Even out of public view, Michael Schumacher's star shines on

Born just outside of Cologne on January 3, 1969, Michael Schumacher, like many F1 drivers, got his start in karting, earning his kart license at the age of 12. Schumacher would go on to win numerous German and European kart championships before graduating to single-seat car racing in 1987. Here he is seen in 2011 leading his brother Ralf around the family-operated kart center in Kerpen.

It may surprise some to learn that Schumacher didn't make his Formula One debut with Benetton, but with Jordan in 1991. However, he only wound up competing in one race for the team founded by Eddie Jordan (above, left), the Belgian Grand Prix. Actually, "competing" is probably overstating things, as clutch problems forced him to retire on the first lap.

However, Schumacher would go on to drive in five more F1 races in 1991, after he signed on with Camel Benetton Ford. He earned four points in the drivers' championship in his first year, putting him 14th in the standings for that year.

A year after he had made his F1 debut at Spa-Francorchamps, this was also the scene of his first GP race win. Here Britain's Nigel Mansell, who would win the drivers' championship in 1992, helps him hold up his trophy at the course Schumacher would later describe as his favorite track. The German driver finished the season in third place in the drivers' championship, on 53 points.

It would only take two more years for Schumacher to win it all. However, the 1994 season was marred by the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger during the San Marino Grand Prix. Here Schumacher is seen in Adelaide, Australia celebrating his first drivers' title with his Benetton team. He would go on to successfully defend his drivers' championship with Benetton in 1995.

In 1996, Michael Schumacher signed on with Ferrari, where