as an FIA Formula 1 Permanent Passholder.
Saward has also authored a number of books, including The World Atlas of Motor Racing. In 2007 Saward published The Grand Prix Saboteurs, detailing the story of racing drivers who went on to establish a sabotage network in France during World War II. As a result of this book, the Guild of Motoring Writers named Saward the Renault UK Author of the Year. He has also published a biography of his great-grandfather, Henry George Kendall, called The Man who Caught Crippen.
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John Barnard
John Barnard (b. 4 May 1946, Wembley, London) is a race car designer and is currently working alongside Terence Woodgate designing high specification carbon fibre furniture.
Widely regarded as one of the great technical innovators in Formula One, Barnard is credited with the introduction of many new designs, including the semi-automatic gearbox and the first carbon fibre composite chassis.
Barnard gained a diploma from Watford College of Technology in the 1960s and unlike many of his contemporaries he did not follow a lengthy academic career, instead choosing to join GEC.
In 1968 Barnard was recruited by Lola in Huntingdon as a junior designer and began working on many of the chassis manufacturer's projects, including Formula Vee racers and numerous sports cars. While at Lola, Barnard was introduced to Patrick Head, who would later go on to help found the Williams Formula One team. The two engineers became good friends and Head was best man at Barnard's wedding in the early 1970s.
In 1972 Barnard joined the McLaren Formula One team and remained for three years working alongside Gordon Coppuck on the design of the Championship-winning M23 chassis and other McLaren projects, including the team's Indycar.
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John Surtees
John Surtees, OBE (born 11 February 1934, Tatsfield, Surrey) is a British former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver from England. He was 500cc motorcycle World Champion in 1956 and 1958–60, Formula One World Champion in 1964, and remains the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels. He is also the ambassador of the Racing Steps Foundation.
Surtees is the son of a south London motorcycle dealer. He had his first professional outing in the sidecar of his father's Vincent, which they won. However, when race officials discovered Surtees's age, they were disqualified. He entered his first race at 15 in a grasstrack competition. In 1950, at the age of 16, he went to work for the Vincent factory as an apprentice. He made his first headlines in 1951 when he gave Norton star Geoff Duke a strong challenge in an ACU race at the Thruxton Circuit.
In 1955, Norton race chief Joe Craig gave Surtees his first factory sponsored ride aboard the Nortons. He finished the year by beating reigning world champion Duke at Silverstone and then at Brands Hatch. However, with Norton in financial trouble and uncertain about their racing plans, Surtees accepted an offer to race for the MV Agusta factory racing team.
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Johnny Herbert
John Paul Herbert (born 25 June 1964 in Brentwood, Essex, England) is a British racing driver from England. He competed in Formula One, winning three races, and also in sports cars winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991 driving a Mazda 787B. He enjoyed much success in lower-level motor racing but never managed to achieve the same level of performance at the top level of motorsport.
During the mid-1980s, Johnny Herbert was widely regarded as a coming man of motor racing, comparable to the Scot Jim Clark. Winning the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch in 1985, Herbert caught Eddie Jordan's attention, and together they won the 1987 British Formula Three title. Disaster struck in 1988, though, as Herbert, then a championship hopeful in International Formula 3000 was caught up in a major accident at Brands Hatch, badly breaking his legs in a fearsome impact with the barriers. It was an act of huge bravery that saw him back in a racing car at the beginning of 1989, despite the fact he could barely walk. Even more remarkably, he was now in Formula 1, scoring points on his debut in Brazil driving for the Benetton team, then managed by his long time mentor and friend Peter Collins.
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Jos Verstappen
Johannes Franciscus "Jos" Verstappen (born 4 March 1972 in Montfort) nicknamed "Jos the Boss" is a Dutch racing driver. He is the most successful Dutch Formula One driver, and has also won races in A1 Grand Prix and Le Mans Series LMP2 races. Prior to his F1 début in 1994, he was also the German Formula Three champion and Masters of Formula Three winner in 1993.
Verstappen began karting at the age of 8, and was participating in national competitions not long after. In 1984 he became Dutch junior champion. He remained successful, and won two European titles and a large number of international races in 1989.
At the end of 1991 he made the transition to car racing. He drove in Formula Opel Lotus, a class in which identical cars compete against each other. He won the European championship in his first year, and got an offer to drive in Formula Three with Van Amersfoort Racing, who also developed other drivers such as Christijan Albers, Tom Coronel and Bas Leinders. During that European winter season, he raced in New Zealand Formula Atlantic. Subsequently, in German Formula Three, he won several international competitions, including the 1993 Marlboro Masters and the German Formula 3 championship.
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Juan Manuel Fangio
Juan Manuel Fangio (Italian pronunciation: [ˈfandʒo]; June 24, 1911 – July 17, 1995), nicknamed El Chueco ("knock-kneed") or El Maestro ("The Master"), was a racing car driver from Argentina, who dominated the first decade of Formula One racing. He won five Formula One World Drivers' Championships — a record which stood for 46 years until bested by Michael Schumacher — with four different teams (Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Maserati), a feat that has not been repeated.
A member of the Formula 1 Hall of Fame, he is regarded by many as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time and holds the highest winning percentage in Formula One, 47.06%.
Fangio is the only Argentine driver to have won the Argentine Grand Prix, having won it four times in his career.
Fangio was born on San Juan's day in 1911 in Balcarce, a city in Buenos Aires Province of (Argentina). His father Loreto, immigrated to Argentina from the small, central Italian town of Castiglione Messer Marino. His mother Erminia Dérano from Tornareccio.[citation needed] Both parents are from the Chieti province, of the Abruzzo region.
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Justine Henin
Justine Henin (French pronunciation: [ʒys.tin enɛ̃]; born 1 June 1982), known as Justine Henin-Hardenne between 2002 and 2007, is a retired professional Belgian tennis player and former World No. 1.
Henin won 43 WTA singles titles and seven Grand Slam singles titles, including four French Open titles, one Australian Open title, and two US Open titles. She has also won the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships twice and the singles gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Tennis experts cite her mental toughness, the completeness and variety of her game, her footspeed and footwork, and her one-handed backhand (which John McEnroe has described as the best single-handed backhand in the women's or men's game) as the principal reasons for her success.
Critics and all-time-great players have made testament to Henin's talent. Upon Henin's first retirement from the WTA in the early part of the 2008 season, Billie Jean King said that "pound for pound, Henin is the best tennis player of her generation", as well as that "Justine is the best women's athlete I've ever seen."Andre Agassi said of Henin, "Justine Henin is one of the most talented women ever to have played the game of tennis." In 2007, 18 time Grand Slam winner Martina Navratilova said that "She is head and shoulders above everyone else right now." John McEnroe concurred, saying that Henin is "The player I most like to watch." Henin made a return to the WTA in early 2010, losing the final of the Australian Open in only her 2nd tournament back.
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Jörg Müller
Jörg Müller (born September 3, 1969 in Kerkrade, Netherlands) is a Dutch-born German race driver.
In 1989 Müller won the titles in German Formula Opel Lotus Challenge and in European Formula Ford 1600.
The 1994 German Formula Three Champion won a Supertouring car race for BMW in 1995 and the 1995-1996 Spa 24 Hours as well as the 1996 Formula 3000 Championship for team RSM Helmut Marko Lola-Zytek). He also won the prestigious Macau Grand Prix in 1993.
From 1997 to 1998, Müller was a Formula One testdriver for Arrows and Sauber-Petronas, before joining the BMW-WilliamsF1 project to do tests for engines and Michelin tyres from 1999 to 2001. He never managed to race in Formula 1 though.
From 1997 to 2000 he was also busy in sportscar racing, with drives for Nissan (and Porsche in the FIA GT Championship, 1998). He was part of the team that were winning the 24 Hours of Daytona in a Porsche 911 GT1 and leading the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans for 18 hours in a BMW V12 LMR.
In 2000 (BMW V12 LMR) and 2001 (BMW M3 GTR V8), Müller was successful in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) for BMW and Schnitzer Motorsport.
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Karl Kling
Karl Kling (16 September 1910, Gießen – 18 March 2003, Gaienhofen on Lake Constance, Germany) was a motor racing driver and manager from Germany. He participated in 11 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 4 July 1954. He achieved 2 podiums, and scored a total of 17 championship points.
It is said, that he was born too late and too early. Too late to be in the successful Mercedes team of the '30s and too early to have a real chance in 1954 and 1955. Unusually, Kling found his way into motorsport via his first job as a reception clerk at Daimler-Benz in the mid-1930s, competing in hillclimb and trials events in production machinery in his spare time. During the Second World War he gained mechanical experience servicing Luftwaffe aircraft, and after the cessation of hostilities he resumed his motorsport involvement in a BMW 328.
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Karl Wendlinger
Karl Wendlinger (born 20 December 1968 in Kufstein) is an Austrian sportscar racing and former Formula One driver.
Wendlinger started his career in karting and in Formula Ford before entering the German Formula 3 Championship in 1988. After managing tenth place in that inaugural season, Wendlinger won the crown in 1989, which earned him also a drive in the Mercedes-Benz sportscar team for 1990.
Driving the Sauber-Mercedes C11 - alongside Michael Schumacher, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Mauro Baldi and Jean-Louis Schlesser - the quintet managed to achieve fifth place in the 1990 World Sportscar Championship standings.
In 1991, he continued to race with Mercedes sportscars - alongside a Formula 3000 programme with the Helmut Marko team. Towards the end of the year, Mercedes' team boss Jochen Neerpasch placed two of his protégés in Formula One. Schumacher went to the Jordan team before signing for Benetton, whilst Wendlinger made a low key Formula One debut with the Leyton House outfit for the final two Grand Prix.
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Karun Chandhok
Karun Chandhok (Hindi: करुण चंडोक; born January 19, 1984 in Madras) is an Indian racing driver, who competed for Hispania Racing in Formula One in 2010. Before this, he drove in the GP2 Series for three years, winning two races.
Prior to his time in GP2, Chandhok won the Formula Asia championship in 2001 and was the inaugural Formula Asia V6 by Renault champion in 2006.
In 2000, Chandhok was Indian National Racing Champion winning seven out of ten races in the Formula Maruti series. He scored Pole position and fastest lap in all ten races. In 2001 Chandhok was the Formula 2000 Asia champion, becoming the youngest ever Asian Formula Champion, driving for Team India Racing.
Chandhok tested with British Formula 3 champion team Carlin Motorsport in 2001. He raced in the National class in 2002, driving for T-Sport, finishing sixth in class. He stayed with T-Sport in the National Class for 2003, and finished third in the final class standings, behind champion Ernesto Viso and runner-up Steven Kane. In 2004 Chandhok stepped up to the main British Formula 3 class with T-Sport, and finished 14th in the standings.
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Keke Rosberg
Keijo Erik Rosberg ( pronunciation (help·info)) (born December 6, 1948 in Solna, Stockholm County, Sweden), nicknamed "Keke", is a Finnish former racing driver and winner of the 1982 Formula One World Championship. He was the first Finnish driver to compete regularly in the series. Rosberg grew up in Oulu and Iisalmi, Finland. He is the father of the Mercedes GP driver Nico Rosberg.
Rosberg had a relatively late start to his F1 career, debuting at the age of 29 after stints in Formula Vee, Formula Atlantic and its antipodean counterpart Formula Pacific and Formula 2, then "feeder" series to F1. His first F1 drive was with the Theodore team during the 1978 season. He immediately caught the attention of the F1 paddock with a superb drive in the non-Championship BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone in just his second race with the team, emerging victorious after many of the big names had been caught out by a tremendous downpour. Rosberg wasn't able to qualify for a race afterwards, and was signed by another uncompetitive team, ATS, for 3 races after the Theodore team scrapped its unreliable car design. He returned to Theodore after they acquired old chassis from the Wolf formula 1 team, but these were also uncompetitive and Rosberg returned to ATS to end the season.
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Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈkimi ˈmɑtiɑs ˈræikːønen]; born 17 October 1979 in Espoo) is a Finnish racing driver. He drives in Formula One for Lotus in 2012. After nine seasons racing in Formula One, in which he took the 2007 Formula One World Drivers' Championship, he competed in the World Rally Championship from 2010–2011.
Räikkönen entered Formula One as a regular driver for Sauber-Petronas in 2001. Having previously only raced in very junior open-wheel categories, he was given his Super Licence from the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) after a performance delivery promise by his team boss, Peter Sauber. He joined McLaren Mercedes in 2002, and became a title contender by finishing runner-up in the 2003 and 2005 championships to Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, respectively. Räikkönen's 2003 and 2005 seasons were plagued by severe unreliability from his McLaren cars.
Räikkönen switched to Ferrari in 2007, becoming the highest paid driver in motor sport with an estimated wage of $51 million per year. In turn his move to Ferrari saw him secure his first Formula One World Drivers' Championship, beating McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso by one point, as well as becoming one of the very few drivers to win in their first season at Ferrari. In 2008, he equalled the record for fastest laps in a season for the second time. After one more year in the sport, he left the Ferrari F1 team to drive a Citroën C4 WRC for the Citroën Junior Team in the World Rally Championship for 2010. Along with rallying, Räikkönen has turned his attention towards NASCAR, and made his debut for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series.
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Kurt Thiim
Kurt Thiim (born August 3, 1958 in Vojens) is a Danish race car driver. After his karting career he raced for several years in single-seaters before moving to the DTM in 1986. He won the championship in his debut year and despite not winning a second title, he remained one of the series' top drivers for the next decade.
After the series was discontinued after 1996, he raced in several other touring car categories, including the German Supertouring Shampionship and the Danish Touring Car Championship, where he won a title in 2002.
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Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong (born Lance Edward Gunderson on September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support. He last rode for UCI ProTeam Team RadioShack, a team he helped found.
In October 1996 he was diagnosed as having testicular cancer with a tumor that had metastasized to his brain and lungs. His cancer treatments included brain and testicular surgery and extensive chemotherapy, and his prognosis was originally poor. He went on to win the Tour de France each year from 1999 to 2005, and is the only person to win seven times having broken the previous record of five wins shared by Miguel Indurain, Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx, and Jacques Anquetil.
In 1999, he was named the ABC Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year. In 2000 he won the Prince of Asturias Award in Sports. In 2002, Sports Illustrated magazine named him Sportsman of the Year. He was also named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the years 2002–2005. He received ESPN's ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, and won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award in 2003. Armstrong announced his retirement from racing on July 24, 2005, at the end of the 2005 Tour de France but returned to competitive cycling in January 2009 and finished third in the 2009 Tour de France. He confirmed he had retired from competitive cycling for good on February 16, 2011.
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Laurens Vanthoor
Laurens Vanthoor (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈlʌu̯rəns vɑnˈtoːr] (pronounced together as [ˈlʌu̯rənsfɑnˈtoːr]); born 8 May 1991 in Hasselt, Belgium) is a Belgian auto racing driver. He currently resides in Zolder.
Vanthoor began his kart racing career at an early age. In 2005 he became French and Belgian Champion in the ICA-J class, and he also finished fourth in the European Championship.
In 2007 Vanthoor become an official factory driver for the CRG racing team in the KF2 category. He ended up being out of action for five months out due to an accident, resulting in six fractures. His best result in the season was a runner-up position in the North European Championship.
Vanthoor began his formula racing career in the 2008 German Formula Three season, jumping from karting directly into Formula Three. He finished fourth overall in the championship, with two wins and three poles. Following his successes, the Belgian Automobile Club (RACB) made him a member of their "National Team" initiative and Volkswagen Motorsport made him a official driver. Vanthoor also became the youngest driver ever in the history of the Macau Grand Prix, and he finished in sixth position.
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Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton,MBE (born 7 January 1985) is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He is the 2008 Formula One World Champion.
Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. In December 1995, at the age of ten, he approached McLaren team principal Ron Dennis at the Autosport Awards ceremony and told him, "I want to race for you one day ... I want to race for McLaren." Less than three years later McLaren and Mercedes-Benz signed him to their Young Driver Support Programme. After winning the British Formula Renault, Formula Three Euroseries, and GP2 championships on his way up the racing career ladder, he drove for McLaren in 2007, making his Formula One debut 12 years after his initial encounter with Dennis. Lewis Hamilton's contract for the McLaren driver development program made him the youngest ever driver to secure a contract which later resulted in an F1 drive.
Coming from a mixed-race background, with a black father and white mother, Hamilton is often labelled "the first black driver in Formula One", although Willy T. Ribbs tested an F1 car in 1986. He is also the first driver of black heritage to win a major race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in any discipline.
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Louis Chiron
Louis Alexandre Chiron (born 3 August 1899 in Monte Carlo, Monaco – died there on 22 June 1979) was a Grand Prix driver.
As a teenager, Louis Chiron fell in love with cars and racing. He learned to drive at a young age and joined the Grand Prix circuit after World War I where he had been requisitioned from the artillery section to serve as a chauffeur. Competing in France, in 1926 he won his first local race, taking the Grand Prix de Comminges at Saint-Gaudens near the city of Toulouse. From there, Chiron went on to drive a Bugatti and an Alfa Romeo P3 to important wins in the Marseille Grand Prix, the Circuit of Masaryk, and the Spanish Grand Prix. In addition, he teamed up with champion marathon driver Luigi Chinetti to win the 1933 Spa 24 hours endurance race in Belgium. He also drove a Delage to 7th place in the 1929 Indianapolis 500. He won the 1931 Monaco Grand Prix, and as of 2012[update] he is the only Monaco-born driver to have done so.
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Luca Badoer
Luca Badoer (born 25 January 1971) is an Italian Formula One driver who has raced for the Scuderia Italia, Minardi, Forti Corse and most recently, Ferrari teams. In addition to his racing duties, Badoer was one of the active test and reserve drivers for Ferrari from 1998 to 2010 and in 2009 stood in for Ferrari's regular race driver Felipe Massa at the European Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix, after the Brazilian was injured during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix and his original replacement, Michael Schumacher, pulled out due to injury. As of September 2011[update], Badoer holds the record for the most Grand Prix starts – 50 – without a point, although all of his races before his 2009 comeback came during a period when only the top six finishers scored points, and he would have scored 25 points under the 2010 scoring system. Badoer also holds the record for the most race laps completed – 2364 – without scoring a point. He nearly achieved a points finish in the 1999 European Grand Prix when a strong drive saw him lying in fourth place, but the gearbox on his Minardi failed with 13 laps remaining.
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Luca Baldisserri
Luca Baldisserri (born 11 December 1962) is an Italian engineer, currently the chief track engineer for the Ferrari Formula One team. He was born in Bologna.
Following Ross Brawn's decision to take a year's sabbatical leave at the end of 2006, Baldisserri was chosen to temporarily replace Ross Brawn in the hope that he would return to Ferrari from his sabbatical in 2007. This however was not the case, and when it was announced that Ross Brawn would be joining the Honda F1 team as team principal, Baldisserri's position as chief track engineer became permanent.
After Baldisseri's performance as strategist during the 2008 and 2009 years, Ferrari's management has decided to remove Baldisseri from his strategist's role in the organisation. Since the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix, Baldisseri has moved to a different role, in Ferrari's factory. Since 2010, he is the Ferrari Driver Academy Manager.
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Luca Marmorini
Luca Marmorini (born June 17, 1961) is the head of the engine and electronics department at the Ferrari Formula One team.
Marmorini started his Formula One career with Ferrari in 1990, which he joined after completing a mechanical doctorate. He stayed with Ferrari until 1999, when he joined Toyota as it prepared to enter Formula One. After progressing to the position of technical director in charge of engines, he left Toyota on January 19, 2009, only to return to Ferrari on October 6 that same year, replacing Frenchman Gilles Simon as head of the engine and electronics department.
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Lucas di Grassi
Lucas Tucci di Grassi (born 11 August 1984 in São Paulo) is a Brazilian racing driver who drove for Virgin Racing in the 2010 Formula One season. He is currently Pirelli's official test driver for the 2011 Formula One season and the 2012 Formula One season.
Di Grassi's career in karting peaked in 2000, with a 5th place in the Formula A World Championship. Di Grassi began his formula racing career in Brazilian Formula Renault in 2002, finishing as runner-up to champion Sérgio Jimenez.
In 2003 Di Grassi stepped up to Formula Three, driving a Dallara F301 Mugen-Honda for Avallone Motorsport in Formula Three Sudamericana. He finished as the championship runner-up behind Danilo Dirani, with one win and eleven other podium finishes. This came despite missing the last six races after suffering a major crash at the Curitiba round.
He also travelled to Europe to make four race starts in the F3 Euroseries with Prema Powerteam, achieving a best finish of fourth place. The following year, he made a permanent move to Europe and took a drive with Hitech Racing in the British F3 Championship. His season peaked with two wins, and he was classified in eighth place overall. Another of that year's highlights was a podium finish on his début at the Macau Grand Prix with Hitech.
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Luigi Fagioli
Luigi Fagioli (Italian pronunciation: [luˈidʒi faˈdʒɔli]; 9 June 1898 – 20 June 1952), nicknamed "the Abruzzi robber", was an Italian motor racing driver.
Born in the small city of Osimo, in the Marche region of central Italy, as a boy Luigi Fagioli was fascinated by the relatively new invention of the automobile and the ensuing racing. Blessed with great natural driving instincts, a young Fagioli spent several years participating in hillclimbing and sports car races before entering Grand Prix racing in 1926. By 1930, his racing success led to an opportunity to join the Maserati team on the Grand Prix motor racing circuit. He immediately made his presence felt, winning the Coppa Ciano and Circuit of Avellino. In April of the following year he went head to head with Louis Chiron and his Bugatti Type 51 at the Monaco Grand Prix. In what is one of racing's most famous battles, Chiron eventually won but Fagioli showed how skilled he was in a car geared for great speed on long stretches, not the tight twists and short runs of Monte Carlo. Fagioli went on to take the victory at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Monza, Italy beating Chiron as well as fellow Italian greats, Achille Varzi and Tazio Nuvolari. In 1932, Fagioli won the Grand Prix of Rome driving for Maserati but for the 1933 season he was signed by the Alfa Romeo team of Scuderia Ferrari. Driving an Alfa Romeo Tipo B P3, he won the Coppa Acerbo, the Grand Prix du Comminges, and the Italian Grand Prix.
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Marcus Grönholm
Marcus "Bosse" Grönholm (born February 5, 1968 in Kauniainen/Grankulla) is a Finnish former rally driver. Driving for Peugeot, he won the World Rally Championship in 2000 and 2002. After Peugeot withdrew from the World Rally Championship, Grönholm moved to Ford for the 2006 season and placed second in the drivers' world championship, losing the title to Sébastien Loeb by one point. The next year he again placed second, four points behind Loeb. He and his co-driver Timo Rautiainen retired from rallying after the 2007 season but returned to the championship in 2009 driving a private Subaru for a short period of time.
Grönholm also won the 2002 Race of Champions, taking home the Henri Toivonen Memorial Trophy and earning the title "Champion of Champions". At the 2006 Race of Champions, he formed team Finland with Heikki Kovalainen and the pair won the Nations' Cup.
Marcus' father, Ulf "Uffe" Grönholm, had been an active rally driver in the late 1970s to early 1980s, and with measurable success too, winding up twice Finnish champion. He was killed during a practice run for Hankiralli on February 25, 1981 in Kirkkonummi. Despite this connection, his son, only 13 years old at the time of his father's death, was latterly to refute any suggestion that it was Ulf, and not fellow rally-driving cousin (and occasional Peugeot factory squad team-mate at various points during the early 2000s), Sebastian Lindholm, who tempted him into following in his father's footsteps by also participating in the sport. In his teens Grönholm was fond of motocross as a recreational activity, but a serious knee injury forced a switch to boxing.
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Mario Almondo
Mario Almondo (born 17 September 1964) is an Italian engineer, currently Operations Director of the Ferrari Formula One team.
A native of Turin, Almondo studied engineering and industrial management at the Politecnico of Milan. After brief spells as a lecturer, in military service and in Italian industry, he joined Ferrari in 1991 as an engineer. After working both in Ferrari's road and race car divisions, he was promoted to become Industrial Director of the F1 operation in 1995.
Following Ross Brawn's decision to leave Ferrari in October 2006, Almondo took his role of Technical Director. On 12 November 2007 he was made operations director.
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Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR (the other being Dan Gurney). He also won races in midget cars, and sprint cars. During his career, Andretti won the 1978 Formula One World Championship, four IndyCar titles (three under USAC-sanctioning, one under CART), and IROC VI. To date, he remains the only driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500 (1969), Daytona 500 (1967) and the Formula One World Championship, and, along with Juan Pablo Montoya, the only driver to have won a race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Formula One, and an Indianapolis 500. No American has won a Formula One race since Andretti's victory at the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix. Andretti had 109 career wins on major circuits.
Andretti had a long career in racing. He was the only person to be named United States Driver of the Year in three decades (1967, 1978, and 1984). He was also one of only three drivers to win races on road courses, paved ovals, and dirt tracks in one season, a feat that he accomplished four times. With his final IndyCar win in April 1993, Andretti became the first driver to win IndyCar races in four different decades and the first to win automobile races of any kind in five.
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Markus Wasmeier
Markus Wasmeier (born September 9, 1963, in Schliersee, Bavaria, Germany) is a former alpine ski racer.
At the 1985 World Championships at Bormio, Italy, he surprisingly won the Giant Slalom at age 21, before recording a World Cup victory.
Wasmeier would go on to win a total of nine World Cup races, starting with two victories on February 9, 1986, in the Combined and Super-G events at Morzine, France.
His greatest victories were the surprising gold medals in both Giant Slalom and Super-G at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. His victory in the Super-G by 0.09 seconds denied the silver medalist, downhill champion Tommy Moe of the U.S., of double gold in the speed events on his 24th birthday. The surprising result of double Olympic gold for Wasmeier at age 30 gained him the title of "Sportsman of the Year" in Germany.
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Mauro Forghieri
Mauro Forghieri (born January 13, 1935) is an Italian Formula One car designer.
Forghieri was born in Modena, the only child of Reclus and Afra Forghieri. His father, a turner, did war work during World War II for the Ansaldo mechanical workshops of Naples. After the conflict, he took up work in the Ferrari workshop in Maranello.
Meanwhile, Forghieri completed the Liceo Scientifico and obtained a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Bologna. Despite his initial interest in aviation design, he accepted an offer from Ferrari, where he had been introduced by his father. He became part of the racing team in 1962, with the position of Chief of the Technical Department for racing cars.
He was later promoted to Technical Director of the Racing Department. In 1970, Forghieri designed the Ferrari 312 series (consisting of the 312 and 312B formula one cars and 312P and 312PB sportscars). Under his guidance Ferrari won the driver's F1 world championship title four times, with John Surtees (1964), Niki Lauda (1975 and 1977), and Jody Scheckter (1979). Ferrari also won the constructors F1 world championship title eight times.
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Max Sailer
Max Sailer (20 December 1882 Esslingen – 05 February 1964 Esslingen) was a German racecar driver. Prior to World War II he headed Mercedes' racing efforts, later retiring to become a director of the firm.
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Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher (German pronunciation: [ˈmɪçaʔeːl ˈʃuːmaxɐ] ( listen); born 3 January 1969) is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes team. Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. He holds many of the formula's driver records, including most championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, points scored and most races won in a single season – 13 in 2004. In 2002 he became the only driver in Formula One history to finish in the top three in every race of a season and then also broke the record for most consecutive podium finishes. According to the official Formula One website he is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen".
After beginning with karting, Schumacher won German drivers' championships in Formula König and Formula Three before joining Mercedes in the World Sportscar Championship. After one Mercedes-funded race for the Jordan Formula One team Schumacher signed as a driver for the Benetton Formula One team in 1991. After winning consecutive championships with Benetton in 1994/5, Schumacher moved to Ferrari in 1996 and won another five consecutive drivers' titles with them from 2000 to 2004. Schumacher retired from Formula One driving in 2006 staying with Ferrari as an advisor. Schumacher agreed to return for Ferrari part-way through 2009, as cover for the badly injured Felipe Massa, but was prevented by a neck injury. He later signed a three-year contract to drive for the new Mercedes GP team starting in 2010.
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Mika Häkkinen
Mika Pauli Häkkinen ( pronunciation (help·info)) (born 28 September 1968 in Vantaa in the Helsinki metropolitan area) is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. Seven-time world champion and rival Michael Schumacher said Häkkinen is the man he respected the most during his Formula One career.
Mika Häkkinen was born in Helsingin maalaiskunta (now Vantaa), Finland on September 28, 1968 to Harri, a shortwave radio operator and part-time taxi driver, and Aila Häkkinen, who worked as a secretary. Häkkinen grew up with one sister, Nina, who ran a fan site for her brother until its closure in 1998.
Since 1991, Häkkinen has resided in Monte Carlo although he also has houses in France and Finland. On 18 May 2008, his newly completed mansion in France burned down after a light in one of his trophy cabinets short circuited. Nobody was injured in the conflagration, but his pet tortoise perished in the fire along with his collection of F1 trophies.
Häkkinen married Erja Honkanen in 1998. The couple have one son, Hugo Ronan (born 11 December 2000) and one daughter, Aina Julia (born 12 May 2005). The couple applied for divorce in 2008. Häkkinen's third child, daughter Ella, was born on 30 November 2010 to his girlfriend Marketa Remesova.
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Mika Salo
Mika Juhani Salo (born November 30, 1966 in Helsinki) is a Finnish racing driver. He competed in Formula One between 1994 and 2002. His best ranking was 10th in the world championship in 1999. He also won the GT2 class in the 2008 and 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In 1989, Salo competed in the British Formula Three Championship, racing for Alan Docking Racing. He raced with the Reynard Toyota package which was not the season's best. Staying with Alan Docking Racing for 1990 and moving to a more competitive Ralt chassis, he raced against countryman and fierce rival Mika Häkkinen in F3, finishing second to him. In 1990, Salo was caught driving under the influence in London. Subsequently the chance of him gaining a FIA Super Licence necessary to compete in Formula One was destroyed in the short-term. He then moved to Japan in an attempt to revive his damaged reputation.
"I think it was six days before the race they said, 'Do you think you can drive it next weekend with no testing'. I'd never driven a Formula One car before in my life; that's what I've always wanted, so I said yes. I know the circuit so I don't think it's a problem. The next two nights I lay in my bed smiling, so happy it was happening."
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Mike Gascoyne
Michael "Mike" Gascoyne (born 2 April 1963 in Norwich, England) is a designer of Formula One cars. He is currently the Chief Technical Officer of Caterham F1 and now as Group CTO of Caterham Group.
Gascoyne has worked for several Grand Prix teams including McLaren, Sauber and Tyrrell. Most recently Gascoyne worked as technical director at Jordan and Renault, and joined the Toyota F1 team in December 2003. A salary reputed to be as high as $8 million per year made Gascoyne the highest paid engineer in Formula One, eclipsing far more successful Technical Directors such as Adrian Newey and Ross Brawn.
Gascoyne's highly confrontational and aggressive management style has earned him the nickname "the rottweiler".
Gascoyne currently lives in Oxfordshire with his post-divorce partner Silvi and his children Joel, Connie and Freddie Gascoyne.
Gascoyne was born in Norfolk, England. He was brought up in Catton on the outskirts of Norwich and went to Wymondham College before going to study for a Ph.D. in fluid dynamics at Cambridge University (Churchill College) in 1982, although he did not complete his thesis and so did not become Dr. Gascoyne. He was, however, active in his college Boat Club, as a successful coxswain of Churchill's leading women's crew. After leaving Cambridge in 1988 he briefly worked for Westland System Assessment Limited, part of Westland Helicopters, but maintained a keen desire to work in motor sport.
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Mike Hawthorn
John Michael Hawthorn (10 April 1929 – 22 January 1959) was a racing driver, born in Mexborough, Yorkshire, England, and educated at Ardingly College, West Sussex.
Mike Hawthorn made his competition debut driving his 1934 Riley Ulster Imp, KV 9475, winning the 1,100 c.c. sports car class at the Brighton Speed Trials on 2 September 1950. In 1951, driving a 1½-litre T.T. Riley, he entered the Motor Sport Brooklands Memorial Trophy, a season-long contest run at Goodwood, winning it by one point. He also won the Ulster Trophy Handicap at Dundrod and the Leinster Trophy at Wicklow that year.
With the Drivers' World Championship being run for two litre Formula Two cars in 1952, due to the shortage of competitive 4.5 litre F1 cars, Hawthorn was able to enter the sport at the highest level, when a friend obtained the agreement of John Cooper to provide Hawthorn with a competitive lightweight Cooper-Bristol. His debut at Silverstone was sensational, he won his heat and finished second in the final, outclassing much of the best British and International talent.
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Narain Karthikeyan
Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan (Tamil: குமார் ராம் நாராயண் கார்த்திகேயன்; born 14 January 1977, in Madras) is the first Formula One motor racing driver from India. He has previously competed in A1GP, and the Le Mans Series. He made his Formula One debut in 2005 with the Jordan team, and was a Williams F1 test driver in 2006 and 2007. Like several other former F1 drivers, Karthikeyan moved to stock car racing and drove the #60 Safe Auto Insurance Company Toyota Tundra for Wyler Racing in the 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In 2011 he returned to F1 with the HRT team, and has again signed with them for the 2012 season.
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Nelson Piquet
Nelson Piquet Souto Maior (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈnɛwsõ piˈke], born August 17, 1952), known as Nelson Piquet, is a Brazilian former racing driver. He was Formula One world champion in 1981, 1983 and 1987. He is one of eight drivers to win three or more world championships, the others being Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna (3 each), Alain Prost (4), Juan Manuel Fangio (5), and Michael Schumacher (7). In 1983, he became the only driver to win the F1 championship in a BMW engined car.
Piquet was born in Rio de Janeiro, then the capital of Brazil, the son of Estácio Gonçalves Souto Maior, a Brazilian politician. His father moved his family to the new capital, Brasília, in 1960 and became Minister for Health in João Goulart's government (1961–64). Piquet started kart racing at the age of 14, but because his father did not approve of his racing career, he used his mother's maiden name Piquet (of French origin and pronounced as "Pee-Kè") misspelt as Piket to hide his identity.
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Nicholas Tombazis
Nicholas Tombazis (born April 22, 1968 in Athens, Greece) is the chief designer at Ferrari. He was employed at Ferrari as chief aerodynamicist before leaving to work at McLaren in 2003. He returned to Ferrari on March 1, 2006, to become chief designer.
He has an engineer's degree in Aeronautical engineering from Imperial College London.
He is the son of one of the most important Greek architects, Alexandros Tombazis.
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Nick Fry
Nicholas Richard "Nick" Fry, (born 29 June 1956 in the United Kingdom) is the Chief Executive Officer of the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team, having previously served in similar roles at previous incarnations of the company.
His career in motoring started with the Ford Motor Company in 1977, as a graduate trainee from the University of Wales with a degree in Economics. Working first in Sales and then Market Research, in 1978, he was moved to Product Development as Product Planner. He helped develop a variety of models over the next 12 years, including several performance models like the Ford Escort Cosworth, the RS200 and others. He also spent a spell at Aston Martin in the early 1990s whilst the company was under Ford ownership, overseeing the development and launch of the critically acclaimed DB7 model and switch from manufacturer of handbuilt-only vehicles at the traditional Newport Pagnell site to a higher-volume producer at a new factory operation at Bloxham.
Following this spell at AML, he returned to Ford in 1995, taking over as director of Service Engineering within the Customer Service Division, his time there being most noticeable for an early TV appearance in a combative appearance opposite Ann Robinson on the BBC's Watchdog programme, robustly defending Ford's handling of a safety recall campaign for brake servo assist pumps in its diesel car range.
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Nick Wirth
Nicholas John Peter "Nick" Wirth (born 26 March 1966) is an automotive engineer and the founder and owner of Wirth Research.
He is also the former owner of the Simtek Formula One team, a former aerodynamicist at March and former technical director at the Benetton, and Virgin Racing teams.
Wirth attended Sevenoaks School from 1977 to 1984 and has B.Sc(Hons) in Mechanical Engineering (First Class) from University College London and is the youngest-ever Fellow of the Royal Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Wirth started his Formula One career as an aerodynamicist for March Engineering, responsible for all aerodynamic concepts, schematics and design of windtunnel model components for the 1988 and 1989 Leyton House March cars. In addition, he conceived and designed all components of the March active suspension system,[citation needed] which ran successfully in February 1989.
Simtek Research, was founded in 1989 by Max Mosley and Nick Wirth. It originally was involved in many areas of Formula One, including wind tunnel construction and chassis building for third parties. Wirth was previously employed by March Team owner Mosley.
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Nico Hülkenberg
Nicolas "Nico" Hülkenberg (German pronunciation: [ˈniːko ˈhʏlkənbɛɐ̯k], born 19 August 1987 in Emmerich am Rhein, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany) is a German professional racing driver. He was the 2009 champion of the GP2 Series, and is a previous champion of both the Formula 3 Euro Series and A1 Grand Prix, as part of A1 Team Germany. He is one of three drivers since 2005 to win the GP2 series championship in his debut season, the others being Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
Hülkenberg raced in Formula One in 2010 with the Williams team. Despite winning the first pole position for Williams in over 5 years he was not retained for 2011, and joined Force India as a test and reserve driver. He was promoted to a race seat with the team for the 2012 season, joining Paul di Resta.
Hülkenberg made his karting debut in 1997, at the age of 10. In 2002 he was German Junior Karting Champion and the following year he won the German Kart Championship.
Hülkenberg was previously managed by Willi Weber, the long-time manager of Michael Schumacher. Weber has gone on record saying that Hülkenberg would be ready for Formula One by 2008. He has also praised Hülkenberg as an "unbelievable talent" and says he reminds him of Schumacher as a young driver. He also stated that he nicknamed him "The Hulk", after the fictional superhero, in reference to Hülkenberg changing his personality whilst at the wheel. As of 2011, Hülkenberg and Weber have split.
