Michael Schumacher

Michael and Ferrari

Michael Schumacher is without any doubt the best driver in the world. Although initially he was poorly received by the tifosi, (they threw tomatoes at him at Monza when he announced his move to Ferrari in 1995), he now ranks alongside Gilles Villeneuve and Jean Alesi in terms of his popularity as a Ferrari driver. When he joined Ferrari in 1996, the team had gone through many years of being uncompetitive and he began the task of making Ferrari a championship winning team. 1996 was a difficult year for him because although at times the F310 out performed every other car on the field, notably in Spain and at Spa Francorchamps where he took magnificent victories, he was so often let down by his Ferrari's poor reliability. The victory he took at Monza that year however was extra special as it was a victorynot just for him, but an emotional one for Ferrari, Italy and the tifosi all around the world. There were no tomatoes thrown that year, only kisses!

Despite the team saying in '96 that '97 would be the year they challenged for the championship, Michael's second season with Ferrari initially looked like another year of development and team building. However, the F310B and proved to be a race winner with Michael taking five victories that year. Not only was the car fast, but at most races it had anvil like reliability and this allowed Michael and Ferrari to lead both the drivers and constructors championships for the majority of the season. The penultimate race at Suzuka saw a classic Ferrari race where the team's masterful strategy combined with Shumacher's speed and Irvine's skill led to one of the team's greatest wins despite the Williams team and Jacques Villeneuve's feeble attempts to stop them.

The excitement of the tifosi on the eve of the final race of '97 at the European GP at Jerez could be felt all around the world. For the first time in 18 years, Michael would bring a championship home to Maranello. Or would he? Jerez saw our faith in him raised and then destroyed when after leading the race from the first lap he showed for the first time that he was capable of making a mistake. Since Jerez, Michael has been through difficult times. Stripped of his points and his second place in the World Championship, the world media and many of his rivals have branded him as a cheat and many of the tifosi have certainly lost some of their admiration for him.

Now in 1998, Michael finds himself up against an old enemy, McLaren who have proved to be formidable opponents. Despite having the odds stacked against him, Michael has shown his class by taking decisive victories on tracks where his car is technically inferior. His five victories to date have all been won through his sheer determination and the championship is in his grasp.