His maiden win came at Spa-Francorchamps in 1992, and in 1994 he became Germany’s first Formula 1 World Champion.

He qualified in seventh place but retired with clutch failure on the first lap.īy the next Grand Prix in Italy, Schumacher had signed with Benetton-Ford and completed the season with them, scoring four points. In 1991, he made his Formula 1 debut for Jordan at the Belgian Grand Prix. Following his 1990 German F3 Championship win, Mercedes signed him to their junior sportscars racing program. By 1987, he was both European and German Karting Champion. Schumacher first tasted victory aged six, winning a karting championship in 1975.

Michael Schumacher, a legend in his own time They also have to exert 80 kilograms of force every time they brake.īeing physically strong also helps them remain mentally alert and cognitively able for the duration of a race. The drivers, too, have undergone a drastic transformation over the last 70 years – morphing from the gentlemen drivers of the 1950s and 1960s, who might have done the occasional run, to the superfit athletes that we see today.į1 drivers experience severe G-forces every time they corner, accelerate or brake, which means they have to have very strong core and neck muscles to counter the effect. The cars themselves have a strong chassis structure and a halo feature around the cockpit.įrom gentlemen drivers to world-class athletes Drivers all wear flame-resistant clothing and boots, full-face, carbon-fiber helmets that incorporate a head and neck support called the HANS device, and are strapped into the car by a six-point racing harness. There is also a dedicated Formula 1 medical team that travels to each race. Today, all the circuits on the Formula 1 calendar are equipped with hospital-grade medical facilities and spacious run-off areas, wherever possible. This dedication to safety has seen the number of deaths reduce each decade. Since then the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has put safety at the very top of their priorities. Helmets were not compulsory, and the cars had no seat belts. In 1950, there were no safety measures in place, nor any medical presence, Silverstone’s track was lined with hay bales and flower-topped oil drums, and drivers wore whatever they fancied – from overalls to shirt sleeves and trousers. Fact! Over the last 70 years, a total of 52 drivers have been killed.

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