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Nico Rosberg
Nico Erik Rosberg (born 27 June 1985 in Wiesbaden, West Germany) is a racing driver for the Mercedes GP Formula One team. He races under the German flag in Formula One, although he competed for Finland earlier in his career. He holds dual nationality of these two countries.
Rosberg won the 2005 GP2 Series for the ART team, having raced in Formula 3 Euro Series previously for his father's team.
For the 2010 Formula One season, Rosberg joined the re-branded Mercedes team, formed by Mercedes' takeover of 2009 constructors' champions Brawn GP.
The son of Finnish 1982 Formula One World Champion Keke Rosberg and his German wife Sina, Nico spent much of his youth in Monaco with his family, and still lives in the principality. Rosberg speaks fluent German, English, Italian, Spanish and French but only a little Finnish, though he is learning the language. Rosberg competed under the Finnish and German flags at different times during his early career. In Formula One, as for all FIA world championships, a driver's nationality is defined by his passport. Rosberg races under the German flag in Formula One.
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Nigel Mansell
Nigel Ernest James Mansell, CBE (born 8 August 1953 in Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire, England) is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship (1992) and the CART Indy Car World Series (1993). Mansell was the reigning F1 champion when he moved over to CART, being the first person to win the CART title in his debut season, making him the only person to hold both titles simultaneously.
His career in Formula One spanned 15 seasons, with his final two full seasons of top-level racing being spent in the CART series. Mansell remains the most successful British Formula One driver of all time in terms of race wins with 31 victories, and is fourth overall on the Formula One race winners list behind Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. He held the record for the most number of poles set in a single season, which was broken in 2011 by Sebastian Vettel. He was rated in the top 10 Formula One drivers of all time by longtime Formula One commentator Murray Walker. In 2008, American sports television network ESPN ranked him 24th on their top drivers of all-time. He was also ranked #9 of the 50 greatest F1 drivers of all time by the Times Online on a list that also included such drivers as Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Jackie Stewart and Jim Clark.
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Nigel Stepney
Nigel Stepney is a British-born former Formula One mechanic. He started in Formula One as a mechanic at Shadow in 1977, then followed Elio de Angelis to Lotus before moving to Benetton for the late 1980s and early 90s and then to Ferrari with Michael Schumacher, Rory Byrne and Ross Brawn. He was Chief Mechanic at Ferrari and later became Race and Test Technical Manager.
At the 2000 Spanish Grand Prix, Stepney was injured during a pit stop for Michael Schumacher's car. This occurred when the German was signaled to depart while Stepney was still detaching the fuel rig. He suffered badly damaged ligaments to his ankle. On 1 February 2007 it was reported on the Internet that Stepney was unhappy with Ferrari's technical restructuring and that he wanted to leave the team, seeking a new challenge. However, Ferrari's spokesman, Luca Colajanni, reported on Pitpass' website that he had a contract until the end of the 2007 season and that he was therefore staying at Ferrari.
On 23 February 2007, Stepney was promoted to Head of the performance development, meaning that he would no longer have to attend races.
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Niki Lauda
Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda (born February 22, 1949 in Vienna) is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver and three-time F1 World Champion. More recently an aviation entrepreneur, he has founded and run two airlines and was manager of the Jaguar Formula One racing team for two years.
Lauda was born in Vienna, Austria, to a wealthy family. His paternal grandfather was the Viennese-born businessman Hans Lauda.
Lauda became a racing driver despite his family's disapproval. After starting out with a Mini, Lauda moved on into Formula Vee, as was normal in Central Europe, but rapidly moved up to drive in private Porsche and Chevron sports cars. His career seemed to be going nowhere in particular until he took out a large bank loan, secured by a life insurance policy, to buy his way into the fledgling March team as a Formula 2 (F2) driver in 1971. He was quickly promoted to the F1 team and drove for March in both F1 and F2 in 1972. Although the F2 cars were good (and Lauda's test-driving skills impressed March principal Robin Herd), March's 1972 F1 season was catastrophic and Lauda, in despair and deep debt, briefly contemplated suicide but finally took out yet another bank loan to buy his way into the BRM team in 1973. Lauda was instantly quick but the team was in decline; his big break came when his BRM team-mate Clay Regazzoni rejoined Ferrari in 1974 and team owner Enzo Ferrari asked him what he thought of Lauda. Regazzoni spoke favourably of Lauda, so Ferrari promptly went and signed him, paying Niki enough to clear his debts.
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Norbert Haug
Norbert Haug (born 24 November 1952 in Engelsbrand, Baden-Württemberg) is a German journalist, and the President in charge of all Mercedes-Benz motorsport activity, including Formula One, Formula 3 and DTM. Under his direction Mercedes-Benz have enjoyed considerable success in all categories, winning multiple races and championships.
Haug joined the Pforzheimer Zeitung newspaper in his home town of Pforzheim as a volunteer, before joining them as a trainee journalist. He then joined publishing house Motor-Presse-Verlag in Stuttgart, part of Gruner + Jahr, where he became head of motorsports for Auto, Motor und Sport magazine before becoming its deputy chief editor in 1988.
While pursuing a career in journalism he also raced cars, including the 24 Hours Nürburgring where he came second in 1985, and takes part like many in Formula1 in the Porsche Carrera Cup. In 1986, Haug drove a Williams F1 car in private test.
Haug joined Mercedes-Benz in 1990, with a brief to revive their motor sport credentials. Haug maintained Mercedes presence in Group C and later in the DTM and International Touring Car Championship. Early successes included Klaus Ludwig winning the DTM drivers title in 1992 and 1994, and Bernd Schneider winning both the DTM and ITC drivers titles in 1995. In 2000 Haug and Mercedes were instrumental in the relaunch of Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.
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Norberto Fontana
Norberto Edgardo Fontana (born January 20, 1975 in Arrecifes, Buenos Aires Province) is an Argentine racing driver. He participated in four Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on June 29, 1997. His opportunity to race came as a result of two separate injuries sustained by regular Sauber driver Gianni Morbidelli during the 1997 season. He scored no championship points.
Fontana raced in the German Formula Three Championship series in 1994 and 1995, winning the 1995 title as well as that year's Marlboro Masters event at Zandvoort circuit. He claimed the title ahead of drivers including Ralf Schumacher, Alexander Wurz, Jarno Trulli and Jan Magnussen.[citation needed]
After, and during F1, Fontana raced in Formula Nippon, Formula 3000, and he also made 8 CART starts in 2000 with a best finish of 11th at Cleveland.
He subsequently moved into Argentine touring car racing, driving in the Turismo Carretera,. TC2000 and Top Race V6. In the TC2000 he was 7th in 2001, champion in 2002, 3rd in 2003, 7th in 2006, 8th in 2008, 4th in 2009 and champion in 2010. Until 2009 he drove for Toyota, given the relationship he had with the brand when he raced in Japan. Since 2010 he drives a works Ford. Fontana also competed at the 2011 Dakar Rally in a buggy.
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Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Serbian: Новак Ђоковић or Novak Đoković; pronounced [nɔ̂ʋaːk dʑɔ̂ːkɔʋitɕ] ( listen); born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked World No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) since 4 July 2011. He has won five Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008, 2011 and 2012 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open. By winning three Majors in 2011, Djokovic became the sixth male player in the open era to win three Majors in a calendar year.
He is the first male player representing Serbia to win a Major singles title and the youngest player in the open era to have reached the semifinals of all four Grand Slam events, separately and consecutively. Amongst other titles, he won the Tennis Masters Cup in 2008 and was on the team which won the 2010 Davis Cup. He also won the bronze medal in singles at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He has won 11 Masters 1000 series titles placing him joint fourth on the all time list. Djokovic has quickly moved up in the rankings of history. Tennis Channel ranked him number 40 , and former player Pat Cash said he is one of the greatest ever.
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Pastor Maldonado
Pastor Rafael Maldonado Motta (born March 10, 1985 in Maracay) is a Venezuelan Formula One driver, currently with the Williams team. Before making his Formula One debut in 2011, he won the 2010 GP2 championship. He became the first Venezuelan to win a Formula One Grand Prix when he won the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix from his first pole position.
Maldonado's first experience of formula racing began in Italy in 2003. He competed in the Italian Formula Renault Championship with Cram Competition, and was classified seventh in the drivers' championship. His notable results included three podium finishes and one pole position. Cram Competition also entered one round of the German Formula Renault Championship at Oschersleben.
In 2004, Maldonado ran a dual programme in Italian and European Formula Renault with Cram Competition. He won the Italian title, with eight wins and six pole positions from seventeen starts. In the European championship, he was classified eighth overall, with two wins. Maldonado also found the time to enter one round of the now defunct Formula Renault V6 Eurocup at Spa-Francorchamps, with a best finish of fifth place.
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Pat Fry
Pat Fry (born 17 March 1964) is an English motor racing engineer, presently the "technical director for the chassis division" of the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One team (having been assistant technical director under Aldo Costa before the position was removed due to management restructuring at the team).
Fry was born in Shepperton, Surrey, England. After attempting several engineering courses, he became an apprentice at Thorn EMI in 1981. While at Thorn EMI, he completed a day-release course in electronics at the City of London Polytechnic. He moved onto Thorn's missile programmes, before deciding to leave the company in 1987 to pursue a career in motorsport.
Fry had an interest in building suspension systems for motorbikes in his spare time, and joined the Benetton Formula One team's research and development department in Witney, Oxfordshire, who at the time were working on active suspension systems. He moved to the test team, and then to the teams Godalming research and development department. He returned to the test team in 1991, before being made Martin Brundle's race engineer in 1992.
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Pat Symonds
Patrick "Pat" Bruce Reith Symonds (born 11 June 1953 in England) is the former Executive Director of Engineering of the Renault Formula One team and currently a consultant to the Marussia F1 team.
After Gresham's School, Holt, Oxford Polytechnic and Cranfield University where he studied for a Masters, Symonds worked in the lower motor sport categories and joined the Toleman team in the early 1980s. As Toleman grew, was taken over to become Benetton, and was subsequently sold and renamed Renault F1, Symonds remained with the team and worked his way through the technical ranks.
Symonds served as an engineer for many of the team's drivers, including Alessandro Nannini and Teo Fabi, and he made a brief move to the abortive Reynard F1 project with then-chief designer Rory Byrne in 1991.
In the mid-1990s he was Michael Schumacher's race engineer while also assuming the role of Head of Research and Development. Symonds remained with the team when Schumacher departed to Ferrari in 1996. When Ross Brawn was also lured to the Italian team a year later Symonds became Technical Director.
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Patrick Tambay
Patrick Daniel Tambay (born 25 June 1949 in Paris) is a French former racing driver. He competed in 123 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, winning twice, securing 5 pole positions and scoring a total of 103 Championship points. In 2006, he raced in the inaugural season of the Grand Prix Masters formula for retired Formula One drivers, and continued in the series in 2007.
Early in his career, Tambay was a part of Formula 5000 with the team run by Carl Haas
In 1977, winning the Can Am championship with Haas, Tambay debuted in Formula One on a one-off basis with Surtees, driving in only one session at the 1977 French Grand Prix before spending the rest of the season with Theodore. The team, in collaboration with Ensign, was running their N177 chassis. The showings proved fruitful as he moved to McLaren to race Formula One full time for the 1978 and 1979 seasons. In 1980, he returned to Can Am with the Lola team run by Carl Haas, immediately winning early in the season and then winning his second Can-Am championship.
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Pedro de la Rosa
Pedro Martínez de la Rosa (born 24 February 1971) is a Formula One driver who has participated in 87 Grands Prix for the Arrows, Jaguar, McLaren and Sauber teams, debuting on 7 March 1999, becoming one of very few drivers to score a point at his first race. He has scored a total of 35 championship points, which includes a podium finish at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix.
On 21 November 2011, it was announced that de la Rosa had signed a two-year contract to drive for the HRT F1 team.
De la Rosa was born in Cardedeu, Catalonia, Spain, and unlike most drivers, he started his career in radio-controlled cars, specialising in 1:8 off-road. He won the European radio controlled off-road championship twice in 1983 and 1984 and was runner up in the world championship in 1986. It was only after that when he started karting in a local Spanish championship in 1988 when he was 17. He then joined the Spanish Formula Fiat Uno and became champion in 1989.
In 1990, de le Rosa raced in Spanish Formula Ford 1600 and became champion. He later drove in British Formula Ford 1600 and got two podiums out of six races. In 1991, de la Rosa achieved fourth place in the Spanish Formula Renault Championship with three podium finishes. In 1992 he was both European and British Formula Renault champion. He slipped down the order in the next two years. In 1995, he was champion of the Japanese Formula Three series and third in the Macau Grand Prix. In 1996, he finished 8th in both the Formula Nippon and All Japan GT Championship. The next year he was champion in Formula Nippon. He was also the All Japan GT Champion with Michael Krumm.
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Pedro Lamy
José Pedro Mourão Lamy Viçoso, OIH, better known as Pedro Lamy (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpeðɾu laˈmi]; born March 20, 1972 in Aldeia Galega, Alenquer, Portugal), is a professional racing driver from Portugal. He is notable for being the first Portuguese driver to score a point in a World Championship event, in the 1995 Australian Grand Prix, for Minardi.
After graduating from karting, Lamy won the Portuguese Formula Ford Championship in his debut year, in 1989, at the age of 17. Taking on Domingos Piedade as a manager, Lamy moved to Formula Opel Lotus and won the championship in his second attempt, in 1991. With Piedade's help, Pedro went to Germany to race in the local Formula Three series. Signing for Willi Weber's team, he defeated Marco Werner in the fight for the Championship, in 1992, also winning the Marlboro Masters in Zandvoort and finishing second in the Macau Grand Prix. In 1993 he raced for Crypton Engineering in Formula 3000 and finished second in the series, one point behind champion Olivier Panis, although he scored a win at Pau, a narrow street course considered even more difficult than Monaco.
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Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (name given as Edison on birth certificate, born 21 October 1940 (however, Pelé himself claims that he was born on 23 October) ), known by his nickname Pelé (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [peˈlɛ]), is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as the best football player of all time. In 1999, he was voted Football Player of the Century by the IFFHS International Federation of Football History and Statistics. In the same year French weekly magazine France-Football consulted their former "Ballon D'Or" winners to elect the Football Player of the Century. Pelé came in first place. In 1999 the International Olympic Committee named Pelé the "Athlete of the Century". In his career he scored 760 official goals. He is also the most successful Top Division goal scorer of all time with 541 League goals. In total Pelé scored 1281 goals in 1363 games.
In his native Brazil, Pelé is hailed as a national hero. He is known for his accomplishments and contributions to the game of football. He is also acknowledged for his vocal support of policies to improve the social conditions of the poor (when he scored his 1,000th goal he dedicated it to the poor children of Brazil). During his career, he became known as "The King of Football" (O Rei do Futebol), "The King Pelé" (O Rei Pelé) or simply "The King" (O Rei).
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Peter Elkmann
Peter Elkmann (born September 16, 1981 in North Rhine-Westphalia, Steinfurt) is a German racing driver. He has competed in such series as the Formula Three Euroseries and the German Formula Three Championship.
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Peter Sauber
Peter Sauber (born October 13, 1943 in Zurich, Switzerland) is the team principal and owner of various motorsports teams, most visibly the eponymous Sauber Formula One team.
After being trained as an electrician Peter Sauber took the plunge into adult life by taking on a role as a car salesman in Hinwil, Switzerland. This was Sauber's first real association with the automobile and it proved to be the catalyst for his involvement in motor-racing.
Sauber's motorsport connection was somewhat paradoxical, given that racing in his native land had been banned after the Le Mans tragedy of 1955. That said, he still managed to compete in hillclimbing events in the Volkswagen Beetle he'd purchased and thus the foundations for his first project as a team owner were laid.
After opting not to take on the family traffic light business, Peter built the Sauber C1 (the C stands for Christiane, the name of Peter Sauber's wife) in his parents' basement. It was a car of tubular frame, powered by a 1-litre Ford Cosworth engine. He subsequently drove it to the 1970 Swiss hillclimb championship. It also remained in racing for ten years in the hands of other drivers, notably Friedrich Hürzeler, who took the 1974 crown in the car.
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Phil Hill
Philip Toll Hill, Jr. (April 20, 1927 – August 28, 2008) was a United States automobile racer and the only American-born driver to win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship. Hill was described as a "thoughtful, gentle man" and once said, "I'm in the wrong business. I don't want to beat anybody, I don't want to be the big hero. I'm a peace-loving man, basically."
Born in Miami, Florida, Hill was raised in Santa Monica, California, where he lived until his death. He studied business administration at the University of Southern California from 1945-47 where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. Hill left early to pursue auto racing, working as a mechanic on other drivers' cars. Hill began racing cars at an early age, going to England as a Jaguar trainee in 1949 and signing with Enzo Ferrari’s team in 1956. He made his debut in the French Grand Prix at Reims France in 1958 driving a Maserati. That same year, paired with Belgian teammate Olivier Gendebien, Hill became the first American-born winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Hill driving most of the night in horrific rainy conditions. He and Gendebien would go on to win the famous endurance race again in 1961 and 1962.
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Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera (Catalan: [rəˈfɛɫ nəˈðaɫ pəˈɾeɾə]; Spanish: [rafaˈel naˈðal paˈɾeɾa]) (born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. As of 28 May 2012 (2012 -05-28)[update], he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time; his success on clay has earned him the nickname "The King of Clay", and has prompted many experts to regard him as the greatest clay court player of all time.
Nadal has won ten Grand Slam singles titles, including a record six French Open titles (tied with Bjorn Borg), the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, a record 21 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, and also was part of the Spain Davis Cup team that won the finals in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2011. He completed the Career Grand Slam by winning the 2010 US Open, being the seventh player in history, and the youngest in the open era, to achieve it. He is the second male player to complete the Career Golden Slam (winner of the four grand slams and the Olympic Gold medal) after only Andre Agassi.
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Ralf Schumacher
Ralf Schumacher (born 30 June 1975) is a German racing driver, and the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher. His own Formula One career spanned 11 seasons from 1997 to 2007, during which time he won six races from 180 starts and achieved 27 podium finishes, before retiring from Grand Prix racing after failing to secure a drive for 2008. Since 2008 he has been racing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series with Mercedes.
Schumacher was born in Hürth, North Rhine-Westphalia. He started racing at age three on his parents' go-kart track in their home town of Kerpen. After finishing runner-up in the national karting series, Schumacher graduated to the German Formula Three championship in 1995. Finishing runner up in this series was not the highlight of the year for him though, as he also won the Macau street race, a feat also accomplished by his brother Michael. In the race, he beat future F1 teammate Jarno Trulli, Pedro de la Rosa and Norberto Fontana, the driver he finished runner-up to in German Formula 3.
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René Arnoux
René Alexandre Arnoux (born 4 July 1948 in Pontcharra, Isère) is a retired French racing driver who is a veteran of 12 Formula One seasons (1978 to 1989). In 2006 he raced in the inaugural season of the Grand Prix Masters formula for retired F1 drivers.
European Formula Two champion in 1977, René Arnoux graduated to Formula One in 1978, with the small French Martini team of Tico Martini. In an organisation with insufficient means to figure in the highest echelon of the sport, Arnoux was unable to demonstrate his abilities. Martini abandoned Formula One during the season, having run short of money. Arnoux found refuge at the end of the season at the Surtees team, but once again found himself in a team on the edge of failure.
For the 1979 season, Arnoux joined the Renault team, which entered two cars for the first time since its debut in 1977. The team's only victory of the year was taken by Arnoux's teammate Jean-Pierre Jabouille at the French Grand Prix at the Dijon-Prenois circuit, but Arnoux took the headlines due to a fierce but good-natured wheel-banging battle with Gilles Villeneuve for second place, where Arnoux took third.
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Riccardo Patrese
Riccardo Gabriele Patrese (born 17 April 1954) is an Italian former racing driver, who raced in Formula One from 1977 to 1993.
He became the first Formula One driver to achieve 200 Grand Prix starts when he appeared at the 1990 British Grand Prix, and the first to achieve 250 starts at the 1993 German Grand Prix. Patrese entered 257 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix and started 256 races making him the third most experienced F1 driver in history, after Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher. He was runner-up in the 1992 Formula One season and third in 1989 and 1991. He won six Formula One races, with a record gap of over six years between two of these – the 1983 South African Grand Prix and 1990 San Marino Grand Prix.
Patrese was born in Padua, Veneto. He made his debut in 1977 with the Shadow racing team at the Monaco Grand Prix when the team were forced to change drivers due to Renzo Zorzi having financial problems. Later that year team-leader Jackie Oliver left Shadow to form the Arrows team, taking Patrese with him. Shadow took Arrows to court, arguing that the design of the Arrows car was so similar to their own that Arrows had stolen it. The court agreed, forcing Arrows to redesign their car, which they did in just six weeks.
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Richard Seaman
Richard John Beattie "Dick" Seaman (4 February 1913 in Chichester, Sussex, England – 25 June 1939 at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium), was one of the greatest pre-war Grand Prix drivers from Britain.
He famously drove for the Mercedes-Benz team from 1937-1939 in the Mercedes-Benz W125 car, winning the 1938 German Grand Prix.
Seaman was born into a wealthy family and developed an enthusiasm for motoring in his childhood. After studying at Rugby School and Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1934 he resolved to become a racing driver and took his MG car to the European mainland to gain experience. He won the Voiturette race of the Swiss Grand Prix event at Bremgarten at his first attempt. He won other small races for English Racing Automobiles (ERA) and eventually Mercedes team chief Alfred Neubauer invited him for a trial at the Nürburgring. Both Silver Arrows teams used to have at least one foreign driver, if available.
In 1937 he signed for Mercedes-Benz against the wishes of his mother, who did not want him to drive for a "Nazi" team. Having a solid start to his career with Mercedes in 1937, he excelled in the 1938 season - he won the 1938 German Grand Prix, giving the Nazi salute on the podium and becoming one of the favourite drivers of Hitler, and came second in the 1938 Swiss Grand Prix. In December 1938 he married Erica Popp, the daughter of the director of BMW, again against his mother's wishes.
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Richie Stanaway
Richie Stanaway (born November 24, 1991) is a racing car driver from New Zealand.
Born in Tauranga, Stanaway was originally from a motocross background, before making the switch to speedway at the age of twelve. Following that came a brief foray into kart racing prior to making his formula car debut in 2007 after being selected for the New Zealand SpeedSport Scholarship. He competed in the 2007/08 Formula First championship finishing third overall as the highest placed rookie.
Stanaway then made the jump to the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship with Hamilton based, debutant team TSR Racing alongside team-mate Martin Short. Prior to National championship he raced in the winter series to prepare, winning numerous races in the process with the newly imported Mygale chassis. Stanaway won the 2008/09 New Zealand Formula Ford Championship with fourteen race wins, becoming only the second driver in history to win the title as a rookie.
He then competed in the 2009 Australian Formula Ford Championship with Adelaide based, Team BRM, making their debut in the formula ford championship after a long history of Formula 3 experience. During his Australian Formula Ford campaign in April 2009, Stanaway made his debut in New Zealand's Toyota Racing Series during a one off appearance on the Hamilton 400 street circuit, scoring both pole positions and winning both races on debut. He then had to pull out half way through the Australian Formula Ford Championship to take up testing and racing opportunities in the ADAC Formula Masters Championship in Germany. Despite missing six of the races, Richie finished sixth place in the 2009 Australian Formula Ford Championship taking one race win and six podium finishes.
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Rocco Benetton
Rocco Benetton (born September 29, 1969 in Treviso, Veneto, Italy) is the former chief executive of the Benetton Formula One team.
He is the son of Luciano and Maria Teresa Benetton and a member of the Italian Benetton family which founded the Benetton Group S.p.A. clothing company in 1965. After studying Mechanical Engineering in the United States at Boston University, he moved to New York where he worked in hedge funds for Oppenheimer & Co. and Alpha Investment Management. At the latter, he served as Managing Director.
In September 1997, he was called back to Europe to take a position in the Benetton Formula One team following the departure of chief executive Flavio Briatore. Rocco started out as commercial director, working alongside chief executive David Richards. Richards tried to convince the family that it was necessary to sell some of the shares in the team to the Ford Motor Company, in order to get a factory engine supply. The Benettons did not agree so Richards departed in October 1998 and Rocco was appointed chief executive, the youngest in F1 at the time. He disappeared from F1 when the team was sold to Renault at the start of 2000.
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Roger Federer
Roger Federer (German pronunciation: [ˈfeːdəʁɐ]) (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP No. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks from 2 February 2004 to 18 August 2008. Federer has occupied the #1 ranking for 285 overall weeks, one week short of the record 286 weeks held by Pete Sampras. As of 28 May 2012, he is ranked World No. 3. Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles. He is one of seven male players to capture the career Grand Slam and one of three (with Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal) to do so on three different surfaces (clay, grass, and hard courts). He is the only male player in tennis history to have reached the title match of each Grand Slam tournament at least five times and also the final at each of the nine ATP Masters 1000 Tournaments. Many sports analysts, tennis critics, and former and current players consider Federer to be the greatest tennis player of all time.
Federer has appeared in an unprecedented 23 career Grand Slam tournament finals, including a men's record ten in a row, and appeared in 18 of 19 finals from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open, the lone exception being the 2008 Australian Open. He holds the record of reaching the semifinals or better of 23 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments over five and a half years, from the 2004 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open. At the 2012 Australian Open, he reached a record 31st consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal. During the course of his run at the 2012 French Open in Roland Garros, Federer eclipsed Jimmy Connors long standing record of 233 match wins in Grand Slam tournaments when he defeated Adrian Ungur in a second round match.
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Roland Ratzenberger
Roland Ratzenberger (4 July 1960 – 30 April 1994) was an Austrian racing driver who raced in Formula Nippon, Formula 3000 and Formula One. He died during qualifying for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, the same event at which three-time World Champion Ayrton Senna died the following day.
Born in Salzburg, Austria, Ratzenberger often claimed 1962 (rather than 1960) as his birth year, wanting to appear younger to extend his racing career. He began racing in German Formula Ford in 1983, and in 1985 won both the Austrian and Central European Formula Ford championships.
In 1985 he also entered the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch in England, finishing second. He returned in 1986 and won it before graduating to British Formula Three the following season. While in the UK, he briefly gained fame for the similarity of his name to that of TV puppet Roland Rat, with whom he appeared in an edition of TV-am and whose branding briefly appeared on his car.
Two years in British F3 yielded two 12th places in the championship with West Surrey Racing and Madgwick Motorsport respectively. He also raced in other formulae than single seaters, once finishing second in the 1987 World Touring Car Championship driving a Team Schnitzer BMW M3. In 1988 he entered the final few rounds of the British Touring Car Championship in a class B BMW M3 for the Demon Tweeks team.
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Romain Grosjean
Romain Grosjean (French pronunciation: [ʁomɛ̃ gʁoʒɑ̃], born 17 April 1986 in Geneva, Switzerland) is a Swiss racing driver for the Lotus F1 Team. He races under the French flag in Formula One although he has lived his entire life in Switzerland. He was the 2007 Formula Three Euroseries drivers' champion and the inaugural GP2 Asia Series champion and first drove in Formula One in 2009. He is the 2011 GP2 Asia Series and GP2 Series champion and is the first – and as of April 2012, only – two-time GP2 Asia champion and the only driver to hold both the GP2 Asia series and main GP2 series titles simultaneously.
In 2012, Grosjean returned to Formula One with the Lotus F1 Team, alongside Kimi Räikkönen.
Grosjean won all ten rounds of the 2003 Swiss Formula Renault 1.6 championship and moved to the French Formula Renault championship for 2004.
He was seventh in that first season with one win and champion in 2005 with ten victories. Grosjean also appeared in the Formula Renault Eurocup and finished on the podium twice in Valencia.
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Ronny Ackermann
Ronny Ackermann (born May 16, 1977 in Bad Salzungen, Thuringia) is a successful German Nordic combined skier.
Ackermann started to learn to ski when he was five years old and took up ski-jumping two years later. As of 2004, he belongs to the team of Rhöner WSV Dermbach. His many successes include winning the Nordic combined World Cup in 2002, 2003 and 2008.
Ackermann found success in the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, winning ten medals, including four golds (15 km individual: 2003, 2005, 2007; 7.5 km sprint: 2005), five silvers (7.5 km sprint: 2003, 4 x 5 km team: 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009), and a bronze (7.5 km sprint: 2001.) He also has won three silvers at the Winter Olympics in the sprint (2002) and team (2002, 2006) events. Ackermann is the first person to win the 15 km individual World Championships three straight times and the first to do it at the World Championships or Winter Olympic level since fellow German Ulrich Wehling did it during the Winter Olympics of 1972, 1976, 1980.
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Rory Byrne
Rory Byrne (born 10 January 1944, Pretoria, South Africa) is a South African engineer and car designer, most famous for being the chief designer at the Benetton and Scuderia Ferrari Formula One teams.
Since joining Ferrari in 1997 Byrne designed cars have won over seventy Grands Prix, seven constructors titles and six drivers titles. This outstanding record of success made Byrne the most successful Formula One designer of the last decade, narrowly eclipsing rival Adrian Newey, until the latter retook his lead with his successes in 2010 and 2011 with Red Bull.
Byrne became interested in motor racing at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, South Africa, firstly as a competitor and later the technical aspects of the sport. After graduating in 1965 Byrne began working as a chemist but retained his fascination for racing until by the late 1960s he, with three friends Dave Collier, Ronny and Dougie Bennett, set up a company importing performance car parts called Auto Drag and Speed Den situated in Jules Street, Malvern, Johannesburg and later Voortrekker Road in Alberton. It was in this period that he first began to design racing cars, putting to use his mathematical knowledge even though he lacked formal engineering training. His first car, a Formula Ford racer, was competitive and finished well in the 1972 championship.
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Ross Brawn
Ross James Brawn OBE (born 23 November 1954) is an English motorsport engineer and Formula One team principal. He has worked for a number of Formula One teams, serving as the technical director of the championship-winning Benetton and Ferrari teams. He took a sabbatical from the sport in 2007 but returned to F1 for the 2008 season as Team Principal of Honda. He was the owner of the Brawn GP team, which acquired the Honda team in early 2009, and won the Formula One Constructors and Drivers Championships in that year. Mercedes bought into the team in November 2009, making Brawn Team Principal & Co-Owner with Nick Fry. In 2011 Brawn & Fry sold the remaining shares to Mercedes Benz. Brawn remains as Team Principal with Fry as CEO.
Brawn was born in south Manchester, Lancashire (now part of Greater Manchester) England. He became interested in engineering during his early years, often visiting Belle Vue Stadium to watch various forms of motor racing. He moved south aged 11 as his father took job near Reading and subsequently he attended Reading School in Reading, Berkshire.
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Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Gonçalves "Rubinho" Barrichello (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʁubẽjs baʁiˈkɛlu], born 23 May 1972 in São Paulo) is a racing driver from Brazil, best known for competing in Formula One between 1993 and 2011. After losing his seat at the Williams F1 team, Barrichello is competing in the IndyCar Series in 2012 with KV Racing Technology.
Barrichello has scored the eighth highest points total in Formula One history. Barrichello drove for Ferrari from 2000 to 2005, as Michael Schumacher's teammate, enjoying considerable success including finishing as championship runner-up in 2002 and 2004. Schumacher's retirement at the end of 2006 made Barrichello the most experienced driver on the grid, and at the 2008 Turkish Grand Prix he became the most experienced driver in F1 history. He became the first driver to reach 300 Grand Prix entries and 300 starts, doing so in 2010. He was also appointed chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association in 2010, but after losing his seat in Formula One, he was replaced by Pedro de la Rosa.
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Rudolf Uhlenhaut
Rudolf Uhlenhaut (born 15 July 1906 in London to a German father and English mother, † 8 May 1989 in Stuttgart), was an Anglo-German engineer and executive for Mercedes-Benz. He had a long association with the Mercedes-Benz racing programme of the '30s and '50s, and is best known for his road legal version of the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SLR race car.
Uhlenhaut was born in London, during his father's term as head of the London branch of the Deutsche Bank. Later the family moved to Brüssels and Bremen. As an avid skier, he pursued his studies in Munich.
In 1931 he joined Mercedes-Benz, working under Fritz Nallinger on the development of the Mercedes 170V. In 1936 Uhlenhaut assumed leadership of the race car department. Auto Union dominated the 1936 Grand Prix season over the aging Mercedes-Benz W25. As a talented driver in his own right, he was able to spot the deficiencies of the chassis and suspension, however he never raced competitively as he was needed for his engineering skills. The replacement for the Mercedes-Benz W25, the Mercedes-Benz W125, remedied the chassis and suspension shortcomings and was much more powerful. The W125 dominated the 1937 Grand Prix season, and was considered the most powerful Grand Prix car until the turbocharged cars of the early 1980s. In 1938 rule changes necessitated a new car for 1938 Grand Prix season, the Mercedes-Benz W154.
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Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar ( pronunciation (help·info); born 24 April 1973) is an Indian cricketer widely considered to be one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the first player to score a double century in ODI cricket. In 2002, just 12 years into his career, Wisden ranked him the second greatest Test batsman of all time, behind Donald Bradman, and the second greatest one-day-international (ODI) batsman of all time, behind Viv Richards. Tendulkar was a part of the 2011 Cricket World Cup winning Indian team in the later part of his career, his first such win in six World Cup appearances for India. He is currently nominated for receiving the Bharat Ratna award.
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Sam Bird
Sam Bird (born 9 January 1987 in Roehampton) is a British racing driver; he was educated at Millfield School in Somerset.
Bird made his name in single seater racing in the Formula BMW category, coming fourteenth overall in his debut season and second in the rookie cup. He came runner up in 2005, which was only his second season in the category and also came fourth in the Formula BMW world final, the race itself was won by German Marco Holzer.
For 2006, Bird entered the British Formula Renault series, where he won four races and came fourth in the championship, 111 points behind series champion Sebastian Hohenthal.
In 2007, Bird raced in the British Formula Three Championship with Carlin Motorsport, racing in a Mercedes powered Dallara. In March 2007, Bird secured sponsorship from BP, "The brand is already prominent in the World Rally Championship" Mark Reader, BP's UK Fuels Marketing Manager, commented, "Sam’s an incredible prospect and we’re excited to be getting into a relationship at this stage of his career" he added. Bird was elected to the Motor Sports Association Race Elite Scheme in April 2007, along with 5 other drivers in various British series and also participated in a series of aerodynamic tests with the AT&T Williams F1 Team.
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Sam Michael
Samuel David "Sam" Michael (born 29 April 1971) is sporting director at McLaren, a Formula One constructor. He was born in Western Australia and grew up in Canberra. After studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of New South Wales with a thesis on data acquisition systems for racing cars, he worked with the Formula Holden team. The team owner, Gregg Siddle, employed him on a part-time basis so that Michael could continue his studies.
He was recruited by Lotus in 1993. After Team Lotus went bankrupt in 1994 Gary Anderson, the chief designer at Jordan Grand Prix, took Michael on. He established the team's research and development department. He spent two years working in the Jordan factory on data acquisition. He also installed a seven-post rig for simulating suspension movement and designing an active differential.
In 1997, Michael joined the Jordan test team. In 1998 he was promoted to race engineer for Ralf Schumacher. When the German departed to go to Williams in 1999, Michael inherited Heinz-Harald Frentzen. The Michael/Frentzen partnership was successful, resulting in a win at the French Grand Prix at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, and then again at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
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Sebastian Stahl
Sebastian Stahl (born 20 September 1978 in Germany) is a race car driver nicknamed Schumi III as he is the stepbrother of Formula One drivers Michael Schumacher and Ralf Schumacher. His mother had married their father.
Stahl also raced in the VLN endurance series on the Nürburgring and the 24 Hours Nürburgring for "Airnergy-Motorsport", on BMW M3 GT with Kenneth Heyer.
He drove for A1 Grand Prix's A1 Team Germany at the 2006 season ender in China.
(key)
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Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel (German pronunciation: [zeˈbasti̯an ˈfɛtəl]; born 3 July 1987) is a German Formula One racing driver, currently driving for Red Bull Racing. He is the current World Champion, having won the championship in 2010 and 2011.
In his first year driving for Red Bull in 2009, Vettel finished the season as the youngest-ever World Drivers' championship runner-up. He also secured Red Bull's first pole position and race win in the team's history. The following year he went on to become the youngest driver ever to win the World Drivers' Championship. In the same year he helped Red Bull win the team's first World Constructors' Championship. He followed up his first championship with a second in 2011, becoming the youngest double as well as youngest consecutive champion.
Vettel holds numerous other "youngest" Formula One records, among them: the youngest driver to have taken part in an official practice session of a Grand Prix, to score championship points, to lead a race, to secure pole position, and to win a race.
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Sergio Pérez
Sergio Pérez Mendoza (born January 26, 1990 in Guadalajara, Jalisco), also known as "Checo" Pérez, is a Mexican racing driver currently racing for Sauber in the 2012 Formula One season. Pérez, who currently resides in Schindellegi, Switzerland, is the younger brother of former champion NASCAR Corona Series driver Antonio Pérez and is also a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy. He also took his first Formula One podium at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix.
Pérez competed in the United States-based Skip Barber National Championship in 2004. Driving for a team sponsored by Mexican telecommunications company Telmex, he finished eleventh in the championship.
Pérez moved to Europe for 2005 to compete in the German Formula BMW ADAC series. He finished fourteenth in the championship, driving for Team Rosberg, and improved to sixth position the following year.
In the 2006–07 A1 Grand Prix season, Pérez took part in a single round of the championship for A1 Team Mexico. He was the third-youngest driver to take part in the series.
