Our first entry into the hall of fame is Michael Schumacher. The seven-time Formula One world drivers' champion, and current advisor for Ferrari. According to the official Formula One website, he is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen". He is the only German to win the Formula One World championship and is credited with popularizing Formula One in Germany. In a 2006 FIA survey, Michael Schumacher was voted the most popular driver of the season among Formula One fans.
After winning two championships with Benetton, Michael Schumacher moved to Ferrari in 1996 and won five consecutive drivers' titles with them from 2000–2004. Schumacher holds many records in Formula One, including most drivers' championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, points scored and most races won in a single season. Schumacher is the only Formula One driver to have an entire season of podium finishes, a feat he accomplished in 2002. His driving sometimes created controversy: he was twice involved in collisions that determined the outcome of the world championship, most notably his disqualification from the 1997 championship for causing a collision with Jacques Villeneuve. After the 2006 Formula One season Schumacher retired from race driving.
Schumacher planned to return to F1 racing for the 2009 European Grand Prix as a replacement for injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa. However, it then became apparent that he was not fit enough to race due to a neck injury he sustained during a German Superbike test earlier in the year. In November 2009, BBC pundit Eddie Jordan said he believes Schumacher will return to racing with the Mercedes Grand Prix team in 2010, a move being widely reported as likely to happen in the press.
Off the track, Schumacher is an ambassador for UNESCO and a spokesman for driver safety. He has been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts throughout his life and donated tens of millions of dollars to charity. He is the elder brother of former F1 driver Ralf Scumacher, who currently races in the DTM. They stand as the only brothers in F1 history to have both won races and they scored the first sibling 1-2 finish in Formula One.
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