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OTD: When Michael Schumacher Became the First German F1 Champion

Anirban Aly Mandal
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Michael Schumacher (Deutschland / Benetton-Ford) läßt sich feiern Motorsport Grand Prix Herren Großer Preis von Deutschland 1994

Michael Schumacher became arguably the greatest ever driver to grace F1 by winning more than anyone else had ever dreamed of. Schumacher’s first step to achieving immortality in the sport started 30 years ago on this day when he grabbed the first of his seven World Championships.

It was the 1994  season, and after Ayrton Senna’s tragic death at the San Marino GP in Imola, Schumacher initially became the favorite to win his maiden title driving for Benetton. However, it wasn’t going to be all smooth sailing as Senna’s teammate Damon Hill quickly entered the mix.

There were no other challengers that year, and the battle between Hill and Schumacher came down to the final race in Adelaide. The balance scales were tipped in Schumacher’s favor, who was one point ahead of Hill. All he had to do, was finish ahead of the Williams driver and he would become Champion of the World.

Schumacher was leading the majority of the Grand Prix but suffered a momentary lapse which Hill—behind him—decided to capitalize on. He saw his chance and went down the inside to attempt an overtake but Schumacher, trying to cover him off, collided instead.

Both had to retire from the race as a result, which worked just fine for Schumacher because he became the first-ever driver from his country to be crowned the Drivers’ Champion.

Schumacher started F1’s German domination

After his triumph, Schumacher went on to win another title in 1995. The very next year, he made the big move, joining Ferrari who were going through a difficult spell at the time.

He missed out on the Championship narrowly for the next few years. But then, between 2000 and 2004, he and Ferrari unleashed an era of dominance previously unseen in F1, winning five consecutive Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.

Until his 1994 win, no German driver had even one title to celebrate. He alone got seven and proudly waved the German flag at the end of each win. As such, Schumacher inspired an entire generation of racing drivers from his country who wanted to follow in his footsteps.

Since those Ferrari glory days, two more German drivers have brought gold to their country. Sebastian Vettel made history with Red Bull, winning four consecutive titles with the Milton Keynes-based team from 2010 to 2013. Nico Rosberg then followed, capturing the title in 2016 with the German constructor Mercedes.

Post Edited By:Somin Bhattacharjee

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal

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Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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