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Stefan Bellof
Stefan Bellof (born 20 November 1957 in Gießen, West Germany; died 1 September 1985 in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium) was a racing driver who is famous for setting the fastest lap ever on the Nordschleife configuration at the Nürburgring in 1983, driving a Porsche 956. He was the World Sportscar Championship Drivers Champion in 1984, driving for the factory Rothmans Porsche team. He also competed with the Tyrrell Formula One team during 1984 and 1985. He was killed in an accident during the 1985 1000 km of Spa World Sportscar Championship race.
Following in his brother Geörg's footsteps, Stefan Bellof made his karting début in 1973, competing in the Automobilclub von Deutschland's Federal Junior Cup, in which he ended up in fourth position. Several other top-five championship placings occurred during the next few years before Bellof claimed his first karting title, by winning the International Karting Championship of Luxembourg in 1976. In the same season, Bellof also finished thirteenth in the Karting World Championship in Hagen, Germany. Geörg won the German Karting Championship in 1978, while Stefan finished in eighth position in the same race, improving to third in 1979 and becoming German champion in 1980, while dovetailing a campaign in Formula Ford.
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Stefano Domenicali
Stefano Domenicali (born May 11, 1965) is an Italian manager, currently the team principal of the Ferrari Formula One team.
He was born to a prominent banker in Imola. He studied business administration at Bologna University, graduating in 1991. He always believed that he was destined to a career in motorsport due to his birthplace.
He joined Ferrari, immediately after graduation in 1991, where he worked in company's fiscal administration. Between 1992 to 1994, he was race director at Mugello and was involved in MotoGP, DTM and other racing series. In 1995, he was appointed head of personnel in Ferrari's sporting department and was also involved with sponsorship liaison, before being promoted to Team Manager in December 1996. He remained there till January 2001. After a brief stint as Logistics Manager, he became the team's Sporting Director in 2002. On November 12, 2007 Ferrari announced Stefano Domenicali would take on the role of Director of the Ferrari Formula One team, a position previously held by Jean Todt, and became team principal in 2008. Under his leadership, Ferrari won the 2008 Constructors' Championship, before enduring a less competitive 2009 season in which the team won only a single race. In 2010, the team won five races and finished third in the Constructors' Championship, behind Red Bull Racing and McLaren.
wn.com/Stefano_Domenicali -
Steve Matchett
Steve Matchett (born December 23, 1962 in England) is currently a commentator for American TV network Speed Channel on its various Formula One programs. Notably, he hosts live Formula One practice sessions and races with David Hobbs and Bob Varsha.
Alongside his live F1 duties Matchett also presents a pre-recorded show on Speed Channel called Debrief, reviewing the events of the preceding week's grand prix.
He is a columnist for the Speed Channel website and presents a series of web-based video 'chalk-talk' features in which, with photographs and telestrator, he explains F1 engineering and technical matters.
He was a regular contributor and columnist to F1 Racing magazine from 1996 to 2008. He was Technical Editor of the magazine from 1998 to 2008 (resigning his editorship when Matt Bishop resigned as Editor-in-Chief).
He has also published a semi-autobiographical trilogy based around his years in the F1 pit lane.
Loughborough University (technical college) 1979-1982, City & Guilds Mechanical Engineering Apprenticeship
wn.com/Steve_Matchett -
Stirling Moss
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE (Fellow of the Institute of Engineers) (born 17 September 1929 in London) is a former racing driver from England. His success in a variety of categories placed him among the world's elite—he is often called "the greatest driver never to win the World Championship".
Moss was educated at two independent schools: at Clewer Manor Junior School, a preparatory school linked to the senior school Haileybury and Imperial Service College, and then to the senior school, both of which were for boys (but are now co-educational), and located at Hertford Heath, near Hertford in Hertfordshire.
Moss, who raced from 1948 to 1962, won 212 of the 529 races he entered, including 16 Formula One Grands Prix. He would compete in as many as 62 races in a single year and drove 84 different makes of car over the course of his racing career, including Lotus, Vanwall, Maserati, Jaguar, Ferrari and Porsche. Like many drivers of the era, he competed in several formulae—very often on the same day.
wn.com/Stirling_Moss -
The Stig
The Stig is a character in the British motoring television show Top Gear. The character plays on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, with the running joke that nobody knows who, or indeed what, is inside the character's racing suit. The character was the creation of presenter Jeremy Clarkson and the show's producer Andy Wilman. "Stig" was a nickname for new boys at their old school, Repton. Although there is one "main" Stig, there are several "spin-off" Stigs, referred to by the presenters as "The Stig's <usually a reference to where the presenters are located> cousin."
The Stig is responsible for setting lap times for cars tested on the show, as well as instructing celebrity guests in the show's Star in a Reasonably Priced Car section. (see "Role" below) There have currently been three Stigs—the first Stig started on episode 1, but was killed off in the first episode of series 3. The second Stig appeared in the next episode, and lasted until series 15. The third Stig took over from December 2010.
wn.com/The_Stig -
Thomas Winkelhock
Thomas Winkelhock (born May 22, 1968 in Waiblingen, Baden-Württemberg) is a German racing driver. He has competed in such series as the European Touring Car Championship and the German Formula Three Championship. He won the Formula König series in 1989 and was the ADAC Procar Series champion in 1998.
wn.com/Thomas_Winkelhock -
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No. 1, he is the highest-paid professional athlete in the world, having earned an estimated US$90.5 million from winnings and endorsements in 2010.
Woods turned professional in 1996, and by April 1997 he had already won his first major, the 1997 Masters. He first reached the number one position in the world rankings in June 1997. Through the 2000s, Woods was the dominant force in golf, spending 264 weeks from August 1999 to September 2004 and 281 weeks from June 2005 to October 2010 as world number one. From December 2009 to early April 2010, Woods took leave from professional golf to focus on his marriage after he admitted infidelity. His multiple infidelities were revealed by several different women, through many worldwide media sources. This was followed by a loss of form, and his ranking gradually fell to a low of #58 in November 2011. He snapped a career-long winless streak of 107 weeks when he captured the Chevron World Challenge in December 2011. As of April 8, 2012, he is ranked #8.
wn.com/Tiger_Woods -
Timo Glock
Timo Glock (born 18 March 1982) is a German motor racing driver, currently driving in Formula One for the Marussia F1 team. At the 2004 Canadian Grand Prix, standing in for Giorgio Pantano who had a contract dispute with Jordan Grand Prix, he joined a select group of drivers who have scored a World Championship point in their first Formula One race.
Born in Lindenfels, West Germany, Glock began his motorsport career in 1998 at the age of 15. He won several karting championships as well as the BMW ADAC Formula Junior Cup in 2000 and the Formula BMW ADAC Championship in 2001. In his first German Formula Three Championship season in 2002, he finished third in the standings en route to rookie of the year honours. In 2003, he competed in the Formula Three Euroseries, winning three races and scoring three other podium finishes, which were enough to place him in fifth position in the Championship.
Glock was signed as Jordan Grand Prix's test driver for the 2004 Formula One season and made his Formula One debut at the Canadian Grand Prix replacing Giorgio Pantano for one race. He finished 11th, but inherited 7th following the disqualification of the Williams and Toyota cars and thus scored two points on his debut. He finished the season with Jordan, taking over from Pantano for the last three races. Glock's sponsorship with Deutsche Post helped bring back the colours of DHL to Jordan.
wn.com/Timo_Glock -
Tom Dillmann
Tom Dillmann (born 6 April 1989 in Mulhouse) is a French racing driver, best known for winning the German Formula Three Championship in 2010. He currently drives for the Rapax Team in the GP2 Series.
The son of retired racing driver, mechanic and team manager Gerard Dillmann, Tom Dillmann started his career by winning the regional Alsace soap box championship in 1999. He raced go-karts from 2000 to 2002 in the minime and junior classes, and won a regional title and also achieved fourth place in the French championship. In 2003, Dillmann tested a prototype made by his father. He drove the car, powered by a motorbike engine, on circuit and ice.
In 2004, Dillmann entered the Formula Renault 1600 Belgium series with his family-run Tom Team. He finished fifth in the championship with three podiums, including a victory at Spa-Francorchamps. He also contested selected races of the Formula Renault Monza and Formula Junior 1600 Spain championships, taking a podium finish in the latter. Dillmann moved into the Formula Renault Eurocup in 2005, as part of a three-car Prema Powerteam effort alongside Kamui Kobayashi and Patrick Rocha. Dillmann contested the first three meetings with Prema, before moving to Cram Competition for the next two meetings. Having failed to score points to that point, Dillmann elected to stand down from his drive due to a lack of experience. He also contested three meetings of the French championship, but failed to score any points.
wn.com/Tom_Dillmann -
Toshihiro Kaneishi
Toshihiro Kaneishi (金石 年弘, Kaneishi Toshihiro?, born December 19, 1978 in Osaka, Japan) is an Japanese racing driver. He has competed in such series as Formula Nippon and Super GT.
wn.com/Toshihiro_Kaneishi -
Usain Bolt
The Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. ( /ˈjuːseɪn/; born 21 August 1986), is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and (along with his teammates) the 4×100 metres relay. He is the reigning Olympic champion in these three events, and is one of only seven athletes (along with Valerie Adams, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Jacques Freitag, Yelena Isinbayeva, Jana Pittman, Dani Samuels) to win world championships at the youth, junior, and senior level of an athletic event.
Bolt won a 200 m gold medal at the 2002 World Junior Championships, making him the competition's youngest-ever gold medalist at the time (since surpassed by Jacko Gill). In 2004, at the CARIFTA Games, he became the first junior sprinter to run the 200 m in less than 20 seconds with a time of 19.93 s, breaking the previous world junior record held by Roy Martin by two-tenths of a second. He turned professional in 2004, and although he competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics, he missed most of the next two seasons due to injuries. In 2007, he broke Don Quarrie's 200 m Jamaican record with a run of 19.75 s.
wn.com/Usain_Bolt -
Vitaly Petrov
Vitaly Aleksandrovich Petrov (Russian: Виталий Александрович Петров, born 8 September 1984 in Vyborg) is a Russian Formula One racing driver who is driving for the Caterham F1 Team in 2012, having driven for Renault in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. He is known as the "Vyborg Rocket" (Russian: Выборгская Ракета) in Russia. He is, to date, the only Russian to have competed in the Formula One World Championship.
Unlike most top drivers, Petrov did not begin his career in karting, as there was very little motorsport where he lived. He instead enrolled in the University of Moscow,[when?] where he gained a degree in meteorology. Afterwards he began competing in the Russian Lada Cup in 2001. He remained in the series for 2002 dominating the championship, winning all rounds and amassing the maximum points possible of 500.
In 2003, Petrov began racing in the Formula Renault championships. His main campaign was in the Italian Formula Renault Championship for Euronova Racing, finishing 19th overall. During the year he competed in several rounds of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, the Formula Renault 2.0 UK series, and finished fourth in the British Formula Renault Winter Series at the end of the year, taking one win. He also made his debut in Euro Formula 3000 at Cagliari.
wn.com/Vitaly_Petrov -
Vitantonio Liuzzi
Vitantonio "Tonio" Liuzzi (born 6 August 1981) is an Italian race driver who formerly raced in Formula One for the Red Bull, HRT, Force India and Toro Rosso teams. He has homes in Lugano, Switzerland and Pescara, Italy.
Born in Locorotondo, BA, Apulia, Liuzzi, like many auto racing drivers, began his career in kart racing (at age 9). He won the 1993 Italian Karting Championship, and in 1995 took second in the Karting World Championship and placed fifth in the European Championship. He won the Karting World Championship in 2001. He beat Formula One champion Michael Schumacher at Kerpen, Schumacher's 'home' track.
Liuzzi then moved to cars, finishing second in the 2001 German Formula Renault Championship. Racing in the German Formula Three Championship, however, he scored only ninth place. That same year he did win the San Marino International F3 race and had test drives for the Coloni Formula 3000 team and Williams, the Formula One constructor. Red Bull hired Liuzzi for the 2003 F3000 season, in which he finished fourth. He moved to the Arden team for the following F3000 season, where he won seven of the ten races, securing the title with one race left.
wn.com/Vitantonio_Liuzzi -
Vittorio Jano
Vittorio Jano (Hungarian: János Viktor; 22 April 1891 – 13 March 1965) was an Italian automobile designer of Hungarian descent from the 1920s through 1960s.
Jano was born Viktor János in San Giorgio Canavese, in Piedmont, to Hungarian immigrants, who arrived there several years before the birth of Jano. He began his career at the car and truck company Rapid owned by G.B. Ceirano. In 1911 he moved to Fiat under Luigi Bazzi. He moved with Bazzi to Alfa Romeo in 1923 and designed the Alfa Romeo P2. The P2 was notorious, winning its first race, the French Grand Prix, with driver Giuseppe Campari but killing driver Antonio Ascari in the same race the next year. Alfa refused to race them, but Enzo Ferrari took them over, continuing to race P2s through the 1930s.
Turning to sports car racing in 1929, Jano designed the 1750 Sport and P3. Once again, Alfa turned away from Jano's cars and Ferrari took them over to great success. Now designing aircraft engines, Jano watched as Tazio Nuvolari drove a P3 to victory in the German Grand Prix at Nürburgring in 1935.
wn.com/Vittorio_Jano -
Volker Weidler
Volker Weidler (born March 18, 1962 in Heidelberg) is a former racing driver from Germany, best known for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991.
In 1985, he became German Formula Three champion.
In the 1989 Formula One season, Weidler entered 10 Formula One Grands Prix racing for the Rial team, but failed to qualify the uncompetitive car on every occasion.
After Formula One, he moved to Japan and raced in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship and the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. He often fought over the title with Kazuyoshi Hoshino, Ross Cheever and others in the Japanese Formula 3000, and took popularity in Japan.
In 1991, Weidler teamed with Johnny Herbert and Bertrand Gachot to win Le Mans behind the wheel of the Wankel engine-powered Mazda 787B, marking also the first and only win of the legendary French race by both a Japanese manufacturer and engine supplier. This Wankel engine-powered car was noted for being very loud. From 1992, 3.5L F1 engines were promoted by the FISA while rotary engines were banned, rendering the 787B ineligible after the season which saw its maiden win at Le Mans.
wn.com/Volker_Weidler -
Willi Weber
Wilhelm "Willi" Friedrich Weber (born 11 March 1942 in Regensburg, Germany) is the manager of numerous German racing drivers including seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher, his brother Ralf Schumacher (until November 2005) and Timo Scheider. He is also the franchise holder for A1 Team Germany.
Willi Weber made himself a name in the motorsport world for discovering and promoting talents like the Schumacher brothers and for being a shrewd negotiator. Besides taking care of his clients' contractual issues he also proved to be quite a talent in finding ways to make money for his clients with creative merchandising deals.
As a teenager Willi Weber discovered and trained his negotiating skills and made some extra money buying up worn military uniforms and selling those off to collectors. At the same time he was in an apprenticeship in hotel management in order to learn the business with the target to run his own gastronomic establishment. He succeeded as an entrepreneur with his businesses being based near Stuttgart, Germany, and became a wealthy man with franchises. As a motorsport fan he spent time and good part of his wealth by enjoying himself behind the wheel of race cars as gentleman driver. In 1983 engineer Klaus Trella talked Weber into a partnership and they founded their Formula 3 team WTS (Weber-Trella Stuttgart). Realising that he wasn't exactly a front-runner on the track, Weber made room for ambitious youngsters, and enjoyed his status as team owner. The first big success came in 1988 with talented Swabian driver Joachim Winkelhock who won the team's first German F3 Championship title.
wn.com/Willi_Weber
Schumacher, Michael Filmography
- Murray Walker: Life in the Fast Lane (2011)
- He's Done It Again! (2011)
- Formula 1's 60th Anniversary: Plus Ça Change (2011)
- Senna (2010)
- Sebastian's Coming of Age (2010)
- Horst Schlämmer - Isch kandidiere! (2009)
- Astérix aux jeux olympiques (2008)
- Der Match (2006)
- Cars (2006)
- Deutschland. Ein Sommermärchen (2006)
- Forbes Celebrity 100: Who Made Bank? (2006)
- Once Again! (2006)
- Fantastic Fernando! (2005)
- Monaco - Le circuit des princes (2004)
- A tot gas (2003)
- Flying Finn First at Finish (1998)
- 1996 Australian Grand Prix (1996)
- Ruutulippu (1990)
Schumacher, Michael Filmography
- Der Samurai (2013)
- Im Alleingang - Die Stunde der Krähen (2012)
- Der Gründer (2012)
- The Lost: The Murder and Resurrection of a German Girl (2012)
- Dr. Ketel (2011)
- Sushi und Gomorrha (2011)
- Die Wölfe (2009)
- Der Stinkstiefel (2009)
- Finnischer Tango (2008)
- Die Eisbombe (2008)
- Valkyrie (2008)
- Apparatspott - Dat mokt wie gistern (2008)
- Apparatspott - Gerangel in Ruum un Tied (2003)
- De apparatspott (1999)
Schumacher, Michael Filmography
Famous quotes by Michael Schumacher:
"You're really eager to start driving again after a break, ... Many of the others may have needed this short break but if it had been up to me, I could have done without it. I'm happy to continue now."
"I can't really imagine life without Formula One,"
"I don't feel like promising big things to my fans. I'm not thinking about victory at all. I'll do my best to get on the podium at least, although I must admit I feel fairly pessimistic."
"I think Jensen Button is a major rival this year"
"The atmosphere is very strange for all of us. Germans and Italians feel very connected to the Pope, as many other countries do."
"It's not the right way to win my first race of the year"
"Those who have come into Formula One without experiencing cars devoid of electronic aids will find it tough. To control 800 horsepower relying just on arm muscles and foot sensitivity can turn out to be a dangerous exercise."
"My overriding memory of childhood is having the freedom to decide which way to go in life and having my parents' support."
"In sport there is never any moment that is the same as the other. I have been in Formula One for 12 years, and out of that I had one year with the perfect car."
"When you start out in a team, you have to get the teamwork going and then you get something back."
"You're really eager to start driving again after a break, ... Many of the others may have needed this short break but if it had been up to me, I could have done without it. I'm happy to continue now."
"I can't really imagine life without Formula One,"
"I don't feel like promising big things to my fans. I'm not thinking about victory at all. I'll do my best to get on the podium at least, although I must admit I feel fairly pessimistic."
"I think Jensen Button is a major rival this year"
"The atmosphere is very strange for all of us. Germans and Italians feel very connected to the Pope, as many other countries do."
"It's not the right way to win my first race of the year"
"Those who have come into Formula One without experiencing cars devoid of electronic aids will find it tough. To control 800 horsepower relying just on arm muscles and foot sensitivity can turn out to be a dangerous exercise."
"My overriding memory of childhood is having the freedom to decide which way to go in life and having my parents' support."
"In sport there is never any moment that is the same as the other. I have been in Formula One for 12 years, and out of that I had one year with the perfect car."
"When you start out in a team, you have to get the teamwork going and then you get something back."
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Michael Schumacher Tribute - When Words Are Not Enough
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 11:19
- Updated: 21 Dec 2012
"Life is about passions. Thank you for sharing mine." When I was 5 years old, little child who just loved cars, I've discovered, that there is something more, something beyond the world I've known, there is one big championship all around the world of 22 cars, single-seaters formulas, and behind the steering wheels there are 22 drivers, racing for a glory, for a win, for a championship. First man who has immediately impressed me was a German driver in red shark - Ferrari, named Michael Schumacher and this man has become my big hero through my childhood. I was able to just sit and watch all the races and followed my hero through his first winning season in Ferrari - year 2000. Then he took another four championship titles and became a living legend, the best driver in Formula 1 ever, breaking all the past records... I've never lost my passion for Formula 1, even he left that world after amazing 2006 season with very sad end. And I was so excited, so happy and so proud when he announced his comeback with the 2009 champions Brawn GP, bought by Mercedes and with some great names in the team from the past winning era in Ferrari. Unfortunately from the winning thoughts it turned up to be the most difficult time in Michael's career and after three years without a single win, only one pole position (which he couldn't enjoyed because of penalty) and one podium. But it wasn't a disaster for him, of course, statistics doesn't look so good anymore, but he was there to enjoy the ...
http://wn.com/Michael_Schumacher_Tribute_When_Words_Are_Not_Enough
"Life is about passions. Thank you for sharing mine." When I was 5 years old, little child who just loved cars, I've discovered, that there is something more, something beyond the world I've known, there is one big championship all around the world of 22 cars, single-seaters formulas, and behind the steering wheels there are 22 drivers, racing for a glory, for a win, for a championship. First man who has immediately impressed me was a German driver in red shark - Ferrari, named Michael Schumacher and this man has become my big hero through my childhood. I was able to just sit and watch all the races and followed my hero through his first winning season in Ferrari - year 2000. Then he took another four championship titles and became a living legend, the best driver in Formula 1 ever, breaking all the past records... I've never lost my passion for Formula 1, even he left that world after amazing 2006 season with very sad end. And I was so excited, so happy and so proud when he announced his comeback with the 2009 champions Brawn GP, bought by Mercedes and with some great names in the team from the past winning era in Ferrari. Unfortunately from the winning thoughts it turned up to be the most difficult time in Michael's career and after three years without a single win, only one pole position (which he couldn't enjoyed because of penalty) and one podium. But it wasn't a disaster for him, of course, statistics doesn't look so good anymore, but he was there to enjoy the ...
Michael Schumacher Tribute - The Most Successful Driver of all time.
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:14
- Updated: 21 Dec 2012
Twitter; www.twitter.com HD, This is the full version of my Michael Schumacher tribute. I hope you enjoy it, And I've sorted my problems now, Many more films to come. Schumacher I think is one of the best, but not the best. I think the late Ayrton Senna is better than Michael Schumacher, but Michael is still a legend.
http://wn.com/Michael_Schumacher_Tribute_The_Most_Successful_Driver_of_all_time
Twitter; www.twitter.com HD, This is the full version of my Michael Schumacher tribute. I hope you enjoy it, And I've sorted my problems now, Many more films to come. Schumacher I think is one of the best, but not the best. I think the late Ayrton Senna is better than Michael Schumacher, but Michael is still a legend.
- published: 09 Oct 2011
- views: 155568
- author: SebbyHaughtonf1
Michael Schumacher - The Red Baron Documentary
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 47:42
- Updated: 21 Dec 2012
Michael Schumacher was born January 3 in Germany. After making his Formula One debut back in 1991, he went on to become the greatest driver the sport has ever seen...winning the world title an incredible seven times. Schumacher holds many records in Formula One, including most drivers championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, points scored and most races won in a single season. He is the first and only Formula One driver to have an entire season of podium finishes (2002). Off the track, Schumacher is an ambassador for UNESCO and a spokesman for driver safety. He has been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts throughout his life. This DVD tells his life story using rare archival footage. This is the complete and unauthorised story of the master.
http://wn.com/Michael_Schumacher_The_Red_Baron_Documentary
Michael Schumacher was born January 3 in Germany. After making his Formula One debut back in 1991, he went on to become the greatest driver the sport has ever seen...winning the world title an incredible seven times. Schumacher holds many records in Formula One, including most drivers championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, points scored and most races won in a single season. He is the first and only Formula One driver to have an entire season of podium finishes (2002). Off the track, Schumacher is an ambassador for UNESCO and a spokesman for driver safety. He has been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts throughout his life. This DVD tells his life story using rare archival footage. This is the complete and unauthorised story of the master.
- published: 05 Sep 2012
- views: 13079
- author: SuperAwesomeHD
Race of Champions 2012 final of Nations Cup Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:51
- Updated: 20 Dec 2012
Watch in HD! Race of Champions Nation Cup 2012 finals Germany vs. France Michael Schumacher vs. Romain Grosjean, Sebastian Vettel vs Sebastian Ogier
http://wn.com/Race_of_Champions_2012_final_of_Nations_Cup_Michael_Schumacher_and_Sebastian_Vettel
Watch in HD! Race of Champions Nation Cup 2012 finals Germany vs. France Michael Schumacher vs. Romain Grosjean, Sebastian Vettel vs Sebastian Ogier
- published: 16 Dec 2012
- views: 7444
- author: Thegreenster10
Track Day of Legends: Schumacher, McGuinness, Mamola, Espargaro and Flinty at Paul Ricard
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:59
- Updated: 21 Dec 2012
If you thought Michael Schumacher's skills on tarmac were all about 4 wheels you'd be way wrong. Turns out he's more than a little handy on a motorcycle too. Given the opportunity with MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team we brought an all-star list of riders together to hit Paul Ricard Circuit and run a Legends track day. Riding out with Michael were John McGuinness (hero of the Isle of Man TT Course), Randy Mamola (one of the most respected Grand Prix riders of all time), Pol Espargaro (2012 Moto2 runner up and legend in the making) and Keith Flint (no slouch on a bike thanks to his Endurance racing). Fair to say the company was pretty good. Watch the guys come together for a once in a lifestyle session at one of the coolest circuits in Europe. Music: "Pressure and Time" by Rival Sons www.rivalsons.com
http://wn.com/Track_Day_of_Legends_Schumacher,_McGuinness,_Mamola,_Espargaro_and_Flinty_at_Paul_Ricard
If you thought Michael Schumacher's skills on tarmac were all about 4 wheels you'd be way wrong. Turns out he's more than a little handy on a motorcycle too. Given the opportunity with MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team we brought an all-star list of riders together to hit Paul Ricard Circuit and run a Legends track day. Riding out with Michael were John McGuinness (hero of the Isle of Man TT Course), Randy Mamola (one of the most respected Grand Prix riders of all time), Pol Espargaro (2012 Moto2 runner up and legend in the making) and Keith Flint (no slouch on a bike thanks to his Endurance racing). Fair to say the company was pretty good. Watch the guys come together for a once in a lifestyle session at one of the coolest circuits in Europe. Music: "Pressure and Time" by Rival Sons www.rivalsons.com
- published: 18 Dec 2012
- views: 50431
- author: monsterenergy
F1 Suzuka 2001 GP - Michael Schumacher chases Häkkinen
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:26
- Updated: 21 Dec 2012
This was the last time that Schumi had to chase his greatest rival. Enjoy!
http://wn.com/F1_Suzuka_2001_GP_Michael_Schumacher_chases_Häkkinen
This was the last time that Schumi had to chase his greatest rival. Enjoy!
- published: 03 Oct 2012
- views: 23065
- author: Finnishdude107
Michael Schumacher - Defining Moment
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:20
- Updated: 17 Dec 2012
Seven time world champion Michael Schumacher unveils his first Defining Moment. He also explains what has changed in motor car racing in the last few years and how important team work really is. goo.gl
http://wn.com/Michael_Schumacher_Defining_Moment
Seven time world champion Michael Schumacher unveils his first Defining Moment. He also explains what has changed in motor car racing in the last few years and how important team work really is. goo.gl
- published: 17 Oct 2012
- views: 11873
- author: Audemars Piguet
Ein Leben am Limit - das Ausnahmetalent Michael Schumacher Teil 1/4
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 29:43
- Updated: 20 Dec 2012
Ein Leben am Limit - das Ausnahmetalent Michael Schumacher Teil 1/4
http://wn.com/Ein_Leben_am_Limit_das_Ausnahmetalent_Michael_Schumacher_Teil_1_4
Ein Leben am Limit - das Ausnahmetalent Michael Schumacher Teil 1/4
- published: 28 Jul 2012
- views: 14285
- author: Superkolos
Michael Schumacher to retire from Formula 1 at end of season
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:02
- Updated: 27 Nov 2012
felipe-massa.org http twitter.com
http://wn.com/Michael_Schumacher_to_retire_from_Formula_1_at_end_of_season
Michael Schumacher talks about his steering wheel
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:06
- Updated: 19 Dec 2012
The steering wheel is the driver's primary interface with his car. Apart from the obvious use of steering the car around the circuit, the wheel is a complex and highly technical piece of equipment which gives the driver the information that he needs to drive the car, and the facility to tune the car for various situations as they arise out on track. Michael Schumacher explains the different functions which can be found around the wheel...
http://wn.com/Michael_Schumacher_talks_about_his_steering_wheel
The steering wheel is the driver's primary interface with his car. Apart from the obvious use of steering the car around the circuit, the wheel is a complex and highly technical piece of equipment which gives the driver the information that he needs to drive the car, and the facility to tune the car for various situations as they arise out on track. Michael Schumacher explains the different functions which can be found around the wheel...
- published: 12 Apr 2012
- views: 67972
- author: MERCEDESAMGPETRONAS
Michael Schumacher - Driven to Win Part 1 of 2
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:39
- Updated: 25 Nov 2012
Summary of 7 times Formula 1 world champion, Michael Schumacher's Formula 1 career. Part 1
http://wn.com/Michael_Schumacher_Driven_to_Win_Part_1_of_2
Summary of 7 times Formula 1 world champion, Michael Schumacher's Formula 1 career. Part 1
- published: 14 May 2011
- views: 22833
- author: UltimateOctane
Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher visiting german national football team EURO 2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:33
- Updated: 20 Dec 2012
subscribe Nico´s channel! There was an adrenaline rush today at the German national football team's training camp in Tourrettes: with around two weeks to go before the start of the European Championships, Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg paid Joachim Löw's team a short visit. Like good guests should, the two Silver Arrow drivers brought along a nice surprise, namely, two brand new examples of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Lukas Podolski, Marco Reus, Andre Schürrle and Tim Wiese didn't need asking twice to complete a 18-kilometre tour of the Haute-Provence with the two drivers.
http://wn.com/Nico_Rosberg_and_Michael_Schumacher_visiting_german_national_football_team_EURO_2012
subscribe Nico´s channel! There was an adrenaline rush today at the German national football team's training camp in Tourrettes: with around two weeks to go before the start of the European Championships, Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg paid Joachim Löw's team a short visit. Like good guests should, the two Silver Arrow drivers brought along a nice surprise, namely, two brand new examples of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Lukas Podolski, Marco Reus, Andre Schürrle and Tim Wiese didn't need asking twice to complete a 18-kilometre tour of the Haute-Provence with the two drivers.
- published: 25 May 2012
- views: 28553
- author: nicorosbergtv
Sky Sports F1 - Michael Schumacher Pole Lap Monaco GP 2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:48
- Updated: 20 Dec 2012
Subscribe to see more highlights and interviews from every Grand Prix!
http://wn.com/Sky_Sports_F1_Michael_Schumacher_Pole_Lap_Monaco_GP_2012
Subscribe to see more highlights and interviews from every Grand Prix!
- published: 26 May 2012
- views: 94573
- author: SchumacherPole69
Michael Schumacher - Thanks for everything, Michael.
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:35
- Updated: 21 Dec 2012
My thanks to the 7-time world champion, that he has never given up. Music: Muse - Invincible & Two Steps from Hell - I love you forever Home Page: mission8.land-der-gezeiten.de The "Mission 8" Michael Schumacher Fanclubside
http://wn.com/Michael_Schumacher_Thanks_for_everything,_Michael
My thanks to the 7-time world champion, that he has never given up. Music: Muse - Invincible & Two Steps from Hell - I love you forever Home Page: mission8.land-der-gezeiten.de The "Mission 8" Michael Schumacher Fanclubside
- published: 27 Nov 2012
- views: 4015
- author: LarifaMSC
Michael Schumacher - Sao Paulo "Lap of Honor"
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:04
- Updated: 19 Dec 2012
With english and german commentary and team radio.
http://wn.com/Michael_Schumacher_Sao_Paulo_Lap_of_Honor
With english and german commentary and team radio.
- published: 02 Dec 2012
- views: 1075
- author: LarifaMSC
Michael Schumacher announces retirement
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:59
- Updated: 18 Dec 2012
Michael Schumacher has announced that he will retire at the end of the Formula One season. www.facebook.com
http://wn.com/Michael_Schumacher_announces_retirement
Michael Schumacher has announced that he will retire at the end of the Formula One season. www.facebook.com
- published: 04 Oct 2012
- views: 35574
- author: MichaelSchumacher FelipeMassa
Michael Schumacher Tribute F1 2012 HD
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:28
- Updated: 20 Dec 2012
Video by Marinus ;) My brand new Formula1 2012 Michael Schumacher Tribute. This Movie was so long to create and i hope you like it! Please Subscribe for more Formula1 Movies. Edited with Sony Vegas Pro 11 (+ Magic Bullet Looks Plugin) Recorded parts of film with Fraps 3.23 Please visit my Website: sponsor-markt.de * * * Thanks for watching my movie * * *
http://wn.com/Michael_Schumacher_Tribute_F1_2012_HD
Video by Marinus ;) My brand new Formula1 2012 Michael Schumacher Tribute. This Movie was so long to create and i hope you like it! Please Subscribe for more Formula1 Movies. Edited with Sony Vegas Pro 11 (+ Magic Bullet Looks Plugin) Recorded parts of film with Fraps 3.23 Please visit my Website: sponsor-markt.de * * * Thanks for watching my movie * * *
- published: 05 Apr 2012
- views: 47791
- author: rfactoronline2
Michael Schumacher Tribute - Retirement 2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:05
- Updated: 16 Dec 2012
[4. October. 2012] - Michael confirmed his Retirement on the end of this Season. Enjoy the last Races with the Champion of Formula One! Please Share This Video to every Michael Fan! Countdown: www.webcountdown.de Thank You Michael for the last three Years With You! Danke Michael für die letzten drei tollen Jahre mit dir!
http://wn.com/Michael_Schumacher_Tribute_Retirement_2012
[4. October. 2012] - Michael confirmed his Retirement on the end of this Season. Enjoy the last Races with the Champion of Formula One! Please Share This Video to every Michael Fan! Countdown: www.webcountdown.de Thank You Michael for the last three Years With You! Danke Michael für die letzten drei tollen Jahre mit dir!
