Thursday, July 30, 2009

The Lord of F1 returns!!!!


A season that has already produced more than its fair share of thrills and spills just got even more exciting after it was confirmed on Wednesday that Michael Schumacher is to make a sensational comeback for Ferrari as temporary cover for the injured Felipe Massa.

"Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro intends to entrust Michael Schumacher with Felipe Massa's car until the Brazilian driver is able to race again," Ferrari announced on its website.
"Michael Schumacher has shown his willingness and in the next few days he will undergo a specific programme of preparation at the end of which it will be possible to confirm his participation in the championship starting with the European Grand Prix."

The sensational news that Michael Schumacher is to come out of retirement and step into Felipe Massa’s Ferrari while the Brazilian recovers from injury has energised an F1 fraternity still reeling from depressing recent events.

While debates will always rage about who is F1’s greatest driver of all time, Schumacher’s statistical goldrush is unrivalled, as you will see from the following comprehensive list of all the meaningful records he set in his glittering career.

Records are made to be broken, of course, but looking at some of the achievements below you wonder whether some of them will ever be eclipsed – except possibly by the great man himself if his comeback proves a success...


Records held by Michael Schumacher

* Most world titles: 7 (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)

* Most consecutive titles: 5 (2000-04)

* Most grand prix wins: 91

* Most wins in a single season: 13 (2004)

* Most consecutive wins in a single season: 7 (2004)

* Most wins at the same race: 8 (French GP)

* Most wins with one team: 72 (Ferrari)

* Most wins from pole: 40

* Most pole positions: 68

* Most front-row starts: 115

* Most podium finishes: 154

* Most second place finishes: 43

* Most points finishes: 190

* Most points scored: 1,369

* Most points in a single season: 148 (from a maximum of 180, in 2004)

* Most fastest laps: 76

* Most fastest laps in a season: 10 (from a maximum of 18, in 2004)

* Most races led: 141

* Most laps led: 5,108

* Furthest distance led in a season: 2,085 miles (2004)

* Fastest race-winning average speed: 153.843mph (2003 Italian GP)

* Most consecutive podiums: 19 (USA 2001 to Japan 2002)

* Most consecutive points finishes: 24 (Hungary 2001 to Malaysia 2003)

* Most consecutive seasons with a win: 15 (1992-2006)

* Most consecutive wins from pole (6)

* Most ‘clean sweeps’ (pole, win, fastest lap): 22

* Largest points gap between champion and runner-up: 67 (2002)

* Earliest title winner: 2002 (in July, with 6 of the 17 races remaining)

* Longest continuous spell with one team: 11 seasons (Ferrari, 1996-2006)

* Most races with same team: 162 (Ferrari)

* Most time between first and last race wins: 14 years, 1 month and 1 day

* Never outqualified by his team-mate in 1992, 1993 or 1994

* Only driver to have finished every race on the podium: 2002


Trivia

* Won all his ‘landmark’ GPs, winning on his 50th, 100th, 150th and 200th GP starts

* Only events he failed to win were South African, Mexican and Turkish GPs

* His record of 91 GP wins is only one shy of the combined total of the next two most winning drivers, Alain Prost (51) and Ayrton Senna (41)

* Scored points in a remarkable 76.6% of all his GP starts

* Led 56.9% of all GPs he started

* Banned or disqualified from more races than anyone else (banned from two races and disqualified from another in 1994; excluded from 1997 championship for collision with Jacques Villeneuve)