He is known for his humility, his unquestionable skill, perfection, passion and a never say die spirit- Micheal Schumacher, the best Formula 1 car racing driver of all times, a true legend and a great inspiration to me and to the world.
His is a story nothing short of fantasy fables, a story difficult to believe, a story of humble beginnings and tons of riches, a story of great successes and a terrible tragedy and a story of a tough as nails spirit which still refuses to cease.
Humble beginnings
Born on the 3rd of January 1969 near Cologne in Germany , Micheal had a very humble beginning. His father Rolf Schumacher , a bricklayer , managed a local Kart Track at Kerpen, a town situated 20 kms from Cologne , where his mother Elisabeth Schumacher ran a canteen.
From pedal karting at the age of 4 to his first kart championship at the age of 6, Micheal had already displayed the inherent talent he had for driving. But car racing being an extremely expensive sport, his far from rich parents approached wealthy racing enthusiasts for sponsorships and by the time Micheal was 18, he was already the European and German Kart racing champion. Undoubtedly he had made massive strides. He left school and joined as an apprentice car mechanic and on the basis of his sheer skills Micheal eventually became a racing driver and that too a very fine one.
Micheal Schumacher, the Champion to be
He debuted for Jordan in Formula 1 (F1) racing, the pinnacle of car racing in the world in 1991 and impressed all and sundry and as the inevitable would happen, Micheal was picked up by Benetton with whom he won his first F1 race in 1992. A star was born who was destined to dominate the sport like no one else.
Micheal thereafter won a staggering 91 F1 races and won the F1 Championships 7 times before hanging his helmet. He challenged the sport to its limits and pushed everyone associated with the sport to deliver something beyond the expected. He harboured exceptional ambition and nurtured within him an endless quest for improvement. He kept himself supremely fit and it is said that he worked harder than all other drivers in his field of competition. He was the poster boy of Formula 1 car racing for years.
Unparalleled Success
Micheal loved Team Ferrari with whom he was the most successful. The Team Red dominated under Micheal. The entire team worked hard for their Champion who kept on inspiring them by his encouragement, vital feedbacks and extraordinary work ethics. He often visited Ferrari’s factory at Maranello to thank and support all those behind his success. Truly Micheal had mastered the sport which required both human skill and engineering finesse to be at the best. He was one of the richest sportsperson in the world, something which the little boy from Kerpen had never even dreamt of.Eventually, Micheal retired in 2012 and left the sport as the most decorated and successful Formula 1 racing driver of all times.
Unparalleled Tragedy
In December 2013, while holidaying in Switzerland with his family, Micheal got severely injured in a Skiing accident . A massive tragedy had struck the family. And till this day Micheal true to his spirit, is fighting hard in rehab with tremendous support from family and friends. The Legend of Kerpen still breathes. The world has been praying for his recovery and I am sure God willing, a day will come, when the Champion will rise and walk again. And that day will be a great day for me as well as for the millions and millions of fans across the globe. A documentary on the great Champion would be aired on Netflix next month to mark 30 years of Micheal Schumacher’s Formula 1 debut. It would be worth watching for sure.
So hang in there Micheal, its just a pit stop… you still have several Laps to go.
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