- published: 02 Oct 2012
- views: 12517
- author: Ferrariinoffical
Michael Schumacher - Valencia 2012 / full version with PK (Best of / re-uploaded :) )
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:20
- Updated: 20 Dec 2012
Michael Schumacher - Valencia 2012 Best of Better quality and full screen: www.myvideo.de
http://wn.com/Michael_Schumacher_Valencia_2012_full_version_with_PK_Best_of_re-uploaded_
Michael Schumacher - Valencia 2012 Best of Better quality and full screen: www.myvideo.de
- published: 16 Aug 2012
- views: 20713
- author: LarifaMSC
F1 2012 - Michael Schumacher Retirement - Review - HD
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:35
- Updated: 20 Dec 2012
Review of the Formula One career of the greatest Formula One legend Michael Schumacher. For more from Michael Schumacher visit www.youtube.com
http://wn.com/F1_2012_Michael_Schumacher_Retirement_Review_HD
Review of the Formula One career of the greatest Formula One legend Michael Schumacher. For more from Michael Schumacher visit www.youtube.com
- published: 04 Oct 2012
- views: 9521
- author: F1analyse
Michael Schumacher - Monaco Q3 2012 (Montage)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:30
- Updated: 20 Dec 2012
Michael Schumacher Monaco Q3 2012 (Montage)
http://wn.com/Michael_Schumacher_Monaco_Q3_2012_Montage
Michael Schumacher Monaco Q3 2012 (Montage)
- published: 23 Oct 2012
- views: 11391
- author: SchumacherPole69
F1 2012 - Michael Schumacher on his Formula 1 Career
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:06
- Updated: 20 Dec 2012
The seven-time world champion reflects on his disappointing return to the sport with Mercedes in 2010, admitting he would have preferred to be fighting for race wins and championships than the "different challenge" of "re-building" the Brackley-based outfit. Since making his debut for Jordan in 1991, Schumacher has amassed a record 91 Grand Prix victories and 68 pole positions. For more car videos check: http//www.autostrada.tv Check our Facebookpage at: www.facebook.com
http://wn.com/F1_2012_Michael_Schumacher_on_his_Formula_1_Career
The seven-time world champion reflects on his disappointing return to the sport with Mercedes in 2010, admitting he would have preferred to be fighting for race wins and championships than the "different challenge" of "re-building" the Brackley-based outfit. Since making his debut for Jordan in 1991, Schumacher has amassed a record 91 Grand Prix victories and 68 pole positions. For more car videos check: http//www.autostrada.tv Check our Facebookpage at: www.facebook.com
- published: 26 Nov 2012
- views: 1615
- author: AutostradaTV
Michael Schumacher über 20 Jahre Formel 1 - Part 1/2
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 14:24
- Updated: 15 Dec 2012
Michael Schumacher über 20 Jahre Formel 1 Part 2: www.youtube.com
http://wn.com/Michael_Schumacher_über_20_Jahre_Formel_1_Part_1_2
Michael Schumacher über 20 Jahre Formel 1 Part 2: www.youtube.com
- published: 29 Aug 2011
- views: 32762
- author: PatrickEwing90
photo: AP / Carolyn Kaster
20 Dec 2012
Obama held a White House news conference on Wednesday to announce that Vice President Joe Biden will lead an interagency effort to craft new gun policies. The group is expected to offer its proposals in January. “We know this is a complex issue that stirs deeply held passions and political divides,” Obama said. “But the fact that this problem is complex can no longer be an excuse for doing nothing.” ... WAKE-UP CALL ... ....(size: 6.1Kb)
photo: AP / Charles Krupa
18 Dec 2012
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. "Most people reason dramatically, not quantitatively." -Oliver Wendell Holmes. On the same day that a 20-year-old, described as brilliant but remote, walked into an elementary school in Connecticut and massacred 26 children and adults, the school where I teach went on "lock-down." Four students with a handgun were arrested ... That morning before school, he had posted on Twitter and Facebook....(size: 14.0Kb)
photo: Creative Commons / Joachim Huber
18 Dec 2012
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. When a Stanford geneticist, Gerald Crabtree, published a provocative and controversial new view on evolutionary change, namely that humans are actually getting dumber, he should have also added that humans are still developing an extermination gene ... Paleontologist Tim Flannery would more than likely agree with Crabtree ... Strange strings of gravel also overlaid some bones ... (1) Kane, Alex ... 195....(size: 9.4Kb)
photo: AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais
19 Dec 2012
WASHINGTON. US President Barack Obama backs a new bill to revive an assault weapons ban and other new gun laws, the White House said Tuesday, fleshing out his nascent response to a shocking school massacre. Obama also called an ardently pro-gun senator who has shifted his position on firearms laws since Friday's carnage in Connecticut and has begun meeting top cabinet officials to consider his options, his spokesman Jay Carney said ... ....(size: 4.9Kb)
photo: AP / Mohammad Hannon
19 Dec 2012
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she accepts the findings of an independent panel that faulted the State Department over the deadly September attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya. An inquiry into the attack on the US mission, which saw the US ambassador and three other US citizens killed, found that the State Department security arrangements there were "grossly inadequate" ... 390 Source. ... Share ... Jaws ... Anaheim....(size: 19.2Kb)
Newstrack India
21 Dec 2012
Tweet. Johannesburg, Dec. 21 (ANI) ... He praised Vettel in the highest terms and said Formula One legend Michael Schumacher was the first to alert him to Vettel's obvious talent ... Schumacher pointed him out to me four years ago, because he knows Vettel from his karting days. I must say Michael was right," said the Ferrari boss ... ) .. ). ... . . . . . .. . . .. ....(size: 2.4Kb)
The Independent
21 Dec 2012
At least Ferrari chairman Luca Di Montezemolo included Hamilton in his shortlist of two, the only drivers capable of replacing the great Alonso, whom the boss described as an identikit of past Ferrari greats Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher ... Michael told me many years ago that coming from karts Vettel had the most potential of any young driver and he was right.”....(size: 2.2Kb)
Sporting Life
21 Dec 2012
Montezemolo added that he first became aware of Vettel, who is now the sport's youngest ever triple World Champion, thanks to former Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher. "It was Schumacher who pointed him out to me a few years ago, as he knew him from the time when Sebastian was still racing karts," he added. "I have to admit Michael was right but ......(size: 1.8Kb)
Sky Sports
21 Dec 2012
Montezemolo added that he first became aware of Vettel, who is now the sport's youngest ever triple World Champion, thanks to former Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher. "It was Schumacher who pointed him out to me a few years ago, as he knew him from the time when Sebastian was still racing karts," he added. "I have to admit Michael was right but ......(size: 2.3Kb)
BBC News
21 Dec 2012
Michael [Schumacher] told me many years ago that coming from karts, Vettel had the most potential of any young driver and he was right." ... Di Montezemolo, 65, said 31-year-old Spaniard Alonso, who narrowly lost out to Red Bull's Vettel in this year's championship despite an inferior car, was a powerful mix of the good qualities of two great Ferrari champions - Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher....(size: 5.3Kb)
Stuff
21 Dec 2012
Bangkok's Rajamangala stadium recently hosted the annual Race of Champions event with Red Bull's triple world champion Sebastian Vettel teaming up with Michael Schumacher to win the team title for Germany. The paper's website quoted Red Bull's Michael de Santiesteban, representative of the energy drink's Thai co-owner Chalerm Yoovidhya, as saying ......(size: 1.9Kb)
Independent online (SA)
21 Dec 2012
Bangkok's Rajamangala stadium recently hosted the annual Race of Champions event with Red Bull's triple world champion Sebastian Vettel teaming up with Michael Schumacher to win the team title for Germany ... The paper's website quoted Red Bull's Michael de Santiesteban, representative of the energy drink's Thai co-owner Chalerm Yoovidhya, as saying ......(size: 1.9Kb)
Reuters
21 Dec 2012
Bangkok's Rajamangala stadium recently hosted the annual Race of Champions event with Red Bull's triple world champion Sebastian Vettel teaming up with Michael Schumacher to win the team title for Germany. The paper's website quoted Red Bull's Michael de Santiesteban, representative of the energy drink's Thai co-owner Chalerm Yoovidhya, as ......(size: 1.7Kb)
Formula1 FanCast
21 Dec 2012
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has confessed that the team would like to employ either Sebastian Vettel or Lewis Hamilton in the future ... He would be very good for us ... Michael (Schumacher) told me many years ago that coming from karts Vettel had the most potential of any young driver and he was right.”....(size: 1.4Kb)
noodls
21 Dec 2012
Momentous news kicks off the month as seven-time Formula One drivers' champion Michael Schumacher announces he'll retire at the end of 2012 ... Over in Bangkok, Thailand, Romain Grosjean wins the Race of Champions whilst Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel win the Nations Cup for the sixth consecutive year....(size: 7.8Kb)
The Times of India
21 Dec 2012
Triple Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel would be Ferrari's first choice should they ever need to replace Fernando Alonso, president Luca di Montezemolo has said ... Speaking at Ferrari's Maranello factory, Montezemolo left no doubt about the Italian team's admiration for Vettel ... Vettel was also strongly recommended by seven times world champion Michael Schumacher, who won five titles in a row with Ferrari ... ....(size: 1.8Kb)
Reuters
21 Dec 2012
n">(Reuters) - Triple Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel would be Ferrari's first choice should they ever need to replace Fernando Alonso, president Luca di Montezemolo has said ... Speaking at Ferrari's Maranello factory, Montezemolo left no doubt about the Italian team's admiration for Vettel ... Vettel was also strongly recommended by seven times world champion Michael Schumacher, who won five titles in a row with Ferrari....(size: 1.9Kb)
Stuff
21 Dec 2012
Ferrari were right to extend Felipe Massa's Formula Onecontract into 2013 even if he seemed to go on holiday for the first part of this year, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said today ... He compared Alonso, overall runner-up this season to Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel but voted driver of the year by team principals, to former Ferrari champions Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher ... (www.ferrari.com) ... Ad Feedback. - Reuters. ....(size: 2.7Kb)
 Schumacher at the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix |
|
| Born | (1969-01-03) 3 January 1969 (age 43) Hürth, West Germany |
|---|---|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  German |
| 2012 team | Mercedes |
| 2012 car # | 7 |
| Races | 294 (293 starts) |
| Championships | 7 (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) |
| Wins | 91 |
| Podiums | 154 |
| Career points | 1,519 |
| 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 Monaco Grand Prix |
| 2011 position | 8th (76 pts) |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
|---|---|
| Participating years | 1991 |
| Teams | Team Sauber Mercedes |
| Best finish | 5th in C2 (1991) |
| Class wins | 0 |
Michael Schumacher (German pronunciation: [ˈmɪçaʔeːl ˈʃuːmaxɐ] ( listen); born 3 January 1969) is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes team. Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time.[1][2][3][4] He holds many of the formula's driver records, including most championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, points scored and most races won in a single season – 13 in 2004. In 2002 he became the only driver in Formula One history to finish in the top three in every race of a season and then also broke the record for most consecutive podium finishes. According to the official Formula One website he is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen".[5]
After beginning with karting, Schumacher won German drivers' championships in Formula König and Formula Three before joining Mercedes in the World Sportscar Championship. After one Mercedes-funded race for the Jordan Formula One team Schumacher signed as a driver for the Benetton Formula One team in 1991. After winning consecutive championships with Benetton in 1994/5, Schumacher moved to Ferrari in 1996 and won another five consecutive drivers' titles with them from 2000 to 2004. Schumacher retired from Formula One driving in 2006 staying with Ferrari as an advisor.[6] Schumacher agreed to return for Ferrari part-way through 2009, as cover for the badly injured Felipe Massa, but was prevented by a neck injury. He later signed a three-year contract to drive for the new Mercedes GP team starting in 2010.[7][8][9]
His career has not been without controversy, including being 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.[10]
Off the track Schumacher is an ambassador for UNESCO and a spokesman for driver safety. He has been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts throughout his life and donated tens of millions of dollars to charity.[11] Michael and his younger brother Ralf Schumacher are the only brothers to win races in Formula One, and they were the first brothers to finish 1st and 2nd in the same race, in Montreal in 2001, and there again (in switched order) in 2003.
Contents |
Early years[link]
Schumacher was born in Hürth, North Rhine-Westphalia,[12] to Rolf Schumacher, a bricklayer, and his wife Elisabeth. When Schumacher was four, his father modified his pedal kart by adding a small motorcycle engine. When Schumacher crashed it into a lamp post in Kerpen, his parents took him to the karting track at Kerpen-Horrem, where he became the youngest member of the karting club. His father soon built him a kart from discarded parts and at the age of six Schumacher won his first club championship. To support his son's racing, Rolf Schumacher took on a second job renting and repairing karts, while his wife worked at the track's canteen. Nevertheless, when Schumacher needed a new engine costing 800 DM, his parents were unable to afford it; Michael was able to continue racing with support from local businessmen.[13]
Regulations in Germany require a driver to be at least 14 years old to obtain a kart license. To get around this, Schumacher obtained a license in Luxembourg at the age of 12.[14]
In 1983, he obtained his German license, a year after he won the German Junior Kart Championship. From 1984 on, Schumacher won many German and European kart championships. He joined Eurokart dealer Adolf Neubert in 1985 and by 1987 he was the German and European kart champion, then he quit school and began working as a mechanic. In 1988 he made his first step into single-seat car racing by participating in the German Formula Ford and Formula König series, winning the latter.[15]
In 1989, Schumacher signed with Willi Weber's WTS Formula Three team. Funded by Weber, he competed in the German Formula 3 series, winning the title in 1990. He won also the Macau Grand Prix. At the end of 1990, along with his Formula 3 rivals Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl Wendlinger, he joined the Mercedes junior racing programme in the World Sports-Prototype Championship. This was unusual for a young driver: most of Schumacher's contemporaries would compete in Formula 3000 on the way to Formula One. However, Weber advised Schumacher that being exposed to professional press conferences and driving powerful cars in long distance races would help his career.[14] In the 1990 World Sportscar Championship season, Schumacher won the season finale at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in a Sauber–Mercedes C11, and finished fifth in the drivers' championship despite only driving in 3 of the 9 races. He continued with the team in the 1991 World Sportscar Championship season, winning again at the final race of the season at Autopolis in Japan with a Sauber–Mercedes-Benz C291, leading to a ninth place finish in the drivers championship. He also competed at Le Mans during that season, finishing 5th in a car shared with Karl Wendlinger and Fritz Kreutzpointner. In 1991, he competed in one race in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship, finishing second.[15]
Formula One career[link]
Overview[link]
Schumacher was noted throughout his career for his ability to produce fast laps at crucial moments in a race, to push his car to the very limit for sustained periods.[16] Motor sport author Christopher Hilton observed in 2003 that "A measure of a driver's capabilities is his performance in wet races, because the most delicate car control and sensitivity are needed", and noted that like other great drivers, Schumacher's record in wet conditions shows very few mistakes: up to the end of the 2003 season, Schumacher won 17 of the 30 races in wet conditions he contested.[17] Some of Schumacher's best performances occurred in such conditions, earning him the nicknames "Regenkönig" (rain king)[18] or "Regenmeister" (rain master).[16][19], even in the non-German-language media. He is known as "the Red Baron", because of his red Ferrari and in reference to the German Manfred von Richthofen, the famous flying ace of World War I. Schumacher's nicknames include "Schumi",[20] "Schuey"[21] and "Schu".[22] Schumacher is often credited with popularising Formula One in Germany, where it was formerly considered a fringe sport.[23] When Schumacher retired in 2006, three of the top ten drivers were German, more than any other nationality and more than have ever been present in Formula One history. Younger German drivers, such as Sebastian Vettel, felt Schumacher was key in their becoming Formula One drivers.[24] In the latter part of his Formula One career, and as one of the senior drivers, Schumacher was the president of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.[25] In a 2006 FIA survey, Michael Schumacher was voted the most popular driver of the season among Formula One fans.[26]
Debut[link]
Schumacher made his Formula One debut with the Jordan-Ford team at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, driving car number 32 as a replacement for the imprisoned Bertrand Gachot. Schumacher, still a contracted Mercedes driver, was signed by Eddie Jordan after Mercedes paid Jordan $150,000 for his debut.[27] The week before the race, Schumacher impressed Jordan designer Gary Anderson and team manager Trevor Foster during a test drive at Silverstone. His manager Willi Weber assured Jordan that Schumacher knew the challenging Spa track well, although in fact he had only seen it as a spectator. During the race weekend, team-mate Andrea de Cesaris was meant to show Schumacher the circuit but was held up with contract negotiations. Schumacher then learned the track on his own, by cycling around the track on a fold-up bike he had brought with him.[28] He impressed the paddock by qualifying seventh in this race. This matched the team's season-best grid position, and out-qualified 11-year veteran de Cesaris. Motorsport journalist Joe Saward reported that after qualifying "clumps of German journalists were talking about 'the best talent since Stefan Bellof'".[29] Schumacher retired on the first lap of the race with clutch problems.[30]
Benetton[link]
After his debut, and despite Jordan's signed agreement in principle with Schumacher's Mercedes management for the remainder of the season, Schumacher was signed by Benetton-Ford for the following race. Jordan applied for an injunction in the UK courts to prevent Schumacher driving for Benetton, but lost the case as they had not yet signed a contract.[31] Schumacher finished the 1991 season with four points out of six races. His best finish was fifth in his second race, the Italian Grand Prix, in which he finished ahead of his team-mate and three-time World Champion Nelson Piquet.
At the start of the 1992 season the Sauber team, planning their Formula One debut with Mercedes backing for the following year, invoked a clause in Schumacher's contract which stated that if Mercedes entered Formula One, Schumacher would drive for them. It was eventually agreed that Schumacher would stay with Benetton, Peter Sauber said that "[Schumacher] didn't want to drive for us. Why would I have forced him?".[32] The year was dominated by the Williams of Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese, featuring powerful Renault engines, semi-automatic gearboxes and active suspension to control the car's ride height.[33] In the "conventional" Benetton B192 Schumacher took his place on the podium for the first time, finishing third in the Mexican Grand Prix. He went on to take his first victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, in a wet race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, which by 2003 he would call "far and away my favourite track".[34] He finished third in the Drivers' Championship in 1992 with 53 points, three points behind runner-up Patrese.
The Williams of Damon Hill and Alain Prost also dominated the 1993 season. Benetton introduced their own active suspension and traction control early in the season, last of the frontrunning teams to do so.[35] Schumacher won one race, the Portuguese Grand Prix where he beat Prost, and had nine podium finishes, but retired in seven of the other 15 races. He finished the season in fourth, with 52 points.
1994–1995: World Championship years[link]
The 1994 season was Schumacher's first Drivers' Championship. The season, however, was marred by the deaths of Ayrton Senna (witnessed by Schumacher, who was directly behind in 2nd position) and Roland Ratzenberger during the San Marino Grand Prix, and by allegations that several teams, but most particularly Schumacher's Benetton team, broke the sport's technical regulations.[36][37]
Schumacher won six of the first seven races and was leading the Spanish Grand Prix, before a gearbox failure left him stuck in fifth gear. Schumacher finished the race in second place.[38] Following the San Marino Grand Prix, the Benetton, Ferrari and McLaren teams were investigated on suspicion of breaking the FIA-imposed ban on electronic aids. Benetton and McLaren initially refused to hand over their source code for investigation. When they did so, the FIA discovered hidden functionality in both teams' software, but no evidence that it had been used in a race. Both teams were fined $100,000 for their initial refusal to cooperate. However, the McLaren software, which was a gearbox program that allowed automatic shifts, was deemed legal. By contrast, the Benetton software was deemed to be a form of "launch control" that would have allowed Schumacher to make perfect starts, which was explicitly outlawed by the regulations. However, there was no evidence to suggest that this software was actually used.[39] At the British Grand Prix, Schumacher was penalised for overtaking on the formation lap. He then ignored the penalty and the subsequent black flag, which indicates that the driver must immediately return to the pits, for which he was disqualified and later given a two-race ban. Benetton blamed the incident on a communication error between the stewards and the team.[40] Schumacher was also disqualified after winning the Belgian Grand Prix after his car was found to have illegal wear on its skidblock, a measure used after the accidents at Imola to limit downforce and hence cornering speed.[41] Benetton protested that the skidblock had been damaged when Schumacher spun over a kerb, but the FIA rejected their appeal because of the pattern of wear and damage visible on the block.[42] These incidents helped Damon Hill close the points gap, and Schumacher led by a single point going into the final race in Australia. On lap 36 Schumacher hit the guardrail on the outside of the track while leading. Hill attempted to pass but as Schumacher's car returned to the track there was a collision on the corner causing them both to retire.[43] As a result Schumacher won a very controversial championship, the first German to do so (Jochen Rindt raced under the Austrian flag).
In 1995 Schumacher successfully defended his title with Benetton. He now had the same Renault engine as Williams. He accumulated 33 more points than second-placed Damon Hill. With team-mate Johnny Herbert, he took Benetton to its first Constructors' Championship and became the youngest two-time world champion in Formula One history.
The season was marred by several collisions with Hill, in particular an overtaking manoeuvre by Hill took them both out of the British Grand Prix on lap 45[44] and again on lap 23 of the Italian Grand Prix.[45] Schumacher won nine of the 17 races, and finished on the podium 11 times. Only once did he qualify worse than fourth; at the Belgian Grand Prix, he qualified 16th, but went on to win the race.
Ferrari[link]
In 1996, Schumacher joined Ferrari for a salary of $60 million over 2 years, a team which had last won the Drivers' Championship with Jody Scheckter in 1979 and which had not won the Constructors' Cup since 1983 with drivers René Arnoux and Patrick Tambay at the wheel. He left Benetton a year before his contract with them expired; he later cited the team's damaging actions in 1994 as his reason for opting out of his deal.[46] A year later, ex-Benetton employees Rory Byrne and Ross Brawn, who had been Technical Director at Benetton since 1991,[47] and who was one of the key members behind Schumacher's title successes with the team in 1994 and 1995, decided to join Schumacher at Ferrari. This increased Schumacher's motivation to build a more experienced and potentially championship-winning team around him.
Ferrari had previously come close to the championship in 1982 and 1990. The team had suffered a disastrous downturn in the early 1990s, partially as their famous V12 engine was no longer competitive against the smaller, lighter and more fuel efficient V10s of their competitors. Various drivers, notably Alain Prost, had given the vehicles labels such as "truck", "pig", and "accident waiting to happen".[48] The poor performance of the Ferrari pit crews was considered a running joke.[23] At the end of 1995, though the team had improved into a solid competitor, it was still considered inferior to front-running teams such as Benetton and Williams.[49] Schumacher declared the Ferrari 412T good enough to win the Championship.
Schumacher, Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne, and Jean Todt (hired in 1993), have been credited as turning this once struggling team into the most successful team in Formula One history.[50][51] Three-time World Champion Jackie Stewart believes the transformation of the Ferrari team was Schumacher's greatest feat.[52] Eddie Irvine also joined the team, moving from Jordan.
1996–1999[link]
"It was not a race. It was a demonstration of brilliance."
Schumacher finished third in the Drivers' Championship in 1996, and helped Ferrari to second place in the constructors' championship ahead of his old team Benetton. He won three races, more than the team's total tally for the period from 1991 to 1995. During the initial part of the 1996 season, the car had had reliability trouble and Schumacher did not finish 6 of the 16 races. He took his first win for Ferrari at the Spanish Grand Prix, where he lapped the entire field up to third place in the wet.[14] In the French Grand Prix Schumacher qualified in pole position, but suffered engine failure on the race's formation lap.[54] However at Spa-Francorchamps, Schumacher used well-timed pit-stops to fend off the Williams' Jacques Villeneuve. Following that, at Monza, Schumacher won in front of the tifosi. Schumacher's ability, combined with the improving reliability of Ferrari, enabled him to end the season, putting up a challenge to eventual race and championship winner Damon Hill at Suzuka.
Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve vied for the title in 1997. Villeneuve, driving the superior Williams FW19, led the championship in the early part of the season.[55] However, by mid-season, Schumacher had taken the Championship lead, winning five races, and entered the season's final Grand Prix with a one-point advantage. Towards the end of the race, held at Jerez, Schumacher's Ferrari developed a coolant leak and loss of performance indicating he may not finish the race. As Villeneuve approached to pass his rival, Schumacher attempted to provoke an accident[56] but got the short end of the stick, retiring from the race. Villeneuve went on and scored four points to take the championship. Schumacher was punished for unsportsmanlike conduct for the collision and was disqualified from the Drivers' Championship.[57]
In 1998, Finnish driver Mika Häkkinen became Schumacher's main title competition. Häkkinen won the first two races of the season, gaining a 16 point advantage over Schumacher. Schumacher then won in Argentina and, with the Ferrari improving significantly in the second half of the season, Schumacher took six victories and had five other podium finishes. Ferrari took a 1–2 finish at the French Grand Prix, the first Ferrari 1–2 finish since 1990, and the Italian Grand Prix, which tied Schumacher with Häkkinen for the lead of the Drivers' Championship with 80 points, but Häkkinen won the Championship by winning the final two races. There were two controversies; at the British Grand Prix Schumacher was leading on the last lap when he turned into the pit lane, crossed the start finish line and stopped for a ten second stop go penalty. There was some doubt whether this counted as serving the penalty, but, because he had crossed the finish line when he came into the pit lane, the win was valid. At Spa, Schumacher was leading the race by 40 seconds in heavy spray, but collided with David Coulthard's McLaren when the Scot, a lap down, slowed in very poor visibility to let Schumacher past. After both cars returned to the pits, Schumacher leaped out of his car and headed to McLaren's garage in an infuriated manner and accused Coulthard of trying to kill him.[58]
Rumours circulated that Coulthard may be replaced by Schumacher for the 1999 season and beyond and, in a previous edition of the F1 Racing magazine, Ron Dennis revealed that he had approached Schumacher to sign a deal with McLaren. However, peripheral financial issues that tied Schumacher with Ferrari, such as sponsorship agreements and payment, could not be rectified in a move to the rival team and so, no deal came to fruition.
Schumacher's efforts helped Ferrari win the Constructors title in 1999. He lost his chance to win the Drivers' Championship at the British Grand Prix at the high-speed Stowe Corner, his car's rear brake failed, sending him off the track and resulting in a broken leg.[59] During his 98 day absence, he was replaced by Finnish driver Mika Salo. After missing six races, he made his return at the inaugural Malaysian Grand Prix, qualifying in the pole position by almost a second. He then assumed the role of second driver, assisting team mate Eddie Irvine's bid to win the Drivers' Championship for Ferrari.[60] In the last race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix, Häkkinen won his second consecutive title. Schumacher would later say that Häkkinen was the opponent he respected the most.[61]
2000–2004: World Championship years[link]
During this period Schumacher won more races and championships than any other driver in the history of the sport. Schumacher won his third World Championship in 2000 after a year-long battle with Häkkinen. Schumacher won the first three races of the season and five of the first eight. Mid-way through the year, Schumacher's chances suffered with three consecutive non-finishes, allowing Häkkinen to close the gap in the standings. Häkkinen then took another two victories, before Schumacher won at the Italian Grand Prix. At the post race press conference, after equalling the number of wins (41) won by his idol, Ayrton Senna, Schumacher broke into tears.[62] The championship fight would come down to the penultimate race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix. Starting from pole position, Schumacher lost the lead to Häkkinen at the start. After his second pit-stop, however, Schumacher came out ahead of Häkkinen and went on to win the race and the championship.
In 2001, Schumacher took his fourth drivers' title. Four other drivers won races, but none sustained a season-long challenge for the championship. Schumacher scored a record-tying nine wins and clinched the world championship with four races yet to run. He finished the championship with 123 points, 58 ahead of runner-up Coulthard. Season highlights included the Canadian Grand Prix, where Schumacher finished 2nd to his brother Ralf, thus scoring the first ever 1–2 finish by brothers in Formula One;[63] and the Belgian Grand Prix in which Schumacher scored his 52nd career win, breaking Alain Prost's record for most career wins.[64]
In 2002, Schumacher used the Ferrari F2002 to retain his Drivers' Championship. There was again some controversy, however, at the Austrian Grand Prix, where his teammate, Rubens Barrichello was leading but in the final metres of the race, under team orders, slowed down to allow Schumacher to win the race.[65] The crowd broke into outraged boos at the result and Schumacher tried to make amends by allowing Barrichello to stand on the top step of the podium. At the United States Grand Prix later that year, Schumacher dominated the race and was set for a close finish with Barrichello. At the end he slowed down to create a formation finish with Barrichello, but slowed too much allowing Barrichello to take the victory. In winning the Drivers' Championship he equalled the record set by Juan Manuel Fangio of five world championships. Ferrari won 15 out of 17 races, and Schumacher won the title with six races remaining in the season, which is still the earliest point in the season for a driver to be crowned World Champion.[66] Schumacher broke his own record, shared with Nigel Mansell, of nine race wins in a season, by winning eleven times and finishing every race on the podium. He finished with 144 points, a record-breaking 67 points ahead of the runner-up, his teammate Rubens Barrichello. This pair finished 9 of the 17 races in the first two places.
Schumacher broke Juan Manuel Fangio's record of five World Drivers' Championships by winning the drivers' title for the sixth time in 2003, a closely contested season. The biggest competition came once again from the McLaren Mercedes and Williams BMW teams. In the first race, Schumacher ran off track, and in the following two, was involved in collisions.[67][68][69] He fell 16 points behind Kimi Räikkönen. Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix and the next two races, and closed within two points of Räikkönen. Aside from Schumacher's victory in Canada, and Barrichello's victory in Britain, the mid-season was dominated by Williams drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, who each claimed two victories. After the Hungarian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher led Montoya and Kimi Räikkönen by only one and two points, respectively. Ahead of the next race, the FIA announced changes to the way tyre widths were to be measured: this forced Michelin, supplier to Williams and McLaren among others, to rapidly redesign their tyres before the Italian Grand Prix.[70] Schumacher, running on Bridgestone tyres, won the next two races. After Montoya was penalised in the United States Grand Prix, only Schumacher and Räikkönen remained in contention for the title. At the final round, the Japanese Grand Prix, Schumacher needed only one point whilst Räikkönen needed to win. By finishing the race in eighth place, Schumacher took one point and assured his sixth World Drivers' title, ending the season two points ahead of Räikkönen.
In 2004, Schumacher won a record twelve of the first thirteen races of the season, only failing to finish in Monaco after an accident with Juan Pablo Montoya during a safety car period when he briefly locked his car's brakes. He clinched a record seventh drivers' title at the Belgian Grand Prix. He finished that season with a record 148 points, 34 points ahead of the runner-up, teammate Rubens Barrichello, and set a new record of 13 race wins out of a possible 18, surpassing his previous best of 11 wins from the 2002 season.[71]
2005–2006[link]
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Rule changes for the 2005 season required tyres to last an entire race,[72] tipping the overall advantage to teams using Michelins over teams such as Ferrari that relied on Bridgestone tyres.[73] The rule changes were partly in an effort to dent Ferrari's dominance and make the series more interesting.[23] The most notable moment of the early season for Schumacher was his battle with Fernando Alonso in San Marino, where he started 13th and finished only 0.2 seconds behind the Spanish driver.[74] Less than half-way through the season, Schumacher said "I don't think I can count myself in this battle any more. It was like trying to fight with a blunted weapon.... If your weapons are weak you don't have a chance."[75] Schumacher's sole win in 2005 came at the United States Grand Prix. Prior to that race, the Michelin tyres were found to have significant safety issues. When no compromise between the teams and the FIA could be reached, all but the six drivers using Bridgestone tyres dropped out of the race after the formation lap.[76] Schumacher retired in six of the 19 races. He finished the season in third with 62 points, fewer than half the points of world champion Alonso.
2006 became the last season of Schumacher's Ferrari career. After three races, Schumacher had just 11 points and was already 17 points behind Alonso. He won the following two races. His pole position at San Marino was his 66th, breaking Ayrton Senna's 12 year old record.
Schumacher was stripped of pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix and started the race at the back of the grid. This was due to him stopping his car and blocking part of the circuit while Alonso was on his qualifying lap; he still managed to work his way up to 5th place on the notoriously cramped Monaco circuit. By the Canadian Grand Prix, the ninth race of the season, Schumacher was 25 points behind Alonso, but he then won the following three races to reduce his disadvantage to 11. His win at Hockenheim was the last home win for a German as of now. After his victories in Italy (in which Alonso had an engine failure)[77] and China, in which Alonso had tyre problems,[78] Schumacher led in the championship standings for the first time during the season. Although he and Alonso had the same point total, Schumacher was in front because he had won more races.
The Japanese Grand Prix was led by Schumacher with only 16 laps to go, when, for the first time since the 2000 French Grand Prix, Schumacher's car suffered an engine failure. Alonso won the race, giving himself a ten point championship lead. With only one race left in the season, Schumacher could only win the championship if he won the season finale and Alonso scored no points.
Before the Brazilian Grand Prix, Schumacher conceded the title to Alonso.[79] In pre-race ceremonies, football legend Pelé presented a trophy[80] to Schumacher for his years of dedication to Formula One.[81] During the race's qualifying session, Schumacher had the best time of all drivers through the first two sessions; but a fuel pressure problem prevented him from completing a single lap during the third session, forcing him to start the race in tenth position.[82] Early in the race Schumacher moved up to sixth place. However, in overtaking Alonso's teammate, Giancarlo Fisichella, Schumacher experienced a tyre puncture caused by the front wing of Fisichella's car.[83] Schumacher pitted and consequently fell to 19th place, 70 seconds behind teammate and race leader Felipe Massa. Schumacher recovered and overtook both Fisichella and Räikkönen to secure fourth place. His performance was classified in the press as "heroic",[84] an "utterly breath-taking drive",[85] and a "performance that ... sums up his career".[86]
2007–2009: First Retirement[link]
While Schumacher was on the podium after winning the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari issued a press release stating that he would retire from racing at the end of the 2006 season.[87] Schumacher confirmed his retirement.[6] The press release stated that Schumacher would continue working for Ferrari. It was revealed on 29 October 2006 that Ferrari wanted Schumacher to act as assistant to the newly appointed CEO Jean Todt.[88] This would involve selecting the team's future drivers. After Schumacher's announcement, leading Formula One figures such as Niki Lauda and David Coulthard hailed Schumacher as the greatest all-round racing driver in the history of Formula One.[89] The tifosi and the Italian press, who did not always take to Schumacher's relatively cold public persona, displayed an affectionate response after he announced his retirement.[90]
2007: Advisor at Ferrari[link]
He attended several Grands Prix during the season. Schumacher drove the Ferrari F2007 for the first time on 24 October at Ferrari's home track in Fiorano, Italy. He ran no more than five laps and no lap times were recorded. A Ferrari spokesman said the short drive was done for the Fiat board of directors who were holding their meeting in Maranello.[91]
During the 2007 season Schumacher acted as Ferrari's advisor and Jean Todt's 'super assistant'.[92] On 13 November 2007 Schumacher, who had not driven a Formula One car since he had retired a year earlier, undertook a formal test session for the first time aboard the F2007. He returned in December 2007 to continue helping Ferrari with their development program at Jerez circuit. He focused on testing electronics and tyres for the 2008 Formula One season.
2008: Car development[link]
In 2007, former Ferrari top manager Ross Brawn said that Schumacher was very likely and also happy to continue testing in 2008. Michael Schumacher later explained his role further saying that he would "deal with the development of the car inside Gestione Sportiva" and as part of that "I'd like to drive, but not too often.".[93]
During 2008 Schumacher also competed in motorcycle racing in the IDM Superbike-series, but stated that he had no intention of a second competitive career in this sport.[94] He was quoted as saying that riding a Ducati was the most exhilarating thing he had done in his life, the second most being sky diving.[95]
2009: Planned substitution for injured Massa[link]
In his capacity as racing advisor to Ferrari, Schumacher was present in Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix when Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was seriously injured after being struck by a suspension spring during qualifying. As it became clear that Massa would be unable to compete in the next race at Valencia Schumacher was chosen as a replacement for the Brazilian driver[96] and on 29 July 2009, Ferrari announced that they planned to draft in Schumacher for the European Grand Prix and subsequent Grands Prix until Massa was able to race again.[7] Schumacher tested in a modified F2007 to prepare himself[97] as he had been unable to test the 2009 car due to testing restrictions. Ferrari appealed for special permission for Schumacher to test in a 2009 spec car but Williams, Red Bull and Toro Rosso were against this test.[98][99] Schumacher was forced to call off his return due to the severity of the neck injury he had received in a motorcycle accident earlier in the year.[100] Massa's place at Ferrari was instead filled by Luca Badoer and Giancarlo Fisichella.
Mercedes GP[link]
On 23 December 2009 it was announced Schumacher would be returning to Formula One in the 2010 season alongside fellow German driver Nico Rosberg in the new Mercedes GP team.[9] On 16 November Mercedes had taken over the Brawn GP team which was their first majority involvement in an F1 team since 1955. Schumacher stated that his preparations to replace the injured Massa for Ferrari had initiated a renewed interest in F1 which, combined with the opportunity to fulfil a long-held ambition to drive for Mercedes and to be working again with team principal Ross Brawn, led Schumacher to accept the offer once he was passed fit.[9][101] After a period of intensive training medical tests, it was confirmed that the neck injury that had prevented him driving for Ferrari the year before had fully healed.[9]
Ross Brawn had contacted Schumacher over a potential return to F1 with Mercedes involvement in November 2009, seeking a substitute for the possibly outgoing driver Jenson Button.[9] On 2 November Rubens Barrichello had left Brawn GP followed by Button on 18 November with Rosberg announced by Mercedes as the first replacement driver on 23 November. The possible return of Schumacher began being reported in the German press on 13 December and, ten days later, Mercedes confirmed Schumacher's return completing their line-up.[9][102][103][104] Schumacher signed a three year contract, reportedly worth £20m, with Mercedes who were thought to want 22-year-old German driver Sebastian Vettel as a long term replacement afterwards.[9] In March 2010, The Daily Mail reported that Schumacher's deal was closer to £21m (€24m, $32m) a year.[105]
Schumacher's surprise re-entry to the sport was compared to Niki Lauda's return in 1982 aged 33 and Nigel Mansell's return in 1994 at age 41. Schumacher turned 41 on 3 January 2010 and his prospects with Mercedes were compared with the record set by the oldest F1 champion Juan Manuel Fangio who was 46 when he won his fifth championship.[9]
2010: Return to Formula One[link]
Schumacher's first drive of the 2010 Mercedes car – the Mercedes MGP W01 – was at the official test on 2 February 2010 in Valencia. He finished sixth in the first race of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix. A fortnight later at the Australian Grand Prix Schumacher, after running as high as third on the opening lap, was caught up in a tangle between Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button at the start and had to pit for a new front wing. He came from the back to finish in the points in tenth position after spending 20 laps behind Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari. In the Malaysian Grand Prix Schumacher retired early in the race with a faulty wheel nut. Schumacher qualified 9th in the Chinese Grand Prix and finished 10th after being passed by several other drivers in the wet conditions towards the end of the race. After the race former driver Stirling Moss suggested that Schumacher, who had finished behind his team-mate in each of the first four qualifying sessions and races, might be "past it."[106] Many other respected former Formula One drivers thought otherwise, including former rival Damon Hill, who warned "you should never write Schumacher off."[107] GrandPrix.com identified the inherent understeer of the Mercedes car, exacerbated by the narrower front tyres introduced for the 2010 season, as contributing to Schumacher's difficulties.[108] Jenson Button shed some more light on Schumacher's car trouble when he confessed that the Mercedes 2010 car was designed for him, and that his driving style is poles apart from Schumacher.[109]
For the first European race of the season, the Spanish Grand Prix, Mercedes upgraded their car with revised aerodynamics and a longer wheelbase. Schumacher was ahead of Rosberg in qualifying and the race finishing fourth after defending his position from reigning world champion Jenson Button after the pit stops. At the Monaco Grand Prix Schumacher qualified seventh and finished sixth after passing Ferrari's Fernando Alonso on the final corner of the race when the safety car returned to the pits. However he was penalised 20 seconds after the race by the race stewards dropping him to 12th and thus out of the points. The stewards, advised by former world champion Damon Hill, judged the pass to be in breach of rule 40.13 of the sporting code stating that "If the race ends whilst the safety car is deployed it will enter the pit lane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking."[110] Mercedes GP had interpreted "the race control messages 'Safety Car in this lap' and 'Track Clear' and the green flags and lights shown by the marshals after safety car line one" to mean that the race would not finish under the safety car. The FIA subsequently outlined plans to clarify the regulations and Mercedes GP dropped their plans to appeal.[111]
In Turkey, Schumacher had his best qualifying session since his return qualifying fifth ahead of team mate Rosberg in sixth. In the race Schumacher finished fourth which was his best race finish since his return. However 2 races later at the European Grand Prix in Valencia, Schumacher finished a lowly 15th – his lowest recorded finish in his career – after being caught up in a controversial safety-car ruling, which also ruined the race of Fernando Alonso.[112] Schumacher was near the front of the field until he was stuck at the end of the pit lane, following the safety car, while the majority of the field passed him. In Hungary, Schumacher finished outside the points in eleventh, but was found guilty of dangerous driving at 180 mph (290 km/h) while unsuccessfully defending tenth position against Rubens Barrichello. As a result he was demoted ten places on the grid for the following race, the Belgian Grand Prix, where he finished seventh, despite starting 21st after his grid penalty.
In the Italian Grand Prix, Schumacher missed out on the top ten in qualifying but managed to finish ninth. A fortnight later at the Singapore Grand Prix, Schumacher finished 13th after the Sauber of Nick Heidfeld collided with him on Lap 36, knocking Heidfeld out of the race. At the Japanese Grand Prix, Schumacher finished sixth before a fourth and seventh in the next two races in Korea and Brazil. At the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Schumacher was involved in a major accident on the first lap, which occurred after Schumacher was spun around by his teammate Nico Rosberg. As Schumacher was trying to maneuver his car back around, Vitantonio Liuzzi's Force India ploughed into his Mercedes head-on, barely missing his head.[113][114] Nobody was hurt in the crash, but Schumacher said the crash had been "frightening."[115]
It was the first season since his début season in 1991 that Schumacher finished without a win, pole position, podium or fastest lap. He finished the season 9th with 72 points.
At the 2011 Wroom meeting in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Fernando Alonso, the second most successful Formula One driver still racing, said of Schumacher: "He will be always super class; if the car is right, he will be a contender that we will fear most."[116]
2011[link]
After an unsuccessful Australian Grand Prix, where he retired due to puncture damage, Schumacher had an average race in Malaysia, finishing in ninth place to score his team's only points, generally battling it out with the midfield of the pack but ahead of team mate Rosberg, who finished 12th. A problem with his movable rear wing, also known as the drag reduction system resulted in Schumacher qualifying only 14th in China, but he worked his way up to 8th place during the race. He added more points with sixth place in Spain, and at the Canadian Grand Prix, Schumacher had arguably his best performance since returning from retirement. He finished in fourth position, but ran as high as second in a race which was almost entirely contested in wet conditions. Schumacher was passed late in the race by both Jenson Button, who went on to win the race, and Mark Webber, by the use of the DRS.
In Valencia, he crashed into the side of Vitaly Petrov's Renault while exiting the pit lane, breaking his own front wing, meaning he had to pit again the following lap. This incident left him outside of the points, and eventually finished 17th. In Britain Schumacher locked his front tyres while running behind Kamui Kobayashi, attempted to take avoiding action, and again broke his front wing spinning Kobayashi 180 degrees. As well as pitting to replace the wing, Schumacher served a 10 second stop-go penalty for the incident. Although working his way up to ninth, Schumacher was unhappy with the result and described the Kobayashi incident as his misjudgement. He finished eighth at his home race in Germany, and retired in Hungary with gearbox failure.
Schumacher marked the 20th anniversary of his Formula One début at the Belgian Grand Prix. He set the fastest time in the first free practice session, but after a wheel came loose in qualifying, he had start last on the grid. Despite this, Schumacher put in a very strong performance, ending the race in fifth place and ahead of his team mate Rosberg. Schumacher continued his run of form at the Italian Grand Prix, qualifying eighth and finishing fifth. This race saw a notable duel with Lewis Hamilton for fourth place. Schumacher defended expertly against Hamilton's faster car, but was also criticised for leaving insufficient overtaking space. After a retirement in Singapore due to contact with Sergio Pérez, Schumacher finished in sixth place at the Japanese Grand Prix, having led three laps during the race, the first time he had led a race since the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix.[117] In doing so, he became the oldest driver to lead a race since Jack Brabham in 1970.
In Korea, Schumacher started the race from twelfth, and was well within the points scoring positions when he was hit from behind by Vitaly Petrov, forcing both drivers to retire. In India, Schumacher struggled in qualifying and qualified twelfth, although he moved up to eleventh after Petrov was given a five-place grid penalty for the incident in Korea; Schumacher blamed his lack of pace on tyre vibrations he experienced on his final run.[citation needed] After making up three places on the opening lap, Schumacher remained in the top ten for the entire race, eventually finishing fifth, ahead of team-mate Rosberg after overtaking him during the final round of pit-stops. At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Schumacher qualified eighth and had moved up to sixth after a few corners. He was ahead of Rosberg, and the pair battled over the position for the remainder of the first lap. Rosberg's overtake eventually meant that he finished in sixth and Schumacher in seventh. Schumacher finished the season with a fifteenth place at the season finale at the Brazilian Grand Prix, following a collision early in the race with Bruno Senna which had forced him to pit for repairs. Schumacher finished the season in eighth place in the Drivers' Championship standings with 76 points; his best result was fourth place at the Canadian Grand Prix.
2012[link]
Schumacher is again driving for Mercedes AMG in the 2012 Formula One season, alongside Nico Rosberg.[118] At the Australian Grand Prix, Schumacher qualified in fourth place.[119] He moved up to third place at the start of the race, which he held until he suffered a terminal gearbox failure on lap 11.[120] At the second race in Malaysia, Schumacher qualified third,[121] but only managed to collect one point after being hit from behind on the first lap of the race by Romain Grosjean in wet conditions. For the third race of the season in China, Schumacher qualified 3rd but started in 2nd place due to Lewis Hamilton being penalised. This was the first time since 1955 that Mercedes occupied the front row of the grid, since his team-mate Nico Rosberg scored the first pole position of his career. A mechanic's error during the first pit-stop forced Schumacher to retire after 13 laps. The fourth race was in Bahrain. Schumacher suffered with a defective DRS mechanism in qualifying, which was compounded by a grid-penalty for a gearbox replacement. He started 23rd on the grid, and finished in 10th position. Schumacher had his third retirement of the season in Barcelona, receiving a five place penalty for Monaco after causing a collision with Bruno Senna. Schumacher was fastest in qualifying at Monaco. However, owing to the penalty for his incident with Senna at Barcelona, he started sixth on the grid. At the start of the race, Schumacher was hit by Romain Grosjean as he attempted to move down the outside, dropping to eighth, before retiring from seventh position late in the race due to falling fuel pressure.
Helmet[link]
Schumacher, in conjunction with Schuberth, helped develop the first lightweight carbon helmet. In 2004, a prototype was publicly tested by being driven over by a tank; it survived intact.[122] The helmet keeps the driver cool by funneling directed airflow through fifty holes.[123]
Schumacher's original helmet sported the colours of the German flag and his sponsor's decals. On the top was a blue circle with white astroids. When Jos Verstappen was his team-mate, Schumacher added 4 red diagonal strokes over the visor to differentiate his helmet from his team-mate. After Schumacher joined Ferrari a prancing horse was added on the back. From the 2000 Monaco Grand Prix, in order to differentiate his colours from new teammate Rubens Barrichello, Schumacher changed the upper blue colour and some of the white areas to red.[124]Since 2004, the helmet sported a white diagonal line with a white vertical line in the zone of the German Flag colors (originally to accommodate sponsor AMD), but then these lines remained in the Suzuka 2006 design. He sported one-off helmet designs four times. For the 1998 Japanese Grand Prix, a title decider with Mika Häkkinen, he replaced the German flag with a chequered flag motif and reflective silver replacing the white areas. At the 2004 Italian Grand Prix the German flag design was replaced with an Italian flag in honour of his team's home race. For the Brazilian Grand Prix race of 2006 (at the time intended to be his final Grand Prix), he wore an all-red helmet that included the names of his ninety-one Grand Prix victories.the helmet featured also[125] For the 2011 Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher's 20th anniversary in Formula One, he wore a special gold plated helmet.[126] The helmet, very similar to his current helmet, included the year of his début to the present, and the years of his seven world titles.
Honours[link]
Schumacher has been honoured many times during his career. In April 2002, for his contributions to sport and his contributions in raising awareness of child education, he was named as one of the UNESCO Champions for sport,[127] joining the other eight which include Pelé, Sergey Bubka and Justine Henin. He won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award twice, in 2002 and 2004 for his performances in the 2001 and 2003 seasons respectively. He has also received nominations for the 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 awards.[128] No-one has been nominated more times than Schumacher in the award's seven-year history.
In honour of Schumacher's racing career and his efforts to improve safety and the sport, he was awarded an FIA Gold Medal for Motor Sport in 2006.[129] In 2007, in recognition of his contribution to Formula One racing, the Nürburgring racing track renamed turns 8 and 9 (the Audi and Shell Kurves) as the Schumacher S,[130] and a month later he presented A1 Team Germany with the A1 World Cup at the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport 2007 awards ceremony.[131] He was nominated for the Prince of Asturias Award for Sport for 2007, which he won both for sporting prowess and for his humanitarian record.[132][133]
In 2008 the Swiss Football Association appointed Schumacher as the Swiss ambassador for the 2008 European football championship.[134]
On 30 April 2010, Schumacher was honored with the Officier of Légion d'honneur title from French prime minister François Fillon.[135]
Controversy[link]
During his long career Schumacher has been involved in several incidents, which have caused considerable controversy.
Championship deciding collisions[link]
File:Schumihill1994.jpg
Hill (left) and Schumacher (right) crash at the Flinders Street corner during the 1994 Australian Grand Prix.
Going into the 1994 Australian Grand Prix, the final race of the 1994 season, Schumacher led Damon Hill by a single point in the Drivers' Championship. Schumacher led the race from the beginning, but on lap 35 he went off track and brushed the wall with his right side wheels,[136] returning to the track at reduced speed but still leading the race. At the next corner Hill attempted a pass on the inside while Schumacher was turning into the corner, and Schumacher and Hill collided. Both cars were eliminated from the race and, as neither driver scored, Schumacher took the title.[137] The race stewards judged it a racing accident and took no action against either driver, but public opinion is divided over the incident, and Schumacher was vilified in the British media.[138][139][140]
At the 1997 European Grand Prix at Jerez, the last race of the season, Schumacher led Williams' Jacques Villeneuve by one point in the Drivers' Championship. As Villeneuve attempted to pass Schumacher at the Dry Sack Corner on lap 48, Schumacher turned in and the right-front wheel of Schumacher's Ferrari hit the left side pod of Villeneuve's car. Schumacher retired from the race as a result but Villeneuve finished in third place, taking four points and so becoming the World Champion.[136] The race stewards did not award any penalty, but two weeks after the race Schumacher was disqualified from the entire 1997 season after a FIA disciplinary hearing found that his "manoeuvre was an instinctive reaction and although deliberate not made with malice or premeditation. It was a serious error."[57] Schumacher accepted the decision[141] and admitted having made a mistake.[142] Schumacher's actions were widely condemned in British, German, and Italian newspapers.[138][142] This made Schumacher the only driver in the history of the sport, as of 2011[update], to be disqualified from a Driver's World Championship,[143] although the McLaren team was disqualified from the 2007 Constructor’s Championship and fined $100m for illegal possession of Ferrari technical information.[144]
Team orders[link]
Historically, team orders have always been an accepted part of Formula One. However, in the final metres of the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, Schumacher's teammate, Rubens Barrichello, slowed his car under orders from Ferrari to allow Schumacher to pass and win the race.[65] Although the switching of positions did not break any actual sporting or technical regulation, it angered fans and it was claimed that the team's actions showed a lack of sportsmanship and respect to the spectators. Many argued that Schumacher did not need to be "given" wins in only the 6th race of the season, particularly given that he had already won 4 of the previous 5 grands prix, and that Barrichello had dominated the race weekend up to that point. At the podium ceremony, Schumacher pushed Barrichello onto the top step,[65] and for this disturbance, the Ferrari team incurred a US $1 million fine.[145] Later in the season at the end of the 2002 United States Grand Prix, Schumacher slowed down within sight of the finishing line, allowing Barrichello to win by 0.011 seconds, the 2nd closest margin in F1 history. Schumacher's explanation varied between it being him "returning the favour" for Austria (now that Schumacher's title was secure), or trying to engineer a dead-heat (a feat derided as near-impossible in a sport where timings are taken to within a thousandth of a second).[146] The FIA subsequently banned "Team orders which interfere with the race result",[147][148] but the ban was lifted for the 2011 season because the ruling was difficult to enforce.[149]
Dangerous driving[link]
Toward the end of the 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix, Rubens Barrichello attempted to pass Schumacher down the inside on the main straight. Schumacher closed the inside line to force Barrichello onto the outside, but Barrichello persisted on the inside at 180 mph (290 km/h), despite the close proximity of a concrete wall and Schumacher leaving him only inches to spare. Barrichello said ‘It is the most dangerous thing that I have been through’, and ‘There is not a rule for that but between ourselves we should take a line, stick to it and that's it.’ Schumacher said that ‘Obviously there was space enough to go through. We didn't touch, so I guess I just left enough space for him to come through.’ Ross Brawn said ‘at the end of the day he gave him enough space. You can argue that it was marginal, but it was just tough – tough racing.’ A range of ex-drivers and commentators were highly critical of Schumacher. Although there was no accident, the incident was ruled to be dangerous and Schumacher received a 10 place grid penalty for the next race. Schumacher accepted the decision, and apologised.[150][151][152][153][154]
Other incidents[link]
In 1995, Schumacher and Williams driver David Coulthard were disqualified for fuel irregularities, after a switch to Renault engines and Elf oils. On appeal, both drivers had their results and points reinstated, but both teams lost the points the results would normally have earned in the constructors championship.
The 1998 Canadian Grand Prix saw Schumacher accused of dangerous driving when his exit from the pit-lane forced Heinz-Harald Frentzen off the track and into retirement. Despite receiving a 10 second penalty, Schumacher recovered and won the race. In the press conference, he publicly accused Damon Hill of weaving dangerously as they fought for position, stating "If you want to kill me, find some other way", a statement widely condemned as either hypocritical, or a cynical ploy to divert attention from his actions with Frentzen.[155]
Two laps from the finish of the 1998 British Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher was leading the race when he was issued a stop-and-go penalty for overtaking a lapped car (Alexander Wurz) during the early moments of a Safety Car period. This penalty involves going into the pit lane and stopping for 10 seconds, and the rules state that a driver must serve his penalty within three laps of the penalty being issued. On the third lap after receiving the penalty, Schumacher turned into the pit lane to serve his penalty, but as this was the last lap of the race, and as Ferrari's pit box was located after the start/finish line, Schumacher technically finished the race before serving the penalty. The stewards initially resolved that problem by adding 10 seconds to Schumacher's race time, then later rescinded the penalty completely due to the irregularities in how the penalty had been issued.[156]
In the Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher was involved in a race-ending collision whilst trying to lap David Coulthard in heavy spray. After the race he stormed into the McLaren garage and accused Coulthard of trying to kill him, and McLaren and Ferrari team members had to separate the drivers. Coulthard admitted some 5 years later that the accident had been his fault.[58]
During qualifying for the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix Schumacher set the fastest time, but stopped his car in the Rascasse corner on the racing line, leaving the corner partially blocked, while his main contender for the season title, Fernando Alonso, was on his final qualifying lap. Schumacher stated that he simply locked up the wheels going into the corner and that the car then stalled while he attempted to reverse out.[157] Alonso believed he would have been on pole if the incident had not happened,[158] and Schumacher was stripped of pole position by the race stewards and started the race at the back of the grid.[157] In the same qualifying session, Giancarlo Fisichella was similarly found to have blocked David Coulthard from improving his time, but Fisichella was only demoted five places on the grid.[159]
At the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix, the safety car was deployed after an accident, involving Karun Chandhok and Jarno Trulli, and pulled into the pits on the last lap. Schumacher passed Alonso before the finish line. Mercedes held that "the combination of the race control messages ‘Safety Car in this lap’ and ‘Track Clear’ and the green flags and lights shown by the marshals after safety car line one indicated that the race was not finishing under the safety car and all drivers were free to race. This opinion appears to have been shared by the majority of the teams with cars in the top ten positions who also gave their drivers instructions to race to the finish line."[160] However an FIA investigation found Schumacher guilty of breaching Safety Car regulations and awarded him a 20-seconds penalty, which cost him 6 places.
Family and off-track life[link]
Schumacher's younger brother Ralf was a Formula One driver until the end of 2007.[12] Their stepbrother Sebastian Stahl has also been competing as a race car driver.[161] In August 1995, Michael married Corinna Betsch. They have two children, Gina-Maria (born on 20 February 1997) and Mick (born on 22 March 1999). He has always been very protective of his private life[162] and is known to dislike the celebrity spotlight, preferring a simple life. The family moved to a house near Gland, Switzerland in 2007, a 650 m2 mansion with its own underground garage and petrol station, situated on a private beach on Lake Geneva.[163] The family has two dogs – one stray that Corinna fell in love with in Brazil, and an Australian Shepherd named "Ed" whose entrance to the family made headlines. Schumacher personally drove a taxi through the Bavarian town of Coburg after collecting the dog, enabling the family to catch their return flight to Switzerland.[164] Both Schumacher and the taxi driver were reprimanded by local police.[165]
One of his main hobbies is horse riding, and he plays football for his local team FC Echichens. He has appeared in several football charity games[166] and organised games between Formula One drivers.[167] He is a fan of FC Koln.
On 23 June 2003, Schumacher was appointed as an Ambassador at Large for the Most Serene Republic of San Marino.[168][169]
Schumacher is a special ambassador to UNESCO and has donated 1.5 million Euros to the organization.[170] Additionally, he paid for the construction of a school for poor children and for area improvements in Dakar, Senegal. He supports a hospital for child victims of war in Sarajevo, which specialises in caring for amputees. In Lima, Peru he funded the "Palace for the Poor", a centre for helping homeless street children obtain an education, clothing, food, medical attention, and shelter. He stated his interest in these various efforts was piqued both by his love for children and the fact that these causes had received little attention. While an exact figure for the amount of money he has donated throughout his life is unknown, it is known that in his last four years as a driver, he donated at least $50 million.[11] In 2008 it was revealed that he had donated between $5M and $10M to the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park of Bill Clinton.[171]
Since his participation in an FIA European road safety campaign, as part of his punishment after the collision at the 1997 European Grand Prix, Schumacher has continued to support other campaigns, such as Make Roads Safe, which is led by the FIA Foundation and calls on G8 countries and the UN to recognise global road deaths as a major global health issue. In 2008, Schumacher was the figurehead of an advertising campaign by Bacardi to raise awareness about responsible drinking, with a focus on communicating an international message 'drinking and driving don't mix'. He featured in an advertising campaign for television, cinema and online media, supported by consumer engagements, public relations and digital media across the world.[172]
On the eve of the 2002 British Grand Prix, on behalf of Fiat, Schumacher presented a Ferrari 360 Modena to legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar at Silverstone.[173]
On 21 June 2009, Schumacher appeared on the BBC's motoring programme Top Gear as The Stig.[174] Presenter Jeremy Clarkson hinted later in the programme that Schumacher was not the regular Stig. The BBC has since confirmed that this is the case; Schumacher was there on that occasion because Ferrari would not allow anyone else to drive the one-of-a-kind black Ferrari FXX which was featured in the show.[175] The FXX was presented to Schumacher upon his retirement at Monza in 2006.
When Schumacher appeared on Top Gear in 2009, he told Clarkson during his interview that the road cars that he drives are a Fiat 500 Abarth, and a Fiat Croma which is his family car.[176]
Finance and sponsorship[link]
In 2004, Forbes magazine listed him as the 2nd highest paid athlete in the world.[177] In 2005 Eurobusiness magazine identified Schumacher as the world's first billionaire athlete. His 2004 salary was reported to be around US $80 million.[178] Forbes magazine ranked him 17th in their "The World's Most Powerful Celebrities" list.[179] A significant share of his income came from advertising. For example, Deutsche Vermögensberatung paid him $8 million over three years from 1999 for wearing a 10 by 8 centimetre advertisement on his post-race cap.[180] The deal was extended until 2010.[181] He donated $10 million for aid after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.[182] His donation surpassed that of any other sports person, most sports leagues, many worldwide corporations and even some countries.[183] Schumacher's bodyguard Burkhard Cramer was killed in the tsunami along with his two sons.[184]
In 2010, his personal fortune was estimated at £515 million.[185]
Racing record[link]
Career summary[link]
| 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 |
| 2010 | Formula One | Mercedes GP Petronas | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 9th |
| 2011 | Formula One | Mercedes GP Petronas | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 8th |
| 2012 | Formula One | Mercedes AMG Petronas | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18th* |
* Season in progress.
- Source: Hilton, Christopher (2006). Michael Schumacher: The Whole Story. Haynes. ISBN 1-84425-008-3.
Complete Formula One results[link]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
‡ 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.[57]
† Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
* Season in progress.
Formula One records[link]
Schumacher holds the following Formula One records:
| Record | Number |
|---|---|
| Championship titles | 7 (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) |
| Consecutive titles | 5 (2000–2004) |
| Championship won with most races left | 6 (2002) |
| Largest championship-winning margin (pre-2010 points system) |
67 points (2002) |
| Race wins | 91 |
| Consecutive wins[3] | 7 (2004, Europe–Hungary) |
| Wins in a season | 13 (72%) (2004) |
| Wins in a season for a runner-up[4] | 7 (2006) |
| Wins at Monza (Formula One) | 5 |
| Wins with one team | 72 (Ferrari) |
| Wins at the same Grand Prix | 8 (France) |
| Different Grands Prix won | 22 |
| Longest time between first and last wins | 14 years, 32 days |
| Total years with a win | 15 (1992–2006) |
| Consecutive years with a win | 15 (1992–2006) |
| Second places | 43 |
| Consecutive top two finishes | 15 (Brazil 2002–Japan 2002) |
| Podiums (Top 3 finishes) | 154 |
| Podium finishes in a season | 17 (100%) (2002) |
| Consecutive podium finishes | 19 (US 2001–Japan 2002) |
| Championship points | 1,519 |
| Points finishes | 215 |
| Consecutive points finishes | 24 (Hungary 2001–Malaysia 2003) |
| Races / Laps / Distance led | 142 races / 5,111 laps / 24,144 km[186] |
| Pole positions | 68 |
| Front row starts | 116 |
| Fastest laps | 76 |
| Fastest laps in a season[5] | 10 (2004) |
| Doubles (Pole and win) | 40 |
| Hat tricks (Pole, win and fastest lap) | 22 |
| Hat tricks in a season | 5 in 2004 [6] |
| Races with one team | 181 (Ferrari) |
^ Record shared with Alberto Ascari (1952 Belgian GP–1953 Argentine GP). 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 Alberto Ascari in 1952.
^ Record shared with Alain Prost (1984 and 1988) and Kimi Räikkönen (2005).
^ Record shared with Kimi Räikkönen (2005 and 2008).[187]
Books and movies[link]
- Allen, James (1999). Michael Schumacher: Driven to Extremes. Bantam Books. ISBN 0-553-81214-9.
- Allen, James (2007). Edge of Greatness. Headline. ISBN 978-0-7553-1678-6.
- Collings, Timothy (2004). The Piranha Club. Virgin Books. ISBN 0-7535-0965-2.
- Collings, Timothy (2005). Team Schumacher. Highdown. ISBN 1-905156-03-0.
- Domenjoz, Luc (2002). Michael Schumacher: Rise of a genius. Parragon. ISBN 0-7525-9228-9.
- Henry, Alan (ed.) (1992). Autocourse 1992 – 93. Hazleton Publishing. ISBN 0-905138-96-1.
- Henry, Alan (1996). Wheel to Wheel: Great Duels of Formula One Racing. Weidenfeld Nicolson Illustrated. ISBN 0-7538-0522-7.
- Hilton, Christopher (2003). Michael Schumacher: The greatest of all. Haynes. ISBN 1-84425-044-X.
- Hilton, Christopher (2006). Michael Schumacher: The Whole Story. Haynes. ISBN 1-84425-008-3.
- Kehm, Sabine (2003). Michael Schumacher. Driving Force. Random House. ISBN 0-09-189435-2.
- Matchett, Steve (1995). Life in the Fast Lane: The Story of the Benetton Grand Prix Year. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. ISBN 0-297-81610-1.
- Matchett, Steve (1999). The Mechanic's Tale: Life in the Pit Lanes of Formula One. Osceola, Wisconsin: MBI Pub.. ISBN 0-7603-0754-7.
- Williams, Richard (1999). The Death of Ayrton Senna. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0-7475-4495-6.
Schumacher had a voice in the Disney/Pixar movie Cars. His character is himself as a car (Ferrari F430). He also appeared as himself in a French movie Asterix and Obelix at the Olympic Games.
References and notes[link]
- ^ Benson, Andrew (12 October 2003). "Who is the greatest ever?". BBC Sport (BBC). http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/3168114.stm. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ "The final five could all have been No. 1, but only Foyt gets the prize". ESPN. 23 May 2008. http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/racing/columns/story?columnist=blount_terry&id=3407489. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ^ "Formula 1's Greatest Drivers: 1. MICHAEL SCHUMACHER". autosport.com (Haymarket Publications). 10 December 2009. http://f1greatestdrivers.autosport.com/?driver=2. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
- ^ Rice, Simon (12 March 2010). "The ten best Formula One drivers". The Independent (UK: Independent Print Limited). http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/the-ten-best-formula-one-drivers-1920034.html. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ "Michael Schumacher – the end of an era". The Official Formula 1 Website. 10 September 2006. http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2006/9/4932.html. Retrieved 24 October 2006.
- ^ a b "It's official: Schumi to retire". ITV. 11 September 2006. http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=37307. Retrieved 24 October 2006.
- ^ a b "Michael happy to help". Michael Schumacher – Official Website. http://www.michaelschumacher.de/?page=news&story_id=82078&lang=uk. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
- ^ Michael cancels F1-Comeback, Schumacher's website. Retrieved 1 November 2009
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Michael Schumacher signs up for F1 return with Mercedes". BBC Sport. 23 December 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8427552.stm. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (28 May 2006). "Schumacher's chequered history". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/5024532.stm. Retrieved 8 November 2006.
- ^ a b Duff, Alex (10 September 2006). "Schumacher, Seven-Time Champion, to Quit Formula One (Update1)". Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=azdH01IQrFLs&refer=germany. Retrieved 18 January 2007.
- ^ a b "Hall of Fame – World Champions: Michael Schumacher". The Official Formula 1 Website. 2006. http://www.formula1.com/teams_and_drivers/hall_of_fame/7/. Retrieved 5 October 2006.
- ^ Collings, Timothy (2005). Team Schumacher. Highdown. pp. 35–37. ISBN 1-905156-03-0.
- ^ a b c "The Beginning". mschumacher.com. Crash.net. 2006. http://www.mschumacher.com/history.html. Retrieved 23 April 2007.
- ^ a b Domenjoz, Luc (2002). Michael Schumacher : Rise of a genius. Parragon. pp. 10–12, 170–171. ISBN 0-7525-9228-9.
- ^ a b "Michael Schumacher – Master of the F1 Circuit". Auto Racing. http://www.autoracing.com/formula-1/drivers/michael-schumacher/. Retrieved 12 July 2007.
- ^ Hilton, Christopher (2003). Michael Schumacher : The greatest of all. Haynes. pp. 131–132. ISBN 1-84425-044-X. Hilton has defined a race in wet conditions as "all races where it rained – even if that was a shower."
- ^ Hardcastle, Jonathon. "Michael Schumacher". http://www.artwoo.com/article/michael-schumacher. Retrieved 12 July 2007.
- ^ "Schumacher races to victory". BBC Sport. 18 March 2001. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/1227766.stm. Retrieved 24 October 2006.
- ^ "Alonso ahead of Schumi". News24. 21 October 2006. http://www.news24.com/News24/Sport/More_Sport/0,9294,2-9-32_2018131,00.html. Retrieved 22 October 2006. [dead link]
- ^ Tremayne, David (22 October 2006). "Schuey exit promises many twists and turns". The Independent (UK). http://sport.independent.co.uk/motor_racing/article1919061.ece. Retrieved 22 October 2006.
- ^ "Schu brought down to earth". ITV. 11 October 2006. http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=37706&PO=37706. Retrieved 14 October 2006.
- ^ a b c Sapa (11 September 2006). "The greatest driver of all time!". SuperWheels. Archived from the original on 27 September 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060927153411/http://www.superwheels.co.za/default.asp?id=4846&des=sportstalk. Retrieved 24 October 2006.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (25 September 2006). "Vettel sorry to see 'idol' Schumacher go". Autosport. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/54667. Retrieved 31 October 2006.
- ^ "Schumacher retains GPDA position". BBC. 9 June 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/5066186.stm. Retrieved 30 November 2007.
- ^ "Schumacher tops F1 supporter poll". BBC Sport. 27 September 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/5384692.stm. Retrieved 25 October 2006.
- ^ Collings, Timothy (2004). The Piranha Club. Virgin Books. p. 17. ISBN 0-7535-0965-2.
- ^ Hilton, Christopher (2006). Michael Schumacher: The whole story. Haynes. pp. 62–66. ISBN 1-84425-008-3.
- ^ Hilton, Christopher (2006). Michael Schumacher: The whole story. Haynes. pp. 67–68. ISBN 1-84425-008-3.
- ^ "1991 Belgian Grand Prix". Results Archive. The Official Formula 1 Website. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1991/209/. Retrieved 24 October 2006.
- ^ Collings, Timothy (2007). "Welcome to the Piranha Club". The Piranha Club. Virgin Books. ISBN 1-85227-907-9.
- ^ Domenjoz, Luc (2006) [2002]. Michael Schumacher : Rise of a genius. Parragon. p. 38. ISBN 0-7525-9228-9.
- ^ Henry, Alan, ed. (1992). Autocourse 1992 – 93. Hazleton Publishing. p. 50. ISBN 0-905138-96-1.
- ^ Kehm, Sabine (2003). Michael Schumacher. Driving Force. Random House. p. 14. ISBN 0-09-189435-2.
- ^ "Grand Prix Results: Monaco GP, 1993". Grand Prix Encyclopedia. GrandPrix.com. http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr538.html. Retrieved 6 November 2006. . Benetton first raced traction control at the 1993 Monaco Grand Prix, having introduced active suspension at the 1993 European Grand Prix (Domenjoz (2002) p. 40). Williams had first raced an active system in 1987 and used it throughout 1992,(Autocourse (1992) p.50) while McLaren and Ferrari both introduced active cars in the final races of the 1992 season.(Autocourse (1992) pp.42 & 80)
- ^ Domenjoz, Luc (2006) [2002]. Michael Schumacher: The Rise of a Genius. Parragon. pp. 44–47. ISBN 0-7525-9228-9.
- ^ Saward, Joe (11 August 1994). "Globetrotter: Rocking the boat". GrandPrix.com. Inside F1. http://www.grandprix.com/gt/gt00044.html. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
- ^ "A return to racing – Spanish Grand Prix 1994". The Official Formula One Website. 30 April 2003. http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2003/4/288.html. Retrieved 26 May 2008.
- ^ Williams, Richard (1999). The Death of Ayrton Senna. Bloomsbury. pp. 177–179. ISBN 0-7475-4495-6.
- ^ Hilton, Christopher (2006). Michael Schumacher: The whole story. Haynes. pp. 118–120. ISBN 1-84425-008-3.
- ^ "Grand Prix Results: Belgian GP, 1994". Grand Prix Encyclopedia. GrandPrix.com. http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr559.html. Retrieved 13 May 2006.
- ^ Hilton, Christopher (2006). Michael Schumacher: The whole story. Haynes. p. 142. ISBN 1-84425-008-3.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (28 May 2006). "Schumacher's chequered history". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/motorsport/formula_one/5024532.stm. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
- ^ "The official formula 1 website". http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1995/123/. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ "The official formula 1 website". http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1995/126/. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
- ^ Cooper, Steve (August 2007). "McLaren dream team turns into nightmare". Autosport 189 (6): 6–8.
- ^ Bewers, Matthew. "Ross Brawn Profile". theScuderia.net. http://www.thescuderia.net/rossbrawn.shtml. Retrieved 3 January 2008.
- ^ Baker, Andrew (20 October 2006). "Switch the key to Ferrari revival". London: Telegraph Sport. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Content/displayPrintable.jhtml?xml=/sport/2006/10/20/smbake20.xml&site=2&page=0. Retrieved 29 October 2006.
- ^ Henry, Alan (ed) (1996). AUTOCOURSE 1996–97. Hazleton Publishing. pp. 46–48. ISBN 1-874557-91-8.
- ^ "Schumacher confirms retirement". MSN Cars. 11 September 2006. http://crashnet.cars.msn.co.uk/news_view.asp?cid=1&id=137166. Retrieved 28 September 2006.
- ^ "Ferrari: Formula 1's Most Successful Team Enters a New Era". about.com. http://formula1.about.com/od/teams/p/Ferrari.htm. Retrieved 12 June 2007.
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- ^ http://nbc.sports.msnbc.com/id6786663
- ^ Drivers top the rich list – ESPN F1
- ^ "Michael Schumacher". The Formula One Database. f1db.com. 2006. http://www.f1db.com/f1/page/Michael_Schumacher. Retrieved 25 October 2006.
- ^ All race and championship results (1991–2006) are taken from the Official Formula 1 Website. 1991 Season review onwards. www.formula1.com. Retrieved 23 May 2007
All race and championship results (1991–2006) are taken from the Official Formula 1 Website. 1991 Season review onwards. www.formula1.com. Retrieved 23 May 2007
External links[link]
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Schumacher, Michael |
| Alternative names | Schumi |
| Short description | Racing driver, Formula 1 driver, 7 times world champion |
| Date of birth | 3 January 1969 |
| Place of birth | Hürth Hermülheim, Germany |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Schumacher
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is about the WWI flying ace. For other members of his famous aristocratic German family, see Richthofen.
"Red Baron" redirects here. For other uses, see Red Baron (disambiguation).
| Manfred von Richthofen | |
|---|---|
| Richthofen wears the Pour le Mérite, the "Blue Max", Prussia's highest military order in this official portrait, c. 1917 | |
| Nickname | "Red Baron" |
| Born | (1892-05-02)2 May 1892 Breslau, Germany (now Wrocław, Poland) |
| Died | 21 April 1918(1918-04-21) (aged 25) Morlancourt Ridge, near Vaux-sur-Somme, France |
| Allegiance |  German Empire |
| Service/branch | Uhlan (Lancers) Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Army Air Service) |
| Years of service | 1911–1918 |
| Rank | Rittmeister (Cavalry Captain) |
| Unit | Jasta 11, Jagdgeschwader 1 |
| Commands held |
Jasta 11 (January 1917) Jagdgeschwader 1 (24 June 1917 – 21 April 1918) |
| Relations | Lothar von Richthofen (brother), Wolfram von Richthofen (cousin) see Richthofen for more |
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte) during World War I. He is considered the top ace of that war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories, more than any other pilot.
Originally a cavalryman, Richthofen transferred to the Air Service in 1915, becoming one of the first members of Jasta 2 in 1916. He quickly distinguished himself as a fighter pilot, and during 1917 became leader of Jasta 11 and then the larger unit Jagdgeschwader 1 (better known as the "Flying Circus"). By 1918, he was regarded as a national hero in Germany, and was very well known by the other side.
Richthofen was shot down and killed near Amiens on 21 April 1918. There has been considerable discussion and debate regarding aspects of his career, especially the circumstances of his death. He remains quite possibly the most widely-known fighter pilot of all time, and has been the subject of many books and films.
Contents |
Name and nicknames[link]
Richthofen was a Freiherr (literally "Free Lord"), a title of nobility often translated as Baron.[1][2] This is not a given name nor strictly a hereditary title—since all male members of the family were entitled to it, even during the lifetime of their father.[N 1] This title, combined with the fact that he had his aircraft painted red, led to Richthofen being called "The Red Baron" ( "der Rote Baron" (help·info)) both inside and outside Germany.[1] During his lifetime, however, he was more often described in German as Der Rote Kampfflieger (variously translated as The Red Battle Flyer or The Red Fighter Pilot). This name was used as the title of Richthofen's 1917 autobiography.[3]
Richthofen's other nicknames include "Le Diable Rouge" ("Red Devil") or "Le petit Rouge" ("Little Red") in French, and the "Red Knight" in English.
Early life[link]
Von Richthofen was born in Kleinburg, near Breslau, Lower Silesia (now part of the city of Wrocław, Poland), into a prominent Prussian aristocratic family. His father was Major Albrecht Phillip Karl Julius Freiherr von Richthofen and his mother was Kunigunde von Schickfuss und Neudorff. He had an elder sister (Ilse) and two younger brothers.
When he was four years old, Manfred moved with his family to nearby Schweidnitz (now Świdnica). He enjoyed riding horses and hunting as well as gymnastics at school. He excelled at parallel bars and won a number of awards at school.[4] He and his brothers, Lothar and Bolko,[5][N 2] hunted wild boar, elk, birds, and deer.[6]
After being educated at home he attended a school at Schweidnitz, before beginning military training when he was 11.[7] After completing cadet training in 1911, he joined an Uhlan cavalry unit, the Ulanen-Regiment Kaiser Alexander der III. von Russland (1. Westpreußisches) Nr. 1 ("1st Uhlan Regiment 'Emperor Alexander III of Russia (1st West Prussia Regiment)' "), and was assigned to the regiment's 3. Eskadron ("Number 3 Squadron").[8]
When World War I began, Richthofen served as a cavalry reconnaissance officer on both the Eastern and Western Fronts, seeing action in Russia, France, and Belgium. Traditional cavalry operations soon became impossible due to machine guns and barbed wire, and the Uhlans were used as infantry.[9] Disappointed at not being able to participate more often in combat, Richthofen applied for a transfer to Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches (Imperial German Army Air Service), later to be known as the Luftstreitkräfte, shortly after viewing a German military aircraft while deployed behind the lines.[10] To his own surprise, his request was granted,[10] and he joined the flying service at the end of May 1915.[11]
Piloting career[link]
"I had been told the name of the place to which we were to fly and I was to direct the pilot. At first we flew straight ahead, then the pilot turned to the right, then left. I had lost all sense of direction over our own aerodrome!...I didn't care a bit where I was, and when the pilot thought it was time to go down, I was disappointed. Already I was counting down the hours to the time we could start again..."
John Simpson, quoting Richthofen's own description of his first flying experience.[12]
From June to August 1915, Richthofen was an observer on reconnaissance missions over the Eastern Front with Fliegerabteilung 69 ("No. 69 Flying Squadron").[10] On being transferred to the Champagne front, he managed to shoot down an attacking French Farman aircraft with his observer's machine gun in a tense battle over French lines;[13] however, he was not credited with the kill, since it fell behind Allied lines and therefore, could not be confirmed.
After a chance meeting of the German ace fighter pilot Oswald Boelcke,[14] Richthofen entered training as a pilot in October 1915.[14] In March 1916, he joined Kampfgeschwader 2 ("No. 2 Bomber Geschwader") flying a two-seater Albatros C.III. Initially he appeared to be a below average pilot, struggling to control his aircraft, and crashing during his first flight at the controls.[14] Despite this poor start, he rapidly became attuned to his aircraft and, as if in confirmation, over Verdun on 26 April 1916, he fired on a French Nieuport, downing it over Fort Douaumont,[14]although once again, he received no official credit. A week later, he decided to ignore more experienced pilots' advice against flying through a thunderstorm, and later noted that he had been "lucky to get through the weather", and vowed never again to fly in such conditions unless ordered to do so.[15]
After another spell flying two-seaters on the Eastern Front, he met Oswald Boelcke again in August 1916. Boelcke, visiting the east in search of candidates for his newly formed fighter unit, selected Richthofen to join Jagdstaffel 2 ("fighter squadron").[16] Richthofen won his first aerial combat with Jasta 2 over Cambrai, France, on 17 September 1916. Boelcke was killed during a midair collision with a friendly aircraft on 28 October 1916, Richthofen witnessing the event himself.[16]
After his first confirmed victory, Richthofen ordered a silver cup engraved with the date and the type of enemy machine from a jeweller in Berlin. He continued this until he had 60 cups, by which time the dwindling supply of silver in blockaded Germany meant that silver cups like this could no longer be supplied. Richthofen discontinued his orders at this stage, rather than accept cups made in pewter or other base metal.[17]
Instead of using risky, aggressive tactics like those of his brother, Lothar (40 victories), Manfred observed a set of maxims (known as the "Dicta Boelcke") to assure the success for both the squadron and its pilots.[18] He was not a spectacular or aerobatic pilot, like his brother or the renowned Werner Voss. However, he was a notable tactician and squadron leader and a fine marksman. Typically, he would dive from above to attack with the advantage of the sun behind him, and with other Jasta pilots covering his rear and flanks.
On 23 November 1916, Richthofen downed his most famous adversary, British ace Major Lanoe Hawker VC, described by Richthofen himself as "the British Boelcke".[19] The victory came while Richthofen was flying an Albatros D.II and Hawker was flying a D.H.2. After a long dogfight, Hawker was killed by a bullet in the head as he attempted to escape back to his own lines.[20] After this combat, Richthofen was convinced he needed a fighter aircraft with more agility, even at a loss of speed. He switched to the Albatros D.III in January 1917, scoring two victories before suffering an inflight crack in the spar of the aircraft's lower wing on 24 January. Richthofen reverted to the Albatros D.II or Halberstadt D.II for the next five weeks. On 6 March, his aircraft was shot through the petrol tank by Edwin Benbow, but Richthofen force landed without injury. Richthofen then scored a victory in the Albatros D.II on 9 March, but since his Albatros D.III was grounded for the rest of the month, Richthofen switched again to a Halberstadt D.II.[21]
He returned to his Albatros D.III on 2 April 1917 and scored 22 victories in it before switching to the Albatros D.V in late June.[22] From late July, following his discharge from hospital, Richthofen flew the celebrated Fokker Dr.I triplane, the distinctive three-winged aircraft with which he is most commonly associated, although he did not use the type exclusively until after it was reissued with strengthened wings in November.[23] Despite the popular link between Richthofen and the Fokker Dr. I, only 19 of his 80 kills were made in this type.[24] It was his Albatros D.III Serial No. 789/16 that was first painted bright red, in late January 1917, and in which he first earned his name and reputation.[25]
Richthofen championed the development of the Fokker D.VII with suggestions to overcome the deficiencies of the then current German fighter aircraft.[26] However, he never had an opportunity to fly it in combat as he was killed just days before it entered service.
Flying Circus[link]
In January 1917, after his 16th confirmed kill, Richthofen received the Pour le Mérite ("The Blue Max"), the highest military honour in Germany at the time. That same month, he assumed command of the fighter squadron Jasta 11, which ultimately included some of the elite German pilots, many of whom he trained himself. Several later became leaders of their own squadrons. Ernst Udet (later Colonel-General Udet) was a member of Richthofen's group.
At the time he became a squadron commander, Richthofen took the flamboyant step of having his Albatros painted red. Thereafter he usually flew in red painted aircraft, although not all of them were entirely red, nor was the "red" necessarily the brilliant scarlet beloved of model and replica builders.
Other members of Jasta 11 soon took to painting parts of their aircraft red—their "official" reason seems to have been to make their leader less conspicuous, and to avoid him being singled out in a fight. In practice, red colouration became a unit identification. Other jastas soon adopted their own "squadron colours" and decoration of fighters became general throughout the Luftstreitkräfte. In spite of obvious drawbacks from the point of view of intelligence this practice was permitted by the German high command, and was made much of by German propaganda—Richthofen being identified as Der Rote Kampfflieger—the "Red Battle Flyer".
File:Thomsen, von Richthofen and von Hoeppner.jpg
Von Richthofen (centre) with Hermann Thomsen (German Air Service Chief of Staff, shown on the left) and Ernst von Hoeppner (Commanding General of the Air Service, shown on the right) at the Imperial Headquarters at Bad Kreuznach.
Richthofen led his new unit to unparalleled success, peaking during "Bloody April" 1917. In that month alone, he downed 22 British aircraft, including four in a single day,[27] raising his official tally to 52. By June he was the commander of the first of the new larger Jagdgeschwader (wing) formations, leading Jagdgeschwader 1, composed of Jastas 4, 6, 10 and 11. These were highly mobile, combined tactical units that could be sent at short notice to different parts of the front as required. In this way, JG1 became "The Flying Circus", its name coming both from the unit's mobility (including, where appropriate, the use of tents, trains and caravans) and its brightly coloured aircraft. By the end of April, the "Flying Circus" also became known as the "Richthofen Circus."[28]
Richthofen was a brilliant tactician, building on Boelcke's tactics. Unlike Boelcke, he led by example and force of will rather than by inspiration. He was often described as distant, unemotional, and rather humourless, though some colleagues contended otherwise.[29] He circulated to his pilots the basic rule which he wanted them to fight by: "Aim for the man and don't miss him. If you are fighting a two-seater, get the observer first; until you have silenced the gun, don't bother about the pilot".[30]
Although he was now performing the duties of a lieutenant colonel (in modern RAF terms, a wing commander), he remained a captain. The system in the British army would have been for him to have held the rank appropriate to his level of command (if only on a temporary basis) even if he had not been formally promoted. In the German army, it was not unusual for a wartime officer to hold a lower rank than his duties implied, German officers being promoted according to a schedule and not by battlefield promotion. For instance, Erwin Rommel commanded an infantry battalion as a captain in 1917 and 1918. It was also not the custom for a son to hold a higher rank than his father, and Richthofen's father was a reserve major.
Wounded in combat[link]
On 6 July 1917, during combat with a formation of F.E.2d two seat fighters of No. 20 Squadron RFC, near Wervicq, Richthofen sustained a serious head wound, causing instant disorientation and temporary partial blindness.[27] He regained consciousness in time to ease the aircraft out of a free-falling spin and executed a rough landing in a field within friendly territory.[31] The injury required multiple surgeries to remove bone splinters from the impact area.[31] The air victory was credited to Captain Donald Cunnell of No. 20, who was killed a few days later. The Red Baron returned to active service (against doctor's orders) on 25 July,[32] but went on convalescent leave from 5 September to 23 October.[33] His wound is thought to have caused lasting damage, as he later often suffered from post-flight nausea and headaches, as well as a change in temperament. There is even a theory linking this injury with his eventual death.
Author and hero[link]
During his convalescent leave, Richthofen completed his autobiography, Der rote Kampfflieger. This was written on the instructions of the "Press and Intelligence" (i.e. propaganda) section of the Luftstreitkräfte, and was heavily censored and edited.[34] An English translation by J. Ellis Barker was published in 1918 as The Red Battle Flyer.[35] Although Richthofen died before a revised version could be prepared, he is on record as repudiating the book, stating that it was "too insolent" (or "arrogant") and that he was "no longer that kind of person".[36]
By 1918, Richthofen had become such a legend that it was feared that his death would be a blow to the morale of the German people.[37] Richthofen himself refused to accept a ground job after his wound, stating that the average German soldier had no choice in his duties, and he would therefore continue to fly in combat.[38] Certainly he had become part of a cult of hero-worship, assiduously encouraged by official propaganda. German propaganda circulated various false rumours, including that the British had raised squadrons specially to hunt down Richthofen, and were offering large rewards and an automatic Victoria Cross to any Allied pilot who shot him down.[39] Passages from his correspondence indicate he may have at least half believed some of these stories himself.[40]
Death[link]
File:209 RAF emblem.gif
209 Squadron Badge-the red eagle falling symbolizes the fall of the Red Baron
Richthofen was fatally wounded just after 11:00 am on 21 April 1918, while flying over Morlancourt Ridge, near the Somme River.49°56′0.60″N 2°32′43.71″E / 49.9335°N 2.545475°E / 49.9335; 2.545475
At the time, the Baron had been pursuing (at very low altitude) a Sopwith Camel piloted by a novice Canadian pilot, Lieutenant Wilfrid "Wop" May of No. 209 Squadron, Royal Air Force.[41] In turn, the Baron was spotted and briefly attacked by a Camel piloted by a school friend (and flight commander) of May's, Canadian Captain Arthur "Roy" Brown, who had to dive steeply at very high speed to intervene, and then had to climb steeply to avoid hitting the ground.[41] Richthofen turned to avoid this attack, and then resumed his pursuit of May.[41]
It was almost certainly during this final stage in his pursuit of May that Richthofen was hit by a single .303 bullet, which caused such severe damage to his heart and lungs that it must have produced a very speedy death.[42][43] In the last seconds of his life, he managed to make a hasty but controlled landing ( 49°55′56″N 2°32′16″E / 49.9321076°N 2.5376701°E / 49.9321076; 2.5376701) in a field on a hill near the Bray-Corbie road, just north of the village of Vaux-sur-Somme, in a sector controlled by the Australian Imperial Force (AIF).[41] One witness, Gunner George Ridgway, stated that when he and other Australian soldiers reached the aircraft, Richthofen was still alive but died moments later.[43] Another eye witness, Sergeant Ted Smout of the Australian Medical Corps, reported that Richthofen's last word was "kaputt".[44][N 3]
His Fokker Dr.I, 425/17, was not badly damaged by the landing, but it was soon taken apart by souvenir hunters.
No. 3 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, as the nearest Allied air unit, assumed responsibility for the Baron's remains.
In 2009, Richthofen's death certificate was found in the archives in Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland. Richthofen had briefly been stationed in Ostrów—which was part of Germany until the end of World War I—before going to war. The document, which is a one-page, handwritten form in a 1918 registry book of deaths, misspells Richthofen's name as "Richthoven" and simply states that he has "died 21 April 1918, from wounds sustained in combat".[48]
Controversy[link]
Controversy and contradictory hypotheses continue to surround the identity of the person who fired the shot that actually killed Richthofen.
The RAF credited Brown with shooting down the Red Baron, but it is now generally agreed that the bullet that hit Richthofen was fired by someone on the ground.[43][49] Richthofen died following an extremely serious and inevitably fatal chest wound from a single bullet, penetrating from the right armpit and resurfacing next to the left nipple. Brown's attack was from above and the left. Even more conclusively, Richthofen could not have continued his pursuit of May for as long as he did (up to two minutes) had this wound come from Brown's guns.[43] Brown himself never spoke much about what happened that day, claiming, "There is no point in me commenting, as the evidence is already out there".
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Many sources, including a 1998 article by Geoffrey Miller, a physician and historian of military medicine, and a 2003 U.S. Public Broadcasting Service documentary, have suggested that Sergeant Cedric Popkin was the person most likely to have killed Richthofen.[43][49] Popkin was an anti-aircraft (AA) machine gunner with the Australian 24th Machine Gun Company, and was using a Vickers gun. He fired at Richthofen's aircraft on two occasions: first as the Baron was heading straight at his position, and then at long range from the right. Given the nature of Richthofen's wounds, Popkin was in a position to fire the fatal shot, when the pilot passed him for a second time, on the right.[43][49] Some confusion has been caused by a letter that Popkin wrote, in 1935, to an Australian official historian. It stated Popkin's belief that he had fired the fatal shot as Richthofen flew straight at his position. However, in the latter respect, Popkin was incorrect: the bullet that caused the Baron's death came from the side (see above).
A 2002 Discovery Channel documentary suggests that Gunner W. J. "Snowy" Evans, a Lewis machine gunner with the 53rd Battery, 14th Field Artillery Brigade, Royal Australian Artillery is likely to have killed von Richthofen.[44] However, Miller and the PBS documentary dismiss this theory, because of the angle from which Evans fired at Richthofen.[43][49]
Other sources have suggested that Gunner Robert Buie (also of the 53rd Battery) may have fired the fatal shot. There is little support for this theory.[43][49] Nevertheless, in 2007, a municipality in Sydney recognised Buie as the man who shot down Richthofen, placing a plaque near Buie's former home.[50] Buie, who died in 1964, has never been officially recognised in any other way.
The commanding officer of No. 3 Squadron AFC, Major David Blake, initially suggested that Richthofen had been killed by the crew of one of his squadron's R.E.8s, which had also fought Richthofen's unit that afternoon. However, this was quickly disproved (if only by the time factor), and following an autopsy that he witnessed, Blake became a strong proponent of the view that an AA machine gunner had killed Richthofen.
Theories about last combat[link]
Richthofen was a highly experienced and skilled fighter pilot—fully aware of the risk from ground fire. Furthermore he was fully in accord with his late mentor Boelcke's rules of air fighting, which were strongly against taking foolish risks. In this context, it is universally accepted that Richthofen's judgement during his last combat was uncharacteristically unsound in several respects.[51] Several theories have been proposed to account for his behaviour.
In 1999, a German medical researcher, Henning Allmers, published an article in British medical journal The Lancet, suggesting it was likely that brain damage from the head wound Richthofen suffered in July 1917 (see above) played a part in the Red Baron's death. This was supported by a 2004 paper by researchers at the University of Texas. Richthofen's behaviour after his injury was noted as consistent with brain-injured patients, and such an injury could account for his perceived lack of judgment on his final flight: flying too low over enemy territory and suffering target fixation.[52]
Richthofen may have been suffering from cumulative combat stress, which made him fail to observe some of his usual precautions. One of the leading British air aces, Major Edward "Mick" Mannock, was killed by ground fire on 26 July 1918 while crossing the lines at low level, an action he had always cautioned his younger pilots against. One of the most popular of the French air aces, Georges Guynemer, went missing on 11 September 1917, probably while attacking a two-seater without realizing several Fokkers were escorting it.[53][54]
There is a suggestion in Franks and Bennett's 2007 book that on the day of Richthofen's death, the prevailing wind was about 25 mph (40 km/h) easterly, rather than the usual 25 mph (40 km/h) westerly. This meant that Richthofen, heading generally westward at an airspeed of about 100 mph (160 km/h), was travelling over the ground at 125 mph (200 km/h) rather than the more typical ground speed of 75 mph (120 km/h). This was 60% faster than normal and he could easily have strayed over enemy lines without realizing it, especially since he was struggling with one jammed gun and another that was firing only short bursts before needing to be re-cocked.[51]
At the time of Richthofen's death the front was in a highly fluid state, following the initial success of the German offensive of March–April 1918. This was part of Germany's last opportunity to win the war. In the face of Allied air superiority, the German air service was having difficulty acquiring vital reconnaissance information, and could do little to prevent Allied squadrons from completing effective reconnaissance and close support of their armies.
Burial[link]
In common with most Allied air officers, Major Blake, who was responsible for Richthofen's remains, regarded the Red Baron with great respect, and he organised a full military funeral, to be conducted by the personnel of No. 3 Squadron AFC.
Richthofen was buried in the cemetery at the village of Bertangles, near Amiens, on 22 April 1918. Six airmen with the rank of Captain—the same rank as Richthofen—served as pallbearers, and a guard of honour from the squadron's other ranks fired a salute.[N 4] Allied squadrons stationed nearby presented memorial wreaths, one of which was inscribed with the words, "To Our Gallant and Worthy Foe".
A speculation that his opponents organised a flypast at his funeral, giving rise to the missing man formation,[55] is most unlikely and totally unsupported by any contemporary evidence.[N 5]
In the early 1920s the French authorities created a military cemetery at Fricourt, in which a very large number of German war dead, including Richthofen, were reinterred. In 1925, Manfred von Richthofen's youngest brother, Bolko, recovered the body from Fricourt and took the Red Baron home to Germany. The family's intention was for Manfred to rest in the Schweidnitz cemetery, next to the graves of his father and his brother Lothar, who had been killed in a post-war air crash in 1922.[56] The German government requested, however, that the final resting place be the Invalidenfriedhof Cemetery in Berlin, where many German military heroes and past leaders were buried and the family agreed. Later the Nazi regime organised a grandiose memorial ceremony over this grave, erecting a massive new tombstone with the single word: “Richthofen”.[57] During the Cold War the Invalidenfriedhof was on the boundary of the Soviet zone in Berlin, and the tombstone became pockmarked with bullets fired at attempted escapees to the west. In 1975, the remains were moved to a family plot at the Südfriedhof in Wiesbaden, where he is buried next to his brother Bolko, his sister Elisabeth, and her husband.[58]
Number of victories[link]
Main article: List of victories of Baron von Richthofen
For decades after World War I, some authors questioned whether Richthofen achieved 80 victories, insisting that his record was exaggerated for propaganda purposes. Some claimed that he took credit for aircraft downed by his squadron or wing.
In fact, Richthofen’s victories are better documented than those of most aces. A full list of the aircraft the Red Baron was credited with shooting down was published as early as 1958[59]—with documented RFC/RAF squadron details, aircraft serial numbers, and the identities of Allied airmen killed or captured—73 of the 80 are listed as matching recorded British losses. A study conducted by British historian Norman Franks with two colleagues, published in Under the Guns of the Red Baron in 1998, reached the same conclusion about the high degree of accuracy of Richthofen's claimed victories. There were also unconfirmed victories that would put his actual total as high as 100 or more.[60]
For comparison, the highest scoring Allied ace was Frenchman René Fonck, with 75 confirmed victories[61] and further 52 unconfirmed behind enemy lines.[60] The highest scoring British Empire fighter pilots were Canadian Billy Bishop credited with 72 victories,[62] and Mick Mannock with 50 confirmed kills[63] and a further 11 unconfirmed.[64]
It is also significant that while Richthofen's early victories and the establishment of his reputation coincided with a period of German air superiority, many of his successes were achieved against a numerically superior enemy, who were flying fighter aircraft that were on the whole better than his own.[59]
Honours, tributes and relics[link]
- Relics
- Decorations and awards
- Prussian Order Pour le Mérite: 12 January 1917 (in recognition of his 16th aerial victory).
- Prussian Order of the Red Eagle, 3rd Class with Crown and Swords: 6 April 1918 (in recognition of his 70th aerial victory).
- Prussian House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross with Swords: 11 November 1916.
- Prussian Iron Cross, 1st Class (1914)
- Prussian Iron Cross, 2nd Class (1914): 12 September 1914.
- Bavarian Military Merit Order, 4th Class with Swords: 29 April 1917.[65][N 6]
- Saxon Military Order of St. Henry, Knight's Cross: 16 April 1917.
- Württemberg Military Merit Order, Knight's Cross: 13 April 1917.
- Saxe-Ernestine House Order, Knight 1st Class with Swords (issued by the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha): 9 May 1917.
- Hesse General Honour Decoration, "for Bravery"
- Lippe War Honour Cross for Heroic Deeds: 13 October 1917.
- Schaumburg-Lippe Cross for Faithful Service: 10 October 1917.
- Bremen Hanseatic Cross: 25 September 1917.
- Lübeck Hanseatic Cross: 22 September 1917.
- Austrian Order of the Iron Crown, 3rd Class with War Decoration: 8 August 1917.
- Austrian Military Merit Cross, 3rd Class with War Decoration
- Bulgarian Order of Bravery, 4th Class (1st Grade): June 1917.
- Turkish Imtiaz Medal in Silver with Sabres
- Turkish Liakat Medal in Silver with Sabres
- Turkish War Medal ("Iron Crescent"): 4 November 1917.
- German Army Pilot's Badge
- German Army Observer's Badge[N 7]
- Austrian Field Pilot's Badge (Franz Joseph pattern)
- Tributes
At various times, several different German military aviation Geschwader (literally "squadrons"; equivalent to Commonwealth air force "groups", French escadrons or USAF "wings") have been named after the Baron:
- Jagdgeschwader 132 "Richthofen" (1 April 1936 – 1 November 1938)—Wehrmacht aviation unit
- Jagdgeschwader 131 "Richthofen" (1 November 1938 – 1 May 1939)—Luftwaffe
- Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" (1 May 1939 – 7 May 1945)—Luftwaffe
- Jagdgeschwader 71 "Richthofen" (from 6 June 1959)—the first jet fighter unit established by the post-World War II German Bundeswehr ("federal defence force"); its founding commander was the most successful air ace in history, Erich Hartmann.
In 1941, a newly launched Kriegsmarine (navy) seaplane tender was also named Richthofen.
The engine of Richthofen's DR.I was donated to the Imperial War Museum in London, where it is still on display. The control column (joystick) of Richthofen's aircraft can be seen at the Australian War Memorial, in Canberra. The Royal Canadian Military Institute, in Toronto, holds two parts of the aircraft: its seat and a side panel signed by the pilots of Brown's squadron.
See also[link]
- List of victories of Manfred von Richthofen
- List of World War I flying aces
- The Red Baron in popular culture
- The Red Baron (film), a film released in 2008, which is largely fictionalized
- Von Richthofen and Brown, a theatrical film released in 1971, spanning the time from just before von Richtofen's first confirmed kill until his death.
Notes[link]
Footnotes[link]
- ^ For instance his brother Lothar also used it.
- ^ Not to be confused with Bolko von Richthofen the archaeologist, a distant cousin
- ^ The definition of "kaputt" is often in contention.[45][46][47]
- ^ Accounts that the honour guard were Australian infantry are apparently based on the fact that in photographs and film of the event they are wearing AIF uniforms, complete with slouch hats – this is simply because members of the AFC, which was part of the Australian army, wore normal army uniforms.
- ^ First World War fighter pilots very rarely returned in formation from a mission (the point of the "missing man")—it was much more common after a fight to return singly or in pairs—among other reasons because in the absence of radio intercommunication reforming scattered aircraft was simply not practical.
- ^ For many years, World War I aviation historians believed Richthofen had received the 3rd Class with Crown and Swords of the Bavarian Military Merit Order prior to his submission for the Military Max Joseph Order. However, recent research has proved that he received the usual class of that order common for an officer of his rank: the 4th Class with Swords of the Bavarian Military Merit Order.
- ^ No record or photographic evidence has been seen to indicate Richthofen qualified for this badge. However, he successfully completed the training and served for nearly five months as an observer before retraining as a pilot
Citations[link]
- ^ a b Kilduff, p. 6.
- ^ "Freiherr". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
- ^ Richthofen, Manfred von. Der Rote Baron (The Red Baron). Norderstedt, Germany: BOD, 2008 (reprint). ISBN 978-3-8370-9217-2.
- ^ Wright 1976, p. 31.
- ^ Burrows 1970, p. 36.
- ^ Burrows 1970, pp. 37–38.
- ^ Wright 1976, p. 30.
- ^ Preußen 1914, p. 400.
- ^ "von Richthofen's autobiography: Early battlefield experiences." Richthofen.com. Retrieved: 13 June 2009.
- ^ a b c McAllister 1982, p. 52.
- ^ "von Richthofen's autobiography: Transfer to the Luftstreitkräfte." Richthofen.com. Retrieved: 13 June 2009.
- ^ McAllister 1982, pp. 52–53.
- ^ McAllister 1982, pp. 53–54.
- ^ a b c d McAllister 1982, p. 54.
- ^ McAllister 1982, pp. 54–55.
- ^ a b McAllister 1982, p. 56.
- ^ It has been suggested (by Burrows) that he was simply bored with the procedure and that this was an excuse to discontinue it.
- ^ English 2003, p. 62.
- ^ Burrows 1970, p. 103.
- ^ McAllister 1982, p. 57.
- ^ Guttman 2009, pp. 64–65.
- ^ Burrows 1970, p. 103.
- ^ Grey and Thetford, 1970, p. 100.
- ^ "Richtofen." Theaerodrome.com. Retrieved: 10 August 2010.
- ^ Guttman 2009, p. 63.
- ^ Baker 1991
- ^ a b McAllister 1982, p. 59.
- ^ Sanders, Kevin A. "Rittmeister Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen." Manion's International Auction House. Retrieved: 12 January 2008.
- ^ Bodenschatz 1998
- ^ McAllister 1982, p. 61.
- ^ a b McAllister 1982, p. 60.
- ^ Burrows 1970, p. 154.
- ^ Burrows 1970, pp. 160–163.
- ^ Burrows 1970, pp. 162–163.
- ^ von Richthofen, Manfred et al. "Der rote Kampfflieger." Deutscher Verlag (Ullstein), 1933.
- ^ Johnson, Karl (Contributing Editor for WTJ). "'The Red Fighter Pilot' by Manfred von Richthofen (online edition)." The War Times Journal. Retrieved: 27 May 2007.
- ^ Burrows 1970, p. 152.
- ^ Burrows 1970, p. 163.
- ^ Burrows 1970, p. 131.
- ^ Franks and Bennett 1997, p. 126.
- ^ a b c d McAllister 1982, p. 63.
- ^ McAllister 1982, p. 64.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Miller, Dr. Geoffrey. "The Death of Manfred von Richthofen: Who fired the fatal shot?" Sabretache: Journal and Proceedings of the Military History Society of Australia, vol. XXXIX, no. 2, 1998.
- ^ a b Unsolved History: Death of the Red Baron, 2002, Discovery Channel
- ^ "Synonym für gestorben – Synonyme | Antonyme (Gegenteile) – Fremdwörter von gestorben." google.com, 17 May 2009. Retrieved: 13 June 2009.
- ^ Definition
- ^ "Definition: Kaputt." Ego4u.com, German-English dictionary, 22 April 2009. Retrieved: 13 June 2009.
- ^ "Polish historian finds death certificate of WWI German flying ace 'Red Baron'." Daily News (New York). Retrieved: 8 December 2009.
- ^ a b c d e "Who Killed the Red Baron? Explore Competing Theories." Pbs.org, (Public Broadcasting Service) NOVA, 2003. Retrieved: 13 June 2009.
- ^ Day, Mark. "Unsung No.1 with a bullet." The Australian, 7 April 2007.
- ^ a b Franks and Bennett 1997
- ^ Allmers, Dr. Henning. "Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen's medical record—Was the "Red Baron" fit to fly?" The Lancet, 354 (9177), 7 August 1999, pp. 502–504. Published online by anzacs.net. Retrieved: 23 September 2007.
- ^ "Georges Guynemer: Beloved French Ace, 53 victories." acepilots.com. Retrieved: 2 July 2009.
- ^ Guttman, Jon. "Georges Guynemer: France’s World War I Ace Pilot." historynet.com. Retrieved: 2 July 2009.
- ^ "Histories: The Missing Man Formation." aiipwmia.com. Retrieved: 11 March 2010.
- ^ "Biography: Lothar Freiherr von Richthofen." Frontflieger.de. Retrieved: 13 June 2009.
- ^ Burrows 1970, p. 196.
- ^ Franks and Bennett 1997, p. 9.
- ^ a b Robertson 1958, pp. 150–155.
- ^ a b Franks and Bailey 1992
- ^ Ordre de la IVe Armée, n°1599, 23 January 1919
- ^ "Distinguished Flying Cross Citation", London Gazette, 3 August 1918.
- ^ "Victoria Cross Citation" London Gazette, 18 July 1919.
- ^ "Mannock". The Aerodrome.com. Retrieved: 13 April 2009.
- ^ O’Connor 1999, pp. 371–374 (errata and addenda).
References[link]
- Baker, David. Manfred von Richthofen: The Man and the Aircraft He Flew. McGregor, Minnesota: Voyageur Press, 1991. ISBN 1-871547-06-7.
- Bodenschatz, Karl. Hunting With Richthofen: Sixteen Months of Battle with J G Freiherr Von Richthofen No. 1. London: Grub Street, 1998. ISBN 1-898697-97-3.
- Burrows, William E. Richthofen: A True History of the Red Baron. London: Rupert Hart-Davis, 1970. ISBN 0-15-177172-3.
- English, Dave. The Air Up There: More Great Quotations on Flight. Chicago, Illinois: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2003. ISBN 0-07-141036-8.
- Franks, Norman L.R. and Frank W. Bailey. Over the Front: A Complete Record of Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918. London: Grub Street, 1992. ISBN 978-0-948817-54-0.
- Franks, Norman, Hal Giblin and Nigel McCrery. Under the Guns of the Red Baron: Complete Record of Von Richthofen's Victories and Victims. London: Grub Street, 2007, First edition 1995. ISBN 1-84067-145-9.
- Grey, Peter and Owen Thetford. German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam, 2nd ed., 1970. ISBN 0-933852-71-1.
- Guttman, Jon. Pusher Aces of World War 1 (Aircraft of the Aces #88). Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing Co, 2009. ISBN 978-1-84603-417-6.
- Kilduff, Peter. The Red Baron: Beyond the Legend. London: Cassell, 1994. ISBN 0-304-35207-1.
- McAllister, Hayden, ed. Flying Stories. London: Octopus Books, 1982. ISBN 07064017348.
- O’Connor, Neal W. The Aviation Awards of the Grand Duchies of Baden and Oldenburg Foundation of Aviation World War I: Aviation Awards of Imperial Germany in World War I and the Men Who Earned Them – Volume VI. Stratford, Connecticut: Flying Machines Press, 1999. ISBN 0-7643-1626-5.
- Preußen, Kriegsministerium, Geheime Kriegs-Kanzlei. Rangliste der Königlich Preußischen Armee und des XIII. Berlin: Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn, 1914.
- Robertson, Bruce (ed.) von Richthofen and the Flying Circus. Letchworth, UK: Harleyford, 1958.
- Robertson, Linda R. The Dream Of Civilized Warfare: World War I Flying Aces and the American Imagination. Minneapolis, Minnesota: University Of Minnesota Press, 2005. ISBN 978-0-8166-4271-7.
- Von Richthofen, Manfred. The Red Baron. Norderstedt, Germany: BOD, 2008 (reprint). ISBN 978-3-8370-9217-2.
- Von Richthofen, Manfred. Red Fighter Pilot: The Autobiography of the Red Baron. St Petersburg, Florida: Red and Black Publishers, 2007 (reprint). ISBN 978-0-9791813-3-7.
- Wright, Nicolas. The Red Baron. London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1976. ISBN 0-283-98298-5.
- Concerning death
- Allmers, Dr. Henning. "Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen's Medical Record: Was the "Red Baron" fit to fly?" Lancet 1999, 354: pp. 502–504.
- Day, Mark. "Unsung No.1 with a bullet – World War I ace Manfred von Richthofen seems to have met his match in an Australian gunner." The Australian News Corporation, 30 April 2007. Retrieved: 30 April 2007.
- Franks, Norman and Alan Bennett. The Red Baron's Last Flight: A Mystery Investigated. London: Grub Street, 2007, First edition 1997. ISBN 1-904943-33-0
- Miller, Geoffrey. "The Death of Manfred von Richthofen: Who fired the fatal shot?" Sabretache: Journal and Proceedings of the Military History Society of Australia, Vol. XXXIX, No. 2.
- Titler, Dale. The Day the Red Baron Died. New York: Ballantine Books, 1970. ISBN 0-345-24923-2.
External links[link]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Red Baron |
- NOVA "Who Killed the Red Baron?"
- An English translation of the account of Bolko v. Richthofen's journey to retrieve Manfred's body
- Image of exact replica of Richthofen's Fokker DR-1
- Website dedicated to Der Rote Kampffleiger aka The Red Baron
- Complete text of The Red Fighter Pilot by Manfred von Richthofen at The War Times Journal
- Combat record
- Footage of the reburial of The Red Baron in 1925
- Historic footage of Manfred von Richthofen posing and conversing with fellow pilots, circa 1917.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Rudolf Lang |
Commanding Officer of Jagdstaffel 11 1917 |
Succeeded by Karl Allmenröder |
| New title Unit formed
|
Commanding Officer of Jagdgeschwader 1 1917–1918 |
Succeeded by Wilhelm Reinhard |
|
||||||||||||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Richthofen, Manfred Albrecht von |
| Alternative names | "The Red Baron" |
| Short description | WW1 Fighter Ace |
| Date of birth | 2 May 1892 |
| Place of birth | Breslau, Silesia, Germany (now in Poland) |
| Date of death | 21 April 1918 |
| Place of death | Morlancourt Ridge, near Vaux-sur-Somme, France |
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Related pages:
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http://ru.wn.com/Рихтгофен, Манфред фон
http://nl.wn.com/Manfred von Richthofen
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_von_Richthofen
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
 Vettel at 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix |
|
| Born | (1987-07-03) 3 July 1987 (age 24) Heppenheim, Hesse, West Germany |
|---|---|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality | German |
| 2012 team | Red Bull-Renault |
| 2012 car # | 1 |
| Races | 87 |
| Championships | 2 (2010, 2011) |
| Wins | 22 |
| Podiums | 38 |
| Career points | 846 |
| Pole positions | 31 |
| Fastest laps | 10 |
| First race | 2007 United States Grand Prix |
| First win | 2008 Italian Grand Prix |
| Last win | 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix |
| Last race | 2012 Monaco Grand Prix |
| 2011 position | 1st (392 pts) |
Sebastian Vettel (German pronunciation: [zeˈbasti̯an ˈfɛtəl]; born 3 July 1987) is a German Formula One racing driver, currently driving for Red Bull Racing. He is the current World Champion, having won the championship in 2010 and 2011.
In his first year driving for Red Bull in 2009, Vettel finished the season as the youngest-ever World Drivers' championship runner-up. He also secured Red Bull's first pole position and race win in the team's history. The following year he went on to become the youngest driver ever to win the World Drivers' Championship. In the same year he helped Red Bull win the team's first World Constructors' Championship. He followed up his first championship with a second in 2011, becoming the youngest double as well as youngest consecutive champion.
Vettel holds numerous other "youngest" Formula One records, among them: the youngest driver to have taken part in an official practice session of a Grand Prix, to score championship points, to lead a race, to secure pole position,[1] and to win a race.[2]
Contents |
Early and personal life[link]
Vettel was born in Heppenheim, West Germany. He has one younger brother, Fabian, and two older sisters, Melanie and Stefanie. Vettel suggested in an interview that he was terrible at school, but he actually earned his Abitur (high school diploma) with a respectable grade.[3] He also mentioned that his childhood heroes were "The three Michaels", who were Michael Schumacher, Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson. He stated that he wanted to be a singer like Michael Jackson but realised that he could not as he did not have the voice.[4] Vettel is also a fan of The Beatles, collecting several records, including Abbey Road and his favourite song being Drive My Car. In an interview on Top Gear, Vettel stated that he was a fan of British comedy such as Little Britain and Monty Python's Life of Brian. Vettel lives in Switzerland amongst other racing drivers and is a fan of German football team Eintracht Frankfurt. Vettel has described himself as competitive, private and impatient. Vettel also appears in advertisements for Head & Shoulders. In the German version of Cars 2, Vettel featured as a voice-over.
Early career[link]
Junior series[link]
Vettel started racing karts in 1995, winning various titles such as the Junior Monaco Kart Cup in 2001. In 2003, he upgraded to open-wheel cars and won the 2004 German Formula BMW Championship with 18 victories from 20 races. In 2005 he drove for ASL Mucke Motorsport in the Formula Three Euroseries. He was placed fifth in the final standings with 64 points, winning the year's top rookie honours. He tested the Williams FW27 Formula One car on 27 September as a reward for this Formula BMW success. He then went on to test for the BMW Sauber team.
Vettel finished as runner-up in the 2006 F3 Euroseries, behind series leader and team mate Paul di Resta. He also made his debut in the World Series by Renault at Misano, winning after Pastor Maldonado was disqualified.[5] However, at the next round at Spa-Francorchamps, his finger was almost sliced off by flying débris in an accident, and he was expected to be out of racing for several weeks.[6] Nevertheless, he managed to compete in the Ultimate Masters of F3 at Zandvoort the following weekend, finishing in sixth place. He also set the third-fastest lap time, and it surprised his ASM team boss Frédéric Vasseur. Vasseur said: "I was impressed for sure, because at the beginning of the week I was sure he wouldn't race! But he showed good pace from the first practice session. I can't imagine he's 100 per cent but at least we know we can be competitive in the next F3 Euroseries round at the Nürburgring next weekend – that's important."[7]
Vettel competed in the World Series by Renault in 2007, and took his first win at the Nürburgring. He was leading the championship when he was called up to Formula One permanently. His seat was taken by Michael Ammermüller.[8]
Formula One[link]
2006–2007: BMW Sauber[link]
2006[link]
See also: 2006 Formula One season
Vettel became BMW Sauber third driver at the 2006 Turkish Grand Prix, when former incumbent Robert Kubica was called up to replace Jacques Villeneuve for the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix.
On his testing debut, Vettel set the fastest time in the second Friday Free Practice before the race.[9] In his second testing session in the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, he set the fastest time in both Friday practice sessions, a race weekend in which all the BMW cars were quick, with his predecessor Robert Kubica finishing on the podium in the race.
2007[link]
See also: 2007 Formula One season
Vettel was confirmed as BMW's test driver for 2007.[10] Following the serious crash of regular BMW driver Kubica at the Canadian Grand Prix, Vettel substituted for him at the United States Grand Prix. Vettel was pulled mid-season from the Formula Renault series, which he was leading at that time. He started in seventh position on the grid,[11] finishing in eighth position to take his first World Championship point and became the youngest driver ever to score a point in Formula One (at the age of 19 years and 349 days), a record previously held by Jenson Button – who was 20 years and 67 days old when he finished sixth at the 2000 Brazilian Grand Prix.[12]
2007–2008: Toro Rosso[link]
2007[link]
On 31 July 2007, BMW released Vettel to join Red Bull's Scuderia Toro Rosso team, replacing Scott Speed as one of its drivers from the Hungarian Grand Prix onwards.[13] He earned approximately US$165,000 for finishing the season with Toro Rosso.[14] Before the race, it was also announced that Vettel would drive for Toro Rosso in 2008,[15] alongside Sébastien Bourdais.[16]
Vettel struggled for his first couple of races while cutting his teeth with his new team, but managed two impressive drives in his 5th and 6th drives for Toro Rosso, a team that was averaging a little worse than 14th place in the 2007 season before Vettel's arrival. In the rain-hit Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji, Vettel worked his way up to third, behind Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber, and seemed to be on course for not only his but also Toro Rosso's maiden podium finish. However, Vettel crashed into Webber under safety car conditions taking them both out of the race and prompting Webber to say to ITV reporter Louise Goodman "It's kids isn't it... kids with not enough experience – you do a good job and then they fuck it all up." Webber also specifically criticized Lewis Hamilton's erratic behaviour in contributing to the accident, describing his antics behind the safety car as 'shit'."[17][18] Vettel was initially punished with a ten-place grid penalty for the following race, but this was lifted after a spectator video on YouTube showed the incident may have been caused by Hamilton's behaviour behind the safety car.[19] Vettel bounced back to finish a career-best fourth a week later at the Chinese Grand Prix having started 17th on the grid while in mixed conditions. He collected five championship points, making it both his and Toro Rosso's best race result.[20]
Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz stated his belief Vettel would be one of Formula One's big stars in the future. "Vettel is one of the young guys with extraordinary potential [...] He is fast, he is intelligent, and he is very interested in the technical side."[21]
2008[link]
See also: 2008 Formula One season
After four races of the 2008 season, Vettel was the only driver to have failed to finish a single race, having retired on the first lap in three of them. In each of these three instances, he was involved in accidents caused by other drivers, the other being an engine failure. However, at the fifth round at the Turkish Grand Prix, he finally saw the chequered flag, albeit finishing in 17th after qualifying 14th and suffering a puncture on the opening lap. In the next race at the Monaco Grand Prix, Vettel scored his first points of the season with a fifth place finish, after qualifying 17th. He scored again at the Canadian Grand Prix fighting off Heikki Kovalainen in the last few laps for the final championship point, having started from pit lane. Vettel finished 12th in France, before retiring on lap one at the wet British Grand Prix after being clipped by David Coulthard and aquaplaned into the gravel trap along with Coulthard. He earned another point at the German Grand Prix, fending off Fernando Alonso and securing eighth after Jarno Trulli ran wide. Vettel retired in Hungary after his engine overheated during his first pit stop. He impressed many at the European Grand Prix by setting the fastest times in the first practice session and second qualifying session, before qualifying sixth on the grid. Vettel finished the race in sixth, two seconds behind Jarno Trulli.
At the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, Vettel became the youngest driver in history to win a Formula One Grand Prix.[22] Aged 21 years and 74 days, Vettel broke the record set by Fernando Alonso at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix by 317 days when he won in wet conditions at Monza.[23] Vettel led for the majority of the Grand Prix and crossed the finish line 12.5 seconds ahead of McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen. It was the first podium and win for his Toro Rosso team.[24] Earlier in the weekend, he had already become the youngest polesitter, after setting the fastest times in both Q2 and Q3 qualifying stages,[25] and his win also gave him the record of youngest podium-finisher. Toro Rosso team boss Gerhard Berger said, "As he proved today, he can win races, but he's going to win world championships. He's a cool guy".[26] Hamilton praised the German, stating that this victory showed "how good he is".[26] The nature of the victory and the story of the 21 year old's fledgling career led the German media to dub him "baby Schumi", although Vettel was quick to downplay the expectation the result has brought, particularly the comparison with the seven-time World Champion: "To compare me with Michael Schumacher is just a bit ridiculous...It will be difficult in normal conditions for us to repeat this achievement".[27] He then went on to finish fifth in Singapore. In Japan, he finished sixth after being promoted from seventh after team-mate Bourdais was penalised for contact with Felipe Massa.
In the Brazilian Grand Prix, after running as high as second in the race on a 3-stop strategy, Vettel overtook Lewis Hamilton in the rain for fifth place on the penultimate lap to contribute to a thrilling climax to the season. He nearly deprived the McLaren driver of the championship before Timo Glock slowed dramatically on the last lap (he was struggling with dry tyres in the ever increasing rain) enabling both Vettel and Hamilton to pass him, earning Hamilton the title, and Vettel fourth place.
After the season had finished Vettel was named Autosport Rookie of the Year.
Red Bull Racing[link]
2009[link]
See also: 2009 Formula One season
At the start of the 2009 season, Vettel replaced the retired David Coulthard at Red Bull Racing, and began strongly at the Australian Grand Prix, qualifying third and running in second for the majority of the race. However, a clash with Robert Kubica over second place on the third to last lap of the race forced both to retire. Vettel attempted to finish the race on three wheels behind the safety car to salvage some points, but eventually pulled off to the side. He thought that he would be able to attempt this because the yellow flag resulting from his incident forbids overtaking; instead he was given a ten-place grid penalty for the next race, the Malaysian Grand Prix, and his team was fined for instructing him to stay on track after the damage occurred.[28] In Malaysia he qualified in third position, but was demoted down to 13th due to his ten-place grid drop. He spun out of the race while eighth, just before the race was stopped due to adverse weather conditions.[29] However in China he went on to take pole position, the first for the Red Bull Racing team. He went on to win the race ahead of team-mate Mark Webber, again a first for his team, which scored its first victory and one-two finish in the same race.[30] At the age of 21 years and 287 days, Vettel became the youngest Grand Prix driver in history to win for two different teams, having won the 2008 Italian Grand Prix for the Toro Rosso team.
In the Bahrain Grand Prix, Vettel qualified in third, and finished second behind Jenson Button in the race. In Spain, he qualified in second but finished the race in fourth, behind his team-mate Mark Webber who finished in third. Vettel won the British Grand Prix after claiming pole position in qualifying.[31] At the German Grand Prix he qualified fourth and finished second, behind Webber, who won his first Grand Prix.[32] At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Vettel qualified second after an eventful qualifying, but had to retire from the race on lap 30 after his car sustained damage from contact with Kimi Räikkönen's car on the first lap.[33]
At the European Grand Prix, he qualified fourth but had to retire from the race with an engine failure. It was the second engine failure for Vettel during the weekend, and the RB5's reliability issues began to show.[34] He finished third at Spa-Francorchamps, and struggled for pace at Monza, finishing 8th at a race he previously won. He qualified 2nd at Singapore, but was given a drive-though penalty for speeding in the pit lane and damaged the diffuser on a kerb, struggling to 4th. He subsequently won the Japanese Grand Prix from pole position, leading every lap and only being denied of the fastest lap by 0.002 seconds by teammate Mark Webber, who did so on the final lap.[35] He would have to wait until the 2011 Indian Grand Prix until he finally achieved a Grand Chelem.
At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Vettel qualified 16th in a rain-hit session, behind title rival Jenson Button (14th) and Rubens Barrichello (1st), while his team-mate Webber qualified second with Adrian Sutil in third. Vettel needed to score at least second place in the race to keep his title hopes alive. He finished fourth with Button behind, giving Button the Championship and moving Vettel up into second place. He officially claimed second place by winning the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, again ahead of Webber with Button completing the podium. He also scored his third fastest lap of the year, drawing him level with team-mate Webber. However, as Vettel had more second fastest laps, he won the 2009 DHL Fastest Lap Award.[36]
2010[link]
See also: 2010 Formula One season
Vettel continued with Red Bull for 2010, and took the first pole position of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Vettel went on to lead most of the race but a spark-plug failure meant that his lap times slowed down, and as a result the two Ferraris and the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton passed him. After a brief challenge from Rosberg he brought the car home in fourth.
At the Australian Grand Prix, Vettel was appointed as a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.[37] He took his second consecutive pole position in Australia, ahead of team-mate Mark Webber, but spun off when leading the race, due to a loose wheel nut. In Malaysia, he took his first win of the 2010 season with Webber coming in second place, having passed both him and Nico Rosberg at turn one.[38]
Vettel qualified on pole at China alongside Webber. At the start of the wet race Fernando Alonso jump-started[39] and Vettel was passed by Webber, dropping back to third. The increasing rain forced Vettel and Webber to pit at the same time for intermediate tyres that wore out after only a few laps and dropped them back into the midfield. Vettel slowly climbed back up to finish sixth, ahead of Webber. In Spain, Vettel was outqualified by team-mate Webber and claimed second on the grid. Despite having a major brake problem during the last eight laps, Vettel managed third place after Hamilton crashed on the penultimate lap.
In Monaco Vettel was again outqualified by Webber. In the race he passed Kubica at the start and stayed there for the remainder of the Grand Prix and made it a Red Bull 1–2. After the race the two Red Bull drivers were equal on points in the drivers' championship, with Webber championship leader based on total wins. At the Turkish Grand Prix he qualified third and was running second behind Webber when he made a passing move on the Australian. The two collided, putting Vettel out of the race and dropping him to fifth in the drivers' championship, with neither driver accepting responsibility for causing the collision. He finished fourth at the Canadian Grand Prix, maintaining his position in the standings. He started the European Grand Prix in pole position and led from start to finish to score his second win of the season.
At Silverstone, both Vettel and Webber's cars were fitted with a new design of front wing. Vettel's front wing was damaged in the third practice session, and Webber's sole surviving example was removed and given to Vettel.[40] Vettel qualified in pole position ahead of his team-mate, but suffered a puncture caused by driving wide off the track on the first lap of the race and fell to the tail of the field. He fought back to finish seventh while Webber took the victory. At the German Grand Prix he took pole by 0.002 seconds, and finished in third position in the race, behind the Ferraris of Alonso and Felipe Massa, after a poor start. He also finished third in Hungary after serving a drive-through penalty for exceeding ten lengths behind the previous car, team-mate Webber, under neutralised safety car conditions. In Belgium, he had a tough race, hitting Button's car whilst attempting to pass, causing Button to retire. Vettel pitted and carried on, but then suffered a puncture whilst passing Liuzzi at the same place, completing a whole lap with a puncture. He eventually finished 15th, which was (other than his retirements in Australia and Turkey) was his worst finish of the season. At Monza he finished fourth after an engine problem scare, and at the Singapore Grand Prix, Vettel qualified and finished second, sticking on Alonso's tail for most of the race. He passed Button for fourth place in the championship. At the Japanese Grand Prix, he dominated all practice sessions bar one, as it was postponed after heavy rain. He qualified on pole ahead of team mate Webber and went on to win with a lights-to-flag victory. Aged 23 years and 98 days, Vettel became the youngest Grand Prix driver to win at the same track on two occasions, having also won the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka in 2009. At the first Korean Grand Prix, Vettel took pole and led the first 45 laps of the race before retiring with engine failure, handing victory to Alonso.
At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Vettel qualified second but took the lead at the first corner and led for the entire race to victory. With Webber taking second place, and Alonso finishing third, Vettel went into the final race of the season with a 15-point deficit to Alonso, and a 7-point gap to Webber. With the one-two finish in Brazil, Vettel and Webber secured Red Bull Racing's first Formula One World Constructors' Championship. He won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from pole again, to take the drivers' championship lead for the first time in his career and became the youngest world champion in the sport's history.[41][42][43] Following James Hunt in the 1976 season, this was also only the second time in Formula One history when the World Champion had not been championship leader at any earlier point in the season.
2011[link]
See also: 2011 Formula One season
After the postponement of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Vettel started his title defence in style in the Australian Grand Prix with pole position and a victory of 22 seconds over title rival Lewis Hamilton, who was nursing home his broken McLaren. Vettel continued his title defence in the Malaysian Grand Prix, where he pipped Hamilton for pole position by a tenth of a second, and went on to win the race from Jenson Button. Vettel completed his third pole position of the season at the Chinese Grand Prix, and appeared to be in dominating form for the majority of the race. However, poor tyre management haunted him in the last several laps, possibly being related to him being unable to properly communicate with his team as his radio was broken. He finished the race second, his championship lead cut to 21 points, by Hamilton, after three races.[44]
The Turkish Grand Prix started out poorly for Vettel, where he had very little practice time during the Friday free practice sessions, including a crash in the first session. Even with the limited practice, he claimed his fifth consecutive pole position and converted it into a win, extending his championship lead over Hamilton to 34 points. At the Spanish Grand Prix, his pole position streak ended as his KERS failed him during qualifying. His teammate Webber took pole, but Vettel went on to win the race by 0.6 seconds over Hamilton, as Hamilton chased him down at the end on prime tyres, despite Vettel having to deal with a frequently malfunctioning KERS.[45] The following weekend, in the Monaco Grand Prix, he took pole with the second fastest qualifying time in Monaco's history. Vettel was leading the race with a 5 second gap to second placed Button. Due to a radio malfunction the Red Bull pit crew was not prepared for Vettel when he pitted. The net result was that the pitstop was slow, and that he was sent out on the wrong tyres, handing the lead to Button as well. Vettel switched to a one-stop strategy, and stuck with one set of soft tyres for 56 laps. He was caught by Alonso and Button as his tyres deteriorated, but neither were able to pass him. With a few laps remaining, the race was red-flagged after Vitaly Petrov required an ambulance after an accident. The suspended race allowed teams to change tyres and work on the cars, and when the race was restarted under the safety car, Vettel was able to retain the lead during the last few laps.[46]
In Canada, he took his sixth pole position in seven races ahead of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. Vettel kept his lead from the start of the race, and for the vast majority of the race he held on to it. The record six safety car periods due to the down-pouring rain and 2 hour race suspension profoundly hurt Vettel's chances of victory, however, as after every safety car restart Vettel would lose the gap he had previously built up on the other drivers. With much fresher tyres, Button caught Vettel and began to pressure him in the last lap. Vettel slid on a damp part of the track at Turn 6, and Button used the opportunity to slip past him to take the victory. Vettel finished second, yet still extended his championship lead to 60 points ahead of Button.
At the European Grand Prix, the FIA began enforcing a controversial ban on engine mappings. It was believed by many in the press that it was an attempt by the FIA to thwart Vettel's domination of the season.[47] The changes appeared to do little to hinder Vettel, as he took pole with the fastest qualifying lap in the track's history. He dominated the race with his first triple of 2011 with pole, fastest lap, and won his sixth race out of eight races. It was the first time in Formula One history where, in the first eight races, a driver finished first in six or more races and second or better in the remaining races.
The second set of controversial mid-season changes were implemented at Silverstone, targeting the blown diffusers. Red Bull believed the changes cost them about half a second per lap.[48] Webber just edged Vettel for pole position by 0.032 seconds in qualifying. On race day, Vettel made a better start, immediately took the lead and led the first half of the race. A delay at one of his pit stops gave the race lead to Alonso, who passed him in the pit lane, and dropped Vettel back to third, behind Hamilton. Despite a malfunctioning KERS unit, he was able to jump Hamilton in the stops and held off the faster Webber, who ignored a radio message from team principal Christian Horner to hold position, for second place, extending his lead in the championship.[49]
Vettel's run of fourteen successive front-row starts and eleven successive top two finishes ended at his home race, where he qualified third and finished fourth. McLaren's mechanical grip outclassed Red Bull in the wet in Hungary, and despite leading into the first corner from pole, he was quickly passed by both Hamilton and Button. Vettel eventually finished second in the race, held in mixed conditions. In Belgium, Vettel qualified on pole and won the race, his seventh victory of the season and seventeenth of his career. In victory, Vettel extended his lead in the championship to 92 points and, even with seven races left, his tally of 259 points surpassed his own record, from 2010 for the highest number of championship points accumulated in a season. At the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, he took his tenth pole position of the year – joining Ayrton Senna as the only drivers to have taken ten pole positions in two separate seasons – and the 25th of his career,[50] and eventually won the race after passing Alonso, who had overtaken Vettel at the start. Vettel led every lap from pole position in Singapore, despite a safety car period eliminating a 22 second lead that he had held. His ninth win of the season left only Jenson Button in championship contention, who was 124 points behind with five races remaining.
Vettel arrived in Japan needing only a single championship point, tenth place, to secure his second championship. In qualifying, Vettel recorded his twelfth pole position of the season, his fifth in succession, edging Button by 0.009 seconds. In the race Vettel held the lead until the second pit-stop phase, when Button used the undercut to get past.[51] He remained second after a safety car restart, but because he his tyres wore out not long after that, he slipped down to third behind Alonso. He tried to fight Alonso for the position, but after not getting past his race engineer told him to hold position to take the championship. Another podium secured his second successive title with four races remaining, making him the youngest ever double World Champion and also the youngest back-to-back Champion, joining only eight other drivers who had won consecutive titles.[52] In Korea, Vettel started second, but won the race – becoming the second driver to take at least ten wins in a season after Michael Schumacher[53] – after overtaking Lewis Hamilton on the first lap, building a healthy gap for the rest of the race and securing the fastest lap of the race, on the final lap. He helped secure Red Bull's second successive Constructors' World Championship in the process.[54][55] Vettel took his eleventh victory of the season in the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, leading every lap from pole position, as well as setting the race's fastest lap on the final lap, despite Red Bull turning down his engine in an effort not to risk the race victory.[56][57]
At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Vettel took his fourteenth pole position of 2011 to equal the record of poles in a season set by Nigel Mansell in 1992. Vettel had a good start to maintain the lead by the first corner, but at the second corner, a right rear puncture saw him go sliding off the track. He returned to the pits, but suspension damage forced his first retirement since the 2010 Korean Grand Prix. Vettel then broke the record for the most poles in a season at the next round, the season finale in Brazil. He maintained his lead into the first corner but was slowed by gearbox trouble early in the race. He allowed teammate Webber to pass him as his problem worsened, but eventually finished second ahead of Button to complete a 1–2 for the team upon Webber's only victory of the year. Vettel completed the year with 15 poles, 11 victories and 17 podiums from 19 races; he also gained a total of 392 points in the process.
2012[link]
Vettel remained at Red Bull for the 2012 season,[58] and is again partnered by Mark Webber. He scored a second place finish at the opening race of the season in Australia.[59] Vettel started fifth in Malaysia, promoted from sixth after Kimi Räikkönen suffered a five-place grid penalty. Vettel spent the majority of the rain-affected race in fourth place, but picked a puncture from a collision with the HRT of Narain Karthikeyan on lap 47. He dropped to twelfth after pitting to replace the tyre, and finished eleventh after Pastor Maldonado retired late in the race with an engine failure. This was Vettel's first finish outside the points since the 2010 Belgian Grand Prix; Karthikeyan was given a 20-second post-race penalty for his part in the collision, which dropped Karthikeyan from 21st to 22nd and last.
After the race, Vettel and Red Bull boss Christian Horner criticised Karthikeyan's driving, with Vettel calling Karthikeyan an "idiot".[60] Karthikeyan hit back at Vettel, calling him a "cry-baby".[61] Later, Karthikeyan decided to call a truce with Vettel, stating his respect for Vettel's abilities and saying "I think we have to deal with it in a mature way and forget about it."[61] Vettel qualified eleventh for the Chinese Grand Prix; the first time he had qualified outside the top ten since the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix,[62] although he ran as high as 2nd with 7 laps remaining until tyre wear on a 2-stop strategy took its toll and he dropped to 5th by the flag.
Vettel qualified in pole position for the first time in 2012 at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Vettel was able to lead for most of the race, despite coming under pressure from Kimi Räikkönen, and crossed the line in first place to take his first victory of the season; the result also saw Vettel go top of the driver's standings for the first time in 2012. At the Spanish GP, he maintained his championship lead, albeit only on countback, after a 6th place finish having started 7th following on from a qualifying session in which he didn't set a time in Q3. Vettel received a drive-through penalty for failing to slow for yellow flags during the race as well as having to change his front wing as a result of debris from an incident involving Michael Schumacher and Bruno Senna. After an eventful race at Monaco where he placed fourth, gaining 5 places from his ninth-place grid position, he is currently second in the Drivers' Championship, behind Alonso who finished third in the race.
Future[link]
On 21 August 2009 it was announced that Red Bull and Vettel have extended his contract until the end of the 2011 season[63] with an option for 2012. The option was taken up on 14 March 2011, as Vettel extended his contract with the team until the end of 2014.[64] Vettel has mentioned he would like to at some point in his career drive for Ferrari, while Red Bull believes he will stay with them for as long as they supply a competitive car.[65] Prior to the Japanese Grand Prix, Red Bull's advisor Helmut Marko expressed his wish to extend Vettel's contract for another two years, to 2016.[66]
Race of Champions[link]
Vettel competed in the 2007 Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium, representing the German team alongside Michael Schumacher.[67] Vettel and Schumacher won the Nations' Cup Title, after exciting finals. Vettel had to beat two RoC champions, Heikki Kovalainen and Marcus Grönholm, after Schumacher stalled his car. Vettel lost the individual competition however, in first heat, in his second battle against Kovalainen.
Vettel also competed in the 2008 Race of Champions, alongside Michael Schumacher. Once again they won the Nations' Cup Title after a close final against Scandinavia. In the Driver's Cup, Vettel beat Troy Bayliss in Round One, but lost to Sébastien Loeb in the Quarter-Finals. Again Vettel teamed up with Michael Schumacher for the 2009 RoC Nations Cup, which they went on to win in a run-off against the Great Britain team of Jenson Button and Andy Priaulx. In the 2010 edition, on home ground in Düsseldorf, Vettel again teamed up with Schumacher to win the Nations Cup for the fourth time in a row.[68] In the Driver's Cup, Vettel was eliminated in the semi-finals by Filipe Albuquerque, who went on to win the event.
In 2011, Vettel and Schumacher completed their fifth consecutive Nations Cup win, beating the Nordic team of Tom Kristensen and Juho Hänninen 2–0 in the final. In the semi-finals, Vettel had to beat both Andy Priaulx and Jenson Button, after Schumacher lost to Button.
Top Gear[link]
Vettel holds the fastest lap-time for a Formula One driver on BBC2's Top Gear programme in the "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" segment, with a lap of 1:44.0, beating previous holder Rubens Barrichello, and the old Stig, Ben Collins.
Helmet design[link]
Vettel's helmet, like most Red Bull-backed drivers, is heavily influenced by the energy drink company logo.
New to Vettel's helmet since the start of 2008 has been the incorporation of the red cross of the Kreis Bergstraße coat of arms on the front, just underneath the visor, in honour of the region of his birthplace, Heppenheim.
During pre-season testing for 2010, Vettel debuted a helmet resembling a Red Bull drink can complete with graphics of a stay-tab opener on top—which would become a recurring element in his helmets for this season. During the 2010 season, Vettel has used three main helmet designs, although he made some minor changes to some in certain races: besides his standard black helmet, he has used one with the same design but in chrome colors. For the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix, Vettel had a special white-red helmet design, with black kanji and hiragana for "gives you wings". In 2011 he uses his traditional helmet, with some regular changes, like the black top and chin area with blue stylized dots, similar to his black helmet used in 2010. Helmet manufacturer Arai have said that Vettel 'retires' a helmet design after each win.
Comparison to Michael Schumacher[link]
After Vettel's unexpected win in Monza, this led for the media to dub him the "Baby Schumi", "New Schumacher", but Vettel plays down the comparison stating he wanted to be the "New Vettel".[69] He was not just dubbed for his nationality but also because of his driving style, his concentration and the hands-on role he plays behind the scenes with his team of engineers. One difference is that Schumacher does not name his car but Vettel does, Julie (2008), Kate, Kate's Dirty Sister (2009), Luscious Liz, Randy Mandy (2010), Kinky Kylie (2011),[70] and Abbey (2012).[71]
Nevertheless, the similarities are marked. Like Schumacher, Vettel grew up in a small town with an everyday background—Schumacher's father a bricklayer and Vettel's a carpenter. Both had their first taste of racing at the Kerpen karting track near Cologne, not far from the Nürburgring. Vettel began driving in his garden lapping the garden many times, not even stopping to eat or shower, before he could legally take to the roads, and says his passion for cars was nurtured by watching Schumacher compete. He did not know that he would actually get to race his hero.[72]
Both Schumacher and Vettel impressed in their debut races, both of which took place in the middle of a Formula One season, and both drivers qualified seventh. Neither would ever drive for their debut teams again. Instead, both immediately joined with non-manufacturer teams founded upon sales of non-automobile-related products. Approximately a year after joining their new teams, as underdogs they would stun the Formula One world by winning races in cars few believed capable of winning. They would both add extra victories to their names in the following season before their cars' performance improved. In their third full Formula One season and both driving cars numbered 5, both won their first World Drivers' Championship, at which point both drivers had 10 Grand Prix wins on their records. Vettel became the youngest ever driver to win the World Drivers' Championship, while Schumacher, by a little over a week, only narrowly missed out on achieving the very same feat. Both drivers won their non-manufacturer teams' maiden World Drivers' Championship as well as World Constructors' Championship.
After winning his first championship in 2010, and being hailed as the 'Next Schumacher', Vettel has stated he did not want to aim for Schumacher's record after learning how hard it was to get one championship under his belt, though he would have liked to win more.[73] It was in their next seasons that the two drivers began to dominate the sport, both clinching their second successive title before the season was finished, (unlike the previous year) in only their fourth full season. Both drivers became the youngest ever double World Champion at the time, by doing this.
Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel version[link]
In early 2011, Red Bull Racing's sponsor and partner Infiniti entered into discussions with Vettel regarding the possibility of a Formula One-inspired Infiniti FX. Vettel, who already owned his own FX50, expressed his interest in the performance capabilities of the FX platform, and as a result of six months of intense research and development, the 2012 Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version Concept was officially unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show on 13 September 2011. On 10 October 2011, Infiniti confirmed that the FX Sebastian Vettel version would go into production.[74]
Honours[link]
In February 2012 Vettel was honoured with the highest sports award in Germany, the Silberne Lorbeerblatt – Silver Bay Laurel Leaf – in recognition of his multiple world titles and his exemplary character.[75]
Racing record[link]
Career summary[link]
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Formula BMW ADAC | Eifelland Racing | 19 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 216 | 2nd |
| 2004 | Formula BMW ADAC | ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg | 20 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 20 | 387 | 1st |
| 2005 | Formula 3 Euro Series | ASL Mücke Motorsport | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 57 | 5th |
| Masters of Formula 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 11th | ||
| Spanish Formula Three Championship | Racing Engineering | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 15th | |
| Macau Grand Prix | ASM F3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 3rd | |
| Formula One | Williams F1 Team | Test driver | |||||||
| 2006 | Formula 3 Euro Series | ASM Formule 3 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 75 | 2nd |
| Macau Grand Prix | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 23rd | ||
| Formula Renault 3.5 Series | Carlin Motorsport | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 15th | |
| Masters of Formula 3 | ASL Mücke Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6th | |
| Formula One | BMW Sauber F1 Team | Test driver | |||||||
| 2007 | Formula Renault 3.5 Series | Carlin Motorsport | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 74 | 5th |
| Formula One | BMW Sauber F1 Team | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 14th | |
| Scuderia Toro Rosso | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2008 | Formula One | Scuderia Toro Rosso | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 8th |
| 2009 | Formula One | Red Bull Racing | 17 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 84 | 2nd |
| 2010 | Formula One | Red Bull Racing | 19 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 256 | 1st |
| 2011 | Formula One | Red Bull Racing | 19 | 11 | 15 | 3 | 17 | 392 | 1st |
| 2012 | Formula One | Red Bull Racing | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 73 | 2nd* |
* Season in progress.
Complete Formula 3 Euro Series results[link]
(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 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | ASL Mücke Motorsport | Dallara F305/011 | Mercedes | HOC1 1 15 |
HOC1 2 5 |
PAU 1 7 |
PAU 2 11 |
SPA 1 DSQ |
SPA 2 13 |
MON 1 18 |
MON 2 17 |
OSC 1 5 |
OSC 2 5 |
NOR 1 2 |
NOR 2 4 |
NÜR 1 11 |
NÜR 2 2 |
ZAN 1 2 |
ZAN 2 2 |
LAU 1 3 |
LAU 2 15 |
HOC2 1 13 |
HOC2 2 3 |
5th | 57 |
| 2006 | ASM Formule 3 | Dallara F305/059 | Mercedes | HOC1 1 5 |
HOC1 2 1 |
LAU 1 3 |
LAU 2 6 |
OSC 1 5 |
OSC 2 14 |
BRH 1 2 |
BRH 2 7 |
NOR 1 2 |
NOR 2 Ret |
NÜR 1 1 |
NÜR 2 1 |
ZAN 1 24 |
ZAN 2 2 |
CAT 1 1 |
CAT 2 Ret |
LMS 1 9 |
LMS 2 9 |
HOC2 1 3 |
HOC2 2 12 |
2nd | 75 |
Complete Formula Renault 3.5 Series results[link]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Carlin Motorsport | ZOL 1 |
ZOL 2 |
MON 1 |
IST 1 |
IST 2 |
MIS 1 1 |
MIS 2 2 |
SPA 1 Ret |
SPA 2 DNS |
NÜR 1 |
NÜR 2 |
DON 1 |
DON 2 |
LMS 1 |
LMS 2 |
CAT 1 |
CAT 2 |
15th | 28 |
| 2007 | Carlin Motorsport | MNZ 1 5 |
MNZ 2 3 |
NÜR 1 1 |
NÜR 2 6 |
MON 1 2 |
HUN 1 4 |
HUN 2 3 |
SPA 1 |
SPA 2 |
DON 1 |
DON 2 |
MAG 1 |
MAG 2 |
EST 1 |
EST 2 |
CAT 1 |
CAT 2 |
5th | 74 |
Complete Formula One results[link]
(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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | BMW Sauber F1 Team | BMW Sauber F1.06 | BMW P86 2.4 V8 | BHR | MAL | AUS | SMR | EUR | ESP | MON | GBR | CAN | USA | FRA | GER | HUN | TUR TD |
ITA TD |
CHN TD |
JPN TD |
BRA TD |
– | – | ||
| 2007 | BMW Sauber F1 Team | BMW Sauber F1.07 | BMW P86/7 2.4 V8 | AUS TD |
MAL TD |
BHR | ESP | MON | CAN | USA 8 |
FRA | GBR | EUR | 14th | 6 | ||||||||||
| Scuderia Toro Rosso | Toro Rosso STR2 | Ferrari 056 2.4 V8 | HUN 16 |
TUR 19 |
ITA 18 |
BEL Ret |
JPN Ret |
CHN 4 |
BRA Ret |
||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Scuderia Toro Rosso | Toro Rosso STR2B | Ferrari 056 2.4 V8 | AUS Ret |
MAL Ret |
BHR Ret |
ESP Ret |
TUR 17 |
8th | 35 | |||||||||||||||
| Toro Rosso STR3 | Ferrari 056 2.4 V8 | MON 5 |
CAN 8 |
FRA 12 |
GBR Ret |
GER 8 |
HUN Ret |
EUR 6 |
BEL 5 |
ITA 1 |
SIN 5 |
JPN 6 |
CHN 9 |
BRA 4 |
|||||||||||
| 2009 | Red Bull Racing | Red Bull RB5 | Renault RS27 2.4 V8 | AUS 13 |
MAL 15 |
CHN 1 |
BHR 2 |
ESP 4 |
MON Ret |
TUR 3 |
GBR 1 |
GER 2 |
HUN Ret |
EUR Ret |
BEL 3 |
ITA 8 |
SIN 4 |
JPN 1 |
BRA 4 |
ABU 1 |
2nd | 84 | |||
| 2010 | Red Bull Racing | Red Bull RB6 | Renault RS27 2.4 V8 | BHR 4 |
AUS Ret |
MAL 1 |
CHN 6 |
ESP 3 |
MON 2 |
TUR Ret |
CAN 4 |
EUR 1 |
GBR 7 |
GER 3 |
HUN 3 |
BEL 15 |
ITA 4 |
SIN 2 |
JPN 1 |
KOR Ret |
BRA 1 |
ABU 1 |
1st | 256 | |
| 2011 | Red Bull Racing | Red Bull RB7 | Renault RS27 2.4 V8 | AUS 1 |
MAL 1 |
CHN 2 |
TUR 1 |
ESP 1 |
MON 1 |
CAN 2 |
EUR 1 |
GBR 2 |
GER 4 |
HUN 2 |
BEL 1 |
ITA 1 |
SIN 1 |
JPN 3 |
KOR 1 |
IND 1 |
ABU Ret |
BRA 2 |
1st | 392 | |
| 2012 | Red Bull Racing | Red Bull RB8 | Renault RS27 2.4 V8 | AUS 2 |
MAL 11 |
CHN 5 |
BHR 1 |
ESP 6 |
MON 4 |
CAN | EUR | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | KOR | IND | ABU | USA | BRA | 2nd* | 73* |
* Season in progress.
Formula One records[link]
Vettel, enjoying considerable success in the sport whilst still relatively young, holds the following Formula One records:
| Record | Achieved |
|---|---|
| Most championship points earned in a season[76] | 2011 (27 November 2011, 392 points) |
| Most starts from front row in a season | 2011 (26 November 2011, 18 front row starts). |
| Most pole positions in a season | 2011 (26 November 2011, 15 pole positions) |
| Most laps led in a season | 2011 (27 November 2011, 739 laps led) |
| Most wins from pole position in a season | 2011 (30 October 2011, 9 wins from pole position)[N 1] |
| Youngest driver to drive at a Grand Prix meeting[77] | 2006 Turkish Grand Prix (25 August 2006, aged 19 years, 53 days) |
| Youngest driver to set fastest time in an official Grand Prix session[78] | |
| Youngest driver to score points in Formula One[79] | 2007 United States Grand Prix (17 June 2007, aged 19 years, 349 days) |
| Youngest race leader in Formula One, for at least one lap[80] | 2007 Japanese Grand Prix (30 September 2007, aged 20 years, 89 days) |
| Youngest Grand Prix pole position winner[79] | 2008 Italian Grand Prix (13 September 2008, aged 21 years, 72 days) |
| Youngest driver to score a podium position in Formula One[81] | 2008 Italian Grand Prix (14 September 2008, aged 21 years, 73 days) |
| Youngest Grand Prix winner[79] | |
| Youngest driver to score a double (pole position and race win) | |
| Youngest Formula One World Drivers' Champion[79] | 2010 season (14 November 2010, aged 23 years, 135 days) |
| Youngest World Drivers' Championship runner-up[80] | 2009 season (1 November 2009, aged 22 years, 121 days) |
| Youngest driver to score a triple (pole position, race win, and fastest lap) | 2009 British Grand Prix (aged 21 years, 353 days) |
| Youngest driver to score a grand slam (pole position, win, fastest lap, and led every lap) | 2011 Indian Grand Prix (aged 24 years, 119 days) |
| Shortest time elapsed before gaining a penalty | 2007 United States Grand Prix (6 seconds into his career, for speeding in the pit lane)[citation needed] |
- Footnotes
- ^ Record shared with Nigel Mansell (1992).
References[link]
- ^ "Vettel makes history in taking pole at Italian Grand Prix". TSN. 13 September 2008. http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/story/?id=249341&lid=headline&lpos=secStory_main. Retrieved 13 September 2008.
- ^ "Vettel makes history with Italian Grand Prix win". TSN. 14 September 2008. http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/story/?id=249484&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_main. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
- ^ "Heldenverehrung: Gymnasium nach Rennfahrer Sebastian Vettel benannt". Der Spiegel. http://www.spiegel.de/schulspiegel/abi/0,1518,579026,00.html. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
- ^ "The Secret Life of Sebastian Vettel". formula1.com (Formula One Administration). 17 March 2010. http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2010/3/10542.html. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
- ^ "WS: Misano 2006 – Maldonado DQ gives Vettel win.". crash.net. 17 July 2006. http://www.crash.net/feature_view~t~WS--Misano-2006---Maldonado-DQ-gives-Vettel-win-~cid~7~id~9702.htm. Retrieved 1 June 2007.
- ^ "WS: Injury to sideline Vettel for weeks.". crash.net. 30 July 2006. http://www.crash.net/news_View~t~WS--Injury-to-sideline-Vettel-for-weeks-~cid~7~id~134663.htm. Retrieved 1 June 2007.
- ^ Autosport magazine, 10 August 2006, page 27
- ^ "Ammermuller replaces Vettel at Carlin". autosport.com. 15 August 2007. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/61531. Retrieved 19 August 2007.
- ^ "2006 Turkish Grand Prix – Fri Prac 2". formula1.com. 25 August 2006. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2006/764/6330/. Retrieved 1 June 2007.
- ^ "BMW names same drivers for 2007". grandprix.com. 19 October 2006. http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns17640.html. Retrieved 1 June 2007.
- ^ "Vettel to replace Kubica at Indianapolis". autosport.com. 14 June 2007. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/59765. Retrieved 14 June 2007.
- ^ "Vettel becomes F1's youngest scorer". itv-f1.com. 17 June 2007. http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=39687. Retrieved 18 June 2007.
- ^ "U.S. driver Scott Speed dropped by Toro Rosso, replaced by Sebastian Vettel". Associated Press. 31 July 2007. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/31/sports/EU-SPT-CAR-F1-Speed-Dropped.php. Retrieved 21 July 2008.
- ^ "Vettel to earn $165, 000 at STR". flagworld.auto123.com. 1 August 2007. http://flagworld.auto123.com/en/racing/news/index,view.spy?artid=87349. Retrieved 1 August 2007.
- ^ "Vettel to race for Toro Rosso in 2008". autosport.com. 2 August 2007. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/61270. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
- ^ "Toro Rosso confirm Bourdais for 2008". grandprix.com. 10 August 2008. http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns19520.html. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
- ^ "Webber defends Hamilton comments". pitpass.com (Pitpass). 10 October 2007. http://www.pitpass.com/33132-Webber-defends-Hamilton-comments. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- ^ "Webber Slams Hamilton For Erratic Driving". Dalje (Kontineo oglašavanje d.o.o.). 4 October 2007. http://dalje.com/en-sports/webber-slams-hamilton-for-erratic-driving/86755. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ "Stewards investigating Hamilton for Webber-Vettel crash". GPUpdate.net. 2007. http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/169614/stewards-investigating-hamilton-for-webber-vettel-crash/. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ^ "Flawless Vettel storms to fourth". F1Fanatic.co.uk. 2007. http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2007/10/07/flawless-vettel-storms-to-fourth/. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
- ^ www.autosport.com. Retrieved 30 January 2008.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (14 September 2008), "French Grand Prix", BBC Sport, http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7615250.stm
- ^ Henry, Alan (15 September 2008), "Aged just 21 years and 74 days, Vettel is youngest ever grand prix winner", The Guardian (London), http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/sep/15/formulaone.motorsports1
- ^ "Vettel scores stunning maiden GP win", ITV Sport, 14 September 2008, http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=43959
- ^ "Vettel claims Italian pole", Sky Sports, 13 September 2008, http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12433_4139388,00.html
- ^ a b Benson, Andrew (14 September 2008), "French Grand Prix", BBC Sport, http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7615755.stm
- ^ "Vettel: I'm not the next Michael Schumacher", Formula One News, 15 September 2008, http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3213_4148169,00.html
- ^ "Vettel gets grid penalty for Malaysia". autosport.com. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74059. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
- ^ Cheese, Caroline (5 April 2009). "Malaysian Grand Prix as it happened". bbc.co.uk/sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7984059.stm. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
- ^ Whyatt, Chris (19 April 2009). "Vettel seals first Red Bull win". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8006717.stm. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
- ^ Cary, Tom (21 June 2009). "British Grand Prix: Sebastian Vettel claims win to chip away at Jenson Button's lead". The Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/5594381/British-Grand-Prix-Sebastian-Vettel-claims-win-to-chip-away-at-Jenson-Buttons-lead.html. Retrieved 25 June 2009.
- ^ "Mark Webber takes first win at German GP". Grandprix.com. 12 July 2009. http://www.grandprix.com/race/r812racenotes.html. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
- ^ "Lewis Hamilton wins Hungarian GP". Grandprix.com. 26 July 2009. http://www.grandprix.com/race/r813racenotes.html. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
- ^ "autosport.com". autosport.com. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77920. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
- ^ Spurgeon, Brad (4 October 2009). "Perfect Weekend for a German at Japanese Grand Prix". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/05/sports/autoracing/05iht-PRIX.html. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
- ^ "DHL Fastest Lap Award – 2009 Results". The Official Formula 1 Website. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2009/dhl_fastest_laps.html. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (26 March 2010). "Heidfeld appointed GPDA chairman". autosport.com (Haymarket Publications). http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82402. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
- ^ Weaver, Paul (4 April 2010). "Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull wins Formula One's Malaysian grand prix". The Guardian (Kuala Lumpur: Guardian Media Group). http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/apr/04/f1-formula-one-malaysian-grand-prix. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
- ^ "Chinese GP – Sunday – Race Report: Button rains on Red Bull parade". grandprix.com (Inside F1, Inc.). 18 April 2010. http://www.grandprix.com/race/r824racereport.html. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan; Beer, Matt (10 July 2010). "Webber unhappy with wing situation". autosport.com (Haymarket Publications). http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/85160. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ^ "Sebastian Vettel wins Formula One world championship in Abu Dhabi". The Guardian (London: Guardian Media Group). 14 November 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/nov/14/sebastian-vettel-champion. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
- ^ Cary, Tom (14 November 2010). "Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel is crowned Formula One world champion". The Daily Telegraph (Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi: Telegraph Media Group). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/8132344/F1-Abu-Dhabi-Grand-Prix-2010-Red-Bulls-Sebastian-Vettel-is-crowned-Formula-One-world-champion.html. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
- ^ "Sebastian Vettel is youngest F1 champ". Associated Press. ESPN. 14 November 2010. http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/racing/f1/news/story?id=5805142. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
- ^ "Hamilton stuns Vettel". Sky Sports (British Sky Broadcasting). 17 April 2011. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12433_6879510,00.html. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ "Lewis can't break Vettel KERS". Milton Keynes Citizen (Johnston Press). 23 May 2011. http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/sport/lewis_can_t_break_vettel_kers_1_2706038. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ^ "Drama on the Monaco streets". GP.com. 29 May 2011. http://www.grandprix.com/race/r845racereport.html.
- ^ "Webber: If Lewis wins by 50s, it's not down to regs". crash.net (Crash Media Group). 26 June 2011. http://www.crash.net/f1/news/170683/1/webber_if_lewis_wins_by_50s_its_not_down_to_regs.html. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
- ^ "Marko: Diffuser ban will cost Bulls". Planet F1 (TEAMtalk media). 29 June 2011. http://www.planet-f1.com/driver/18227/7009904/Marko-Diffuser-ban-will-cost-Bulls. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (11 July 2011). "Mark Webber says British GP team orders were 'unnecessary'". autosport.com (Haymarket Publications). http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/93033. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ Holt, Sarah (10 September 2011). "Sebastian Vettel pips Lewis Hamilton to Monza pole position". BBC Sport (BBC). http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9586495.stm. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
- ^ Benammar, Emily (9 October 2011). "Japanese Grand Prix 2011: live". The Daily Telegraph (Telegraph Media Group). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/8816265/Japanese-Grand-Prix-2011-live.html. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ Richards, Giles (9 October 2011). "Sebastian Vettel secures back-to-back F1 world titles in Japan". The Guardian (Guardian Media Group). http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/oct/09/sebastian-vettel-wins-world-title. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ Allen, James (16 October 2011). "Red Bull constructors’ champions as Vettel wins Korean Grand Prix". James Allen on F1. James Allen. http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2011/10/red-bull-constructors-champions-as-vettel-wins-korean-grand-prix/. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
- ^ Holt, Sarah (16 October 2011). "Sebastian Vettel wins Korean Grand Prix from Lewis Hamilton". BBC Sport (BBC). http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/formula_one/15326210.stm. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ^ "Red Bull celebrate second constructors' title". BBC Sport (BBC). 16 October 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/formula_one/15326362.stm. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ^ Holt, Sarah (30 October 2011). "Vettel eases to inaugural Indian victory". Formula1.com (Formula One Administration). http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2011/10/12725.html. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ "Vettel Ignores Team To Take 'Clean Sweep'". The Motor Report (TMR Unit Trust). 30 October 2011. http://www.themotorreport.com.au/52769/f1-vettel-ignores-team-to-take-clean-sweep. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
- ^ "Sebastian Vettel On The Season Ahead". Red Bull Racing (Red Bull). 6 February 2012. http://www.redbullracing.com/cs/Satellite/en_INT/Article/F1-2012--Sebastian-Vettel-On-The-Season-Ahead-021243159170581. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (18 March 2012). "Jenson Button wins Australian Grand Prix for McLaren". BBC Sport (BBC). http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/17419682. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (26 March 2012). "Sebastian Vettel criticises ‘idiot’ backmarker in Malaysian GP". BBC Sport (BBC). http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/17506568. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ a b Benson, Andrew (30 March 2012). "Karthikeyan keen to move on from Vettel 'cry baby' comment". BBC Sport (BBC). http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/17550940. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ "We're doing our best – Vettel". Sporting Life (365 Media Group Ltd.). 14 April 2012. http://www.sportinglife.com/others/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=others/12/04/14/AUTO_Chinese_Vettel.html&BID=678. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
- ^ "Red Bull extend Vettel contract". gpupdate.net (GPUpdate). 21 August 2009. http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/formula-1-news/217838/red-bull-extend-vettel-contract/. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (14 March 2011). "Sebastian Vettel extends contract with Red Bull". BBC Sport (BBC). http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9424199.stm. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
- ^ "I've got wings! Sebastian Vettel shuns Ferrari to commit to Red Bull to 2014". Daily Mail (Associated Newspapers). 14 March 2011. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formulaone/article-1366077/Sebastian-Vettel-shuns-Ferrari-commit-Red-Bull-2014.html. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- ^ "Marko eyes Vettel contract extension to 2016". GMM. Speed. 5 October 2011. http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-helmut-marko-eyes-sebastian-vettel-contract-extension-to-2016/work=SPEEDTV.com. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- ^ "Vettel to represent Germany at RoC". planet-f1.com. 26 October 2007. http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3213_2826546,00.html. Retrieved 26 October 2007.
- ^ "Schumacher, Vettel win Nations Cup". AutoWeek (Crain Communications). 27 November 2010. http://www.autoweek.com/article/20101127/MOTORSPORTS/101129928. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
- ^ Arron, Simon (15 September 2008). "Sebastian Vettel joins Formula One's young fast set with Monza victory". The Daily Telegraph (London: Telegraph Media Group). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/2964390/Sebastian-Vettel-joins-Formula-Ones-young-fast-set-with-Monza-victory-F1.html. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
- ^ "Sebastian Vettel, Luscious Liz...and police called Michael Schumacher". crash.net (Crash Media Group). 9 March 2010. http://www.crash.net/f1/news/157557/1/sebastian_vettel_luscious_lizand_police_called_michael_schumacher.html. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
- ^ "Sebastian Vettel names 2012 Red Bull car Abbey as he looks to defend Formula One world title". The Daily Telegraph (Telegraph Media Group). 14 March 2012. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/sebastian-vettel/9142718/Sebastian-Vettel-names-2012-Red-Bull-car-Abbey-as-he-looks-to-defend-Formula-One-world-title.html. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
- ^ Gray, Will (9 August 2009). "My life in cars: Sebastian Vettel". The Sunday Times (London: News Corporation). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/features/article6779690.ece. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
- ^ Harley, Donald (23 November 2010). "Sebastian Vettel refuses to compare himself to Michael Schumacher". Bettor. Ibetx Ltd.. http://blogs.bettor.com/Sebastian-Vettel-refuses-to-compare-himself-to-Michael-Schumacher-a43079. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
- ^ Condon, Joshua (10 October 2011). "Sebastian Vettel-Inspired Infiniti FX Headed for Production". MSN Autos (Microsoft). http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/autosblogpost.aspx?post=f52605fd-234e-4ca7-874d-cf5cf5d41ce2. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
- ^ Allen, James (24 February 2012). "Vettel Honoured by German Nation". James Allen on F1. James Allen. http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2012/02/vettel-honoured-by-german-nation/. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ http://f1-grandprix.com/?page_id=3158
- ^ "Sebastian Vettel – A Short Biography". redbullreporter.com. 23 March 2011. http://www.redbullreporter.com/submission/sebastian-vettel-a-short-biography. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ^ "Today's race in Montreal gives Austin a glimpse of its F1 future". Statesman.com. 11 June 2011. http://www.statesman.com/sports/formula1/todays-race-in-montreal-gives-austin-a-glimpse-1534218.html.
- ^ a b c d "Superman Seb! Youngest F1 champion cried with joy at his triumph for Red Bull". Daily Mail. 14 November 2010. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formulaone/article-1329665/Sebastian-Vettel-cried-joy-triumph-Red-Bull.html. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ^ a b "Sebastian Vettel: F1 driver profile". Daily Telegraph. 9 March 2010. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/redbull/7404664/Sebastian-Vettel-F1-driver-profile.html. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ^ "I don't have blood, but engine fuel, running through my veins!". redbullreporter.com. 4 April 2011. http://www.redbullreporter.com/submission/i-don-t-have-blood-but-engine-fuel-running-through-my-veins-give-me-wings-and-watch-me-take-off-make-me-the-f1-red-bull-reporter-and-you-won-t-regret-it. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
External links[link]
|
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sebastian Vettel |
- Sebastian Vettel official site (German)
- Sebastian Vettel at the Internet Movie Database
- Profile – from Formula 1 official website
- Profile – from BBC F1
- Profile – from ESPN
- Vettel's career details
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Vettel, Sebastian |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | German racing driver |
| Date of birth | 3 July 1987 |
| Place of birth | Heppenheim, Hesse, West Germany |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Sebastian_Vettel
Related pages:
http://it.wn.com/Sebastian Vettel
http://cs.wn.com/Sebastian Vettel
http://id.wn.com/Sebastian Vettel
http://es.wn.com/Sebastian Vettel
http://ru.wn.com/Феттель, Себастьян
http://pt.wn.com/Sebastian Vettel
http://pl.wn.com/Sebastian Vettel
http://fr.wn.com/Sebastian Vettel
http://de.wn.com/Sebastian Vettel
http://nl.wn.com/Sebastian Vettel
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastian_Vettel
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
For other uses, see To the Limit.
| Am Limit | |
|---|---|
| File:To the Limit VideoCover.png | |
| Directed by | Pepe Danquart |
| Produced by | Kirsten Hager Erich Lackner Mirjam Quinte |
| Screenplay by | Pepe Danquart |
| Starring | Alexander Huber Thomas Huber Dean Potter |
| Music by | Dorian Cheah Christoph Israel |
| Cinematography | Martin Hauslmayr Franz Hinterbrandner Max Reichel Wolfgang Thaler |
| Editing by | Mona Bräuer |
| Studio | Hager Moss Film |
| Distributed by | First Run Features (United States) |
| Release date(s) |
|
| Running time | 95 min. |
| Country | Germany Austria |
| Language | German |
To the Limit (original German: Am Limit) is a 2007) German documentary, written and directed by German film director Pepe Danquart, about brothers Alexander Huber and Thomas Huber climbing the El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park.[1]
Contents |
Cast[link]
- Alexander Huber ... himself
- Thomas Huber ... himself
- Dean Potter ... himself
Head Riggers[link]
Awards and nominations[link]
Film Awards[link]
| Year | Film Festival | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Bavarian Film Awards | Bavarian Film Award | Best Documentary Film |
Submissions[link]
- European Film Awards 2007
- Best Documentary Award (nominated)
- Deutscher Filmpreis
- Best Sound (nominated)
- Outstanding Documentary (nominated)
References[link]
- ^ Catsoulis, J. Movie Review: To the Limit, The New York Times, June 13, 2008
External links[link]
http://wn.com/To_the_Limit_(2007_film)
Related pages:
http://de.wn.com/Am Limit
http://pl.wn.com/Am Limit
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_the_Limit_(2007_film)
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
 Rosberg at the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix |
|
| Born | (1985-06-27) 27 June 1985 (age 26) Wiesbaden, West Germany |
|---|---|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality | German |
| 2012 team | Mercedes |
| 2012 car # | 8 |
| Races | 114 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 7 |
| Career points | 365.5 |
| Pole positions | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 2 |
| First race | 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix |
| First win | 2012 Chinese Grand Prix |
| Last win | 2012 Chinese Grand Prix |
| Last race | 2012 Monaco Grand Prix |
| 2011 position | 7th (89 pts) |
Nico Erik Rosberg (born 27 June 1985 in Wiesbaden, West Germany) is a racing driver for the Mercedes GP Formula One team. He races under the German flag in Formula One, although he competed for Finland earlier in his career. He holds dual nationality of these two countries.[1]
Rosberg won the 2005 GP2 Series for the ART team, having raced in Formula 3 Euro Series previously for his father's team.
For the 2010 Formula One season, Rosberg joined the re-branded Mercedes team, formed by Mercedes' takeover of 2009 constructors' champions Brawn GP.
Contents |
Early and personal life[link]
The son of Finnish 1982 Formula One World Champion Keke Rosberg and his German wife Sina, Nico spent much of his youth in Monaco with his family, and still lives in the principality. Rosberg speaks fluent German, English, Italian, Spanish and French but only a little Finnish, though he is learning the language. Rosberg competed under the Finnish and German flags at different times during his early career.[1] In Formula One, as for all FIA world championships, a driver's nationality is defined by his passport.[2] Rosberg races under the German flag in Formula One.
Career[link]
1996–2004: Junior Formulae[link]
.jpg)
Rosberg started out in karting in 1996, at the age of 10, where in 2000 he and Lewis Hamilton were teammates.[3] Rosberg then moved up to German Formula BMW in 2002, where he won the title. His performances resulted in a move to drive for his father's team in Formula 3 Euro Series, a combination of the several national Formula Three championships that had existed prior to its formation. Rosberg did well there, and stayed on for 2004. In early 2004, he got one of his first tastes of Formula One by doing a test session with Williams.[4]
2005: GP2 – ART Grand Prix[link]
Offered a place on the Aeronautical Engineering course at Imperial College London;[5] Rosberg declined and in 2005 joined the ART Grand Prix team in the newly created GP2 Series. He went on to become the first driver to win the GP2 title.
Formula One[link]
2006–2009: Williams[link]
See also: Williams F1
2006[link]
In late 2005, Rosberg was officially confirmed as a Williams driver for the 2006 season. In the Engineering Aptitude Test, administered to all new Williams drivers, Rosberg achieved the highest score in the team's history.[6] In the first Formula One race of his young career in Bahrain, Rosberg was driving a car which was not considered competitive enough to get to the podium.[7] and also had to fight his way through the field after losing his nose cone on the first lap. Nonetheless, he finished in the points, seventh behind teammate Mark Webber, and recorded the fastest lap, becoming the youngest driver to do so in F1 history. Following this he was linked with a move to teams such as McLaren.[citation needed]
He qualified third at the next round Malaysia, but his Cosworth engine, on its second mandatory race, blew up after only seven laps. Rosberg did get into the points for the second time in the 2006 season at the European Grand Prix, benefiting from the hydraulic failure of his teammate.
The rest of the 2006 season went less well for Rosberg; he retired in four of the next seven Grand Prix, and in the ones he did finish he was outside the points. His closest attempt to get into the points was in Britain, where he was just one second behind eighth placed Jacques Villeneuve. Rosberg scored a total of four points, three fewer than teammate Webber, over the course of what was a disappointing season for both himself and for the Williams team.
2007[link]
Williams brought in new Toyota engines for 2007, along with a new team-mate, Alexander Wurz. Rosberg's old team-mate, Mark Webber, had moved to partner David Coulthard at Red Bull Racing. Initially, the Toyota powered FW29 showed potential in the pre-season test sessions.[8] However, Rosberg remained realistic: "in F1 you cannot normally just jump back to the front [of the grid] from one year to the next".[9]
In 2007, Rosberg finished in the points seven times, including a career best fourth at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix. He also placed seventh in the Australian, Hungarian and Turkish Grands Prix and came home sixth at the Italian and Belgian Grands Prix. At the Canadian Grand Prix, Rosberg qualified seventh and moved up two places from the start:
"Early in the race I thought I was set for a good result because I was running fifth and the car felt really good, but then the Safety Car came out on lap 21... I had to stop for fuel on lap 23, which meant I missed the re-fuelling window by 13 seconds and that effectively ended my race. New rules punish people who pit immediately after the Safety Car comes out, so I was given a 10s stop-go penalty and all I could manage after that was 10th place."[10]
He suffered only three retirements during 2007; hydraulic failure 14 laps from home in Malaysia and an oil leak at the US Grand Prix five laps from the finish (although classified 16th), where he was on course for sixth place. He had started the race 14th having "glazed" his brakes during qualifying, therefore damaging his confidence. An electronics glitch also put him out of the Japanese Grand Prix.
During the first half of 2007 season, Rosberg saw his teammate Alexander Wurz score more points, but later in the season Rosberg passed Wurz in world championship points, eventually more than quadrupling his 2006 points haul with 20 points.
2008[link]
Rosberg secured the first podium finish of his career with a strong drive to third place at the 2008 Australian Grand Prix. However, the remainder of the season was more of a struggle. He was given a 10 place grid penalty for the French Grand Prix, as a result of crashing into the back of Lewis Hamilton in the pit lane at the Canadian Grand Prix, despite only his race being affected by the incident as Hamilton and Kimi Räikkönen were already eliminated.
In September he finished second to Fernando Alonso in the floodlit Singapore Grand Prix after leading a Grand Prix for the first time in his career. This result was despite incurring a 10-second stop-go penalty for pitting while the pitlane was closed immediately after the deployment of the safety car. However, as what appeared to be a simple administrative formality took ten laps to issue, and the slow car of Giancarlo Fisichella was between Rosberg and the next competitive car during those laps, he did not lose much time and rejoined fifth, whereas Robert Kubica dropped from fourth to last on the same penalty for the same offence.
2009[link]
Rosberg had a solid season in 2009, scoring points at almost every race and also consistently qualifying in the top ten. He opened the season with a solid 6th place in Melbourne, before fading somewhat in the next three races. From China onwards however, he has only improved, finishing 8th, then 6th, then 5th twice. At his home race in Germany, he put in arguably the best drive of his career, when he overcame fuel problems to climb from 15th on the grid and finish 4th ahead of championship leader Jenson Button. He then followed this up with another 4th place in the Hungarian Grand Prix and 5th in the European Grand Prix. Despite scoring a point in the Belgian Grand Prix, Rosberg's effort to score points at every race in the European season was ended by a lack of pace at Monza. Despite this, Rosberg returned to competitiveness at the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix by qualifying 3rd and putting in the fastest lap of the weekend in Q2 (1:46.197). Despite overtaking Sebastian Vettel off the line, and being on course for 2nd place or even a maiden victory, Rosberg undid all his good work by crossing the white line out of his first pit stop and incurring a drive-through penalty just in time for the safety car. With the field bunched, he dropped to the back, effectively ruining his race. Rosberg apologised to the team afterward, calling his mistake 'silly' and 'stupid'. Rosberg managed to claim 5th place at the Japanese Grand Prix after qualifying 11th and starting in P7 on a good strategy after a number of grid penalties. Soon after the race Jenson Button reported Rosberg to race stewards for speeding under yellow flag conditions, but Rosberg was cleared after stewards discovered that his dashboard display was only showing that he had low fuel. This bagged Rosberg 4 points, putting him in 7th place in the Drivers Championship with 34.5 points and Williams 6th in the constructors. Rosberg scored every point for the Williams team during the 2009 season.
2010–: Mercedes GP[link]
2010[link]
On 29 October 2009 Rosberg announced he was leaving the Williams team at the end of the season. He commented that Williams "have really supported my career over the years and I'd like to say a big thank you to them. However, I'm not sure they can win races at the moment and I would like to".[11] On 16 November 2009, Brawn GP was bought by Mercedes and re-branded as Mercedes GP for the 2010 Formula One season. On 23 November 2009, Rosberg was announced as the team's first driver.[12] On 23 December 2009, Michael Schumacher was announced as Rosberg's team-mate, and was given Rosberg's car number (3) because of superstitious reasons.[13] Despite much hype concerning Schumacher's comeback, Rosberg has currently managed to successfully out-qualify and out-race his team mate at most races. In Malaysia, Rosberg achieved his first front row grid start, having qualified second in a qualifying session disrupted by rain; again out-qualifying Schumacher. He eventually finished third in the race; Mercedes' first podium as a works team since their comeback. His third place at the Chinese Grand Prix provided Rosberg with his second podium in succession, and he momentarily moved into second place in the drivers' standings.
He finished seventh at Monaco, fifth in Turkey and sixth in Canada, but only tenth in the European Grand Prix. However, in the British Grand Prix, Rosberg managed a podium finish in third place by holding off Alonso and then Button. But at the German Grand Prix, Mercedes were once again off the pace, and Rosberg could only finish eighth, ahead of teammate Schumacher. Hungary looked more promising, but he lost a wheel while exiting his pit stop and was forced to retire from a point-scoring position. His race at Spa was more successful, and a race-long duel with Schumacher left Rosberg narrowly ahead of his team mate in sixth. The Italian Grand Prix yielded another consistent finish in fifth, achieved mainly by passing both Red Bulls at the start, and took another fifth place finish in Singapore.
However, he was hit by bad luck in Japan, when under pressure from Schumacher, a wheel detached itself from his car and put Rosberg into the wall. At the inaugural Korean Grand Prix he was even more unfortunate, when while running a strong fourth, he retired from the race after being collected by Mark Webber. Webber had spun into the wall and momentum took him back onto the racing line and left Rosberg with nowhere to go and the two collided. The race at Interlagos was more positive, with Rosberg finishing sixth, despite three pit stops, two of which were taken under safety car conditions which minimised a loss of track position. The following week in Abu Dhabi, Rosberg again pitted under the safety car and this allowed him to finish fourth, a result that secured him seventh in the Drivers' Championship. Rosberg finished 16 of the season's 19 races, of which 15 were points-scoring finishes.
2011[link]
The new Mercedes MGP W02 proved to be very fast in winter testing. In Australia, Rosberg showed his speed until retiring due to a collision with Barrichello. In Malaysia, Rosberg started 9th and finished 12th, meaning that for the first time in his career he failed to score a single point in the opening two races of a season. Rosberg took his first points finish of the season in China, having qualified fourth and finishing fifth, as well as leading fourteen laps during the race.[14] During the 2011 Belgian Grand Prix, Rosberg overtook Sebastian Vettel during the first lap of the race and led again for 3 laps in total, but then quickly fell down the field and on lap 42 of 44 allowed his teammate Schumacher to pass him for 5th after the team warned him that he should save fuel.[15]
Rosberg eventually ended the championship in the seventh place for the third time in a row, again above Schumacher in the final standings. However, he had scored no podium finishes during the season, and the gap in terms of points between Rosberg and his teammate decreased from 70 points in 2010 to 13 in 2011. This was partly because the Mercedes MGP W02 generally had nobody to compete with, with Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari having superior cars and other teams being more slow-paced than MGP W02.[16] Rosberg himself pointed to the fact that due to the new Pirelli tyres and the Drag Reduction System, introduced in 2011, overtaking had become more possible and qualifying – where he still had beaten Schumacher 16:3 – had lost its importance.[17] Despite that, he praised DRS, stating that it could turn out to be one of the best rules in Formula One history.[18]
2012[link]
Rosberg finished outside the points in the first two races of the season in Australia and Malaysia, finishing twelfth and thirteenth respectively. At the Chinese Grand Prix, Rosberg gained the first pole position of his career, beating Lewis Hamilton's qualifying time by over half a second.[19] Rosberg took advantage of his grid position to storm to his maiden victory finishing over 20 seconds ahead of second-placed Jenson Button who fell back after a pit-stop error. In this way Rosberg took his first points of the season and Mercedes' first win since Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1955 Italian Grand Prix, prior to their withdrawal from the sport.[20] In addition to that, Rosberg became the first German driver to win a Grand Prix driving a German car in Formula 1 history.
Records and achievements[link]
- Youngest driver to set the fastest lap: 20 years, 258 days in 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix
Racing record[link]
Career summary[link]
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Formula BMW Junior Cup Iberia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 18th | |
| 2002 | Formula BMW ADAC | VIVA Racing | 20 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 13 | 264 | 1st |
| 2003 | Formula 3 Euro Series | Team Rosberg | 20 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 45 | 8th |
| Masters of Formula 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | NC | ||
| Macau Grand Prix | Carlin Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | NC | |
| Korea Super Prix | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 11th | ||
| 2004 | Formula 3 Euro Series | Team Rosberg | 19 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 70 | 4th |
| Macau Grand Prix | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | NC | ||
| Masters of Formula 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6th | ||
| Bahrain Superprix | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 2nd | ||
| 2005 | GP2 Series | ART Grand Prix | 23 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 120 | 1st |
| Formula One | BMW WilliamsF1 Team | Test driver | |||||||
| 2006 | Formula One | AT&T Williams | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 17th |
| 2007 | Formula One | AT&T Williams | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 9th |
| 2008 | Formula One | AT&T Williams | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 13th |
| 2009 | Formula One | AT&T Williams | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34.5 | 7th |
| 2010 | Formula One | Mercedes GP Petronas | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 142 | 7th |
| 2011 | Formula One | Mercedes GP Petronas | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 89 | 7th |
| 2012 | Formula One | Mercedes AMG Petronas | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 59 | 5th* |
* Season in progress.
Complete Formula 3 Euro Series results[link]
(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 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Team Rosberg | Dallara F303/005 | Spiess-Opel | HOC1 1 Ret |
HOC1 2 3 |
ADR 1 Ret |
ADR 2 2 |
PAU 1 15 |
PAU 2 17 |
NOR 1 8 |
NOR 2 Ret |
LMS 1 1 |
LMS 2 11 |
NÜR 1 Ret |
NÜR 2 3 |
A1R 1 8 |
A1R 2 3 |
ZAN 1 18 |
ZAN 2 8 |
HOC2 1 7 |
HOC2 2 14 |
MAG 1 6 |
MAG 2 Ret |
8th | 45 |
| 2004 | Team Rosberg | Dallara F303/006 | Spiess-Opel | HOC1 1 1 |
HOC1 2 1 |
EST 1 Ret |
EST 2 4 |
ADR 1 5 |
ADR 1 Ret |
PAU 1 Ret |
PAU 2 Ret |
NOR 1 4 |
NOR 1 17 |
MAG 1 6 |
MAG 2 2 |
NÜR 1 1 |
NÜR 2 3 |
ZAN 1 Ret |
ZAN 2 DNS |
BRN 1 4 |
BRN 2 11 |
HOC2 1 8 |
HOC2 2 8 |
4th | 70 |
Complete GP2 Series results[link]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | ART Grand Prix | SMR FEA 8 |
SMR SPR Ret |
ESP FEA 9 |
ESP SPR 4 |
MON FEA 3 |
EUR FEA 3 |
EUR SPR 4 |
FRA FEA 7 |
FRA SPR 1 |
GBR FEA 1 |
GBR SPR 4 |
GER FEA 1 |
GER SPR 4 |
HUN FEA 5 |
HUN SPR 2 |
TUR FEA 17 |
TUR SPR 3 |
ITA FEA 2 |
ITA SPR 2 |
BEL FEA 3 |
BEL SPR 5 |
BHR FEA 1 |
BHR SPR 1 |
1st | 120 |
Complete Formula One results[link]
(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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | WilliamsF1 Team | Williams FW28 | Cosworth CA2006 2.4 V8 | BHR 7 |
MAL Ret |
AUS Ret |
SMR 11 |
EUR 7 |
ESP 11 |
MON Ret |
GBR 9 |
CAN Ret |
USA 9 |
FRA 14 |
GER Ret |
HUN Ret |
TUR Ret |
ITA Ret |
CHN 11 |
JPN 10 |
BRA Ret |
17th | 4 | ||
| 2007 | AT&T Williams | Williams FW29 | Toyota RVX-07 2.4 V8 | AUS 7 |
MAL Ret |
BHR 10 |
ESP 6 |
MON 12 |
CAN 10 |
USA 16 |
FRA 9 |
GBR 12 |
EUR Ret |
HUN 7 |
TUR 7 |
ITA 6 |
BEL 6 |
JPN Ret |
CHN 16 |
BRA 4 |
9th | 20 | |||
| 2008 | AT&T Williams | Williams FW30 | Toyota RVX-08 2.4 V8 | AUS 3 |
MAL 14 |
BHR 8 |
ESP Ret |
TUR 8 |
MON Ret |
CAN 10 |
FRA 16 |
GBR 9 |
GER 10 |
HUN 14 |
EUR 8 |
BEL 12 |
ITA 14 |
SIN 2 |
JPN 11 |
CHN 15 |
BRA 12 |
13th | 17 | ||
| 2009 | AT&T Williams | Williams FW31 | Toyota RVX-09 2.4 V8 | AUS 6 |
MAL 8‡ |
CHN 15 |
BHR 9 |
ESP 8 |
MON 6 |
TUR 5 |
GBR 5 |
GER 4 |
HUN 4 |
EUR 5 |
BEL 8 |
ITA 16 |
SIN 11 |
JPN 5 |
BRA Ret |
ABU 9 |
7th | 34.5 | |||
| 2010 | Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team | Mercedes MGP W01 | Mercedes FO 108X 2.4 V8 | BHR 5 |
AUS 5 |
MAL 3 |
CHN 3 |
ESP 13 |
MON 7 |
TUR 5 |
CAN 6 |
EUR 10 |
GBR 3 |
GER 8 |
HUN Ret |
BEL 6 |
ITA 5 |
SIN 5 |
JPN 17 |
KOR Ret |
BRA 6 |
ABU 4 |
7th | 142 | |
| 2011 | Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team | Mercedes MGP W02 | Mercedes FO 108Y 2.4 V8 | AUS Ret |
MAL 12 |
CHN 5 |
TUR 5 |
ESP 7 |
MON 11 |
CAN 11 |
EUR 7 |
GBR 6 |
GER 7 |
HUN 9 |
BEL 6 |
ITA Ret |
SIN 7 |
JPN 10 |
KOR 8 |
IND 6 |
ABU 6 |
BRA 7 |
7th | 89 | |
| 2012 | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | Mercedes F1 W03 | Mercedes FO 108Z 2.4 V8 | AUS 12 |
MAL 13 |
CHN 1 |
BHR 5 |
ESP 7 |
MON 2 |
CAN | EUR | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | KOR | IND | ABU | USA | BRA | 5th* | 59* |
‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance completed.
* Season in progress.
References[link]
- ^ a b Shedding a father's shadow: the new GP2 champion's route to the top 5th chapter
- ^ FIA International Sporting Code paragraph 112
- ^ Cooper, Adam (April 30, 2012). "A New Contender". Autoweek 62 (9): 72–74.
- ^ http://xserve2.com/ns/ns12402.html – GrandPrix.com – "The fourth driver at Williams"
- ^ McRae, Donald (7 March 2006). "New kid on the grid follows his father's formula". London: sport.guardian.co.uk. http://sport.guardian.co.uk/formulaone/story/0,,1725017,00.html?gusrc=rss. Retrieved 1 June 2007.
- ^ "The Talented Mr. Rosberg" Autosport.com. Retrieved 26 September 2006
- ^ "Williams Admits Humiliating Season" Yahoo.com. Retrieved 26 September 2006
- ^ "First impressions – Williams is quick". GrandPrix.com. 7 February 2007. http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns18023.html. Retrieved 7 February 2007.
- ^ "Exclusive interview – Williams' Nico Rosberg". formula1.com (Formula One Administration). 22 February 2007. http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2007/2/5675.html. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
- ^ "Nico's Notes from Montreal". attWilliams.com. 7 February 2007. http://www.williamsf1.co.uk/. Retrieved 26 June 2007.
- ^ "Rosberg announces Williams exit". BBC Sport (BBC). 29 October 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8331563.stm. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
- ^ http://www.brawngp.com/readstory.asp?bgp=j%C1%AA%C0rZ%7D%5F
- ^ "Schumacher to be number 3 at Mercedes". SportNetwork.net (Durham Associates Group). 20 January 2010. http://www.f1network.net/main/s169/st153289.htm. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ^ "Mercedes 'optimistic again' about pace". Yahoo! Eurosport (TF1 Group). 17 April 2011. http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/17042011/66/mercedes-optimistic-pace.html. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ Roebuck, Nigel (28 August 2011). "2011 Belgian Grand Prix report". Motor Sport Magazine (Motor Sport Magazine). http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/f1/reports/2011-belgian-grand-prix-report/. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
- ^ "The 2011 Season Review – Part Two". formula1.com (Formula One Administration). 5 December 2011. http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2011/12/12872.html. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
- ^ "Rosberg not afraid of Schumacher resurgence". ESPN. 15 February 2012. http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/70433.html. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (19 April 2011). "DRS hailed as 'best idea ever'". Autosport (Haymarket Publications). http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/90876. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (14 April 2012). "Nico Rosberg takes landmark first pole in China for Mercedes". BBC Sport (BBC). http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/17710702. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
- ^ http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2012/4/13231.html
External links[link]
|
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nico Rosberg |
- Nico Rosberg official website
- Profile – from Mercedes GP official website
- Profile and statistics
- Racing career
- Nico Rosberg on Twitter
- Nico Rosberg at the Internet Movie Database
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by None |
German Formula BMW Champion 2002 |
Succeeded by Maximilian Götz |
| Preceded by Vitantonio Liuzzi (F3000) |
GP2 Series Drivers' Champion 2005 |
Succeeded by Lewis Hamilton |
| Awards and achievements | ||
| Preceded by Lewis Hamilton |
Lorenzo Bandini Trophy 2011 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Records | ||
| Preceded by Fernando Alonso 21 years, 321 days (2003 Canadian GP) |
Youngest driver to set Fastest Lap in Formula One 20 years, 258 days (2006 Bahrain Grand Prix) |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Rosberg, Nico |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | German racing driver |
| Date of birth | 27 June 1985 |
| Place of birth | Wiesbaden, West Germany |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
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Wiki Summary
Michael Schumacher (German pronunciation: [ˈmɪçaʔeːl ˈʃuːmaxɐ] ( listen); born 3 January 1969) is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes team. Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. He holds many of the formula's driver records, including most championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, points scored and most races won in a single season – 13 in 2004. In 2002 he became the only driver in Formula One history to finish in the top three in every race of a season and then also broke the record for most consecutive podium finishes. According to the official Formula One website he is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen".
After beginning with karting, Schumacher won German drivers' championships in Formula König and Formula Three before joining Mercedes in the World Sportscar Championship. After one Mercedes-funded race for the Jordan Formula One team Schumacher signed as a driver for the Benetton Formula One team in 1991. After winning consecutive championships with Benetton in 1994/5, Schumacher moved to Ferrari in 1996 and won another five consecutive drivers' titles with them from 2000 to 2004. Schumacher retired from Formula One driving in 2006 staying with Ferrari as an advisor. Schumacher agreed to return for Ferrari part-way through 2009, as cover for the badly injured Felipe Massa, but was prevented by a neck injury. He later signed a three-year contract to drive for the new Mercedes GP team starting in 2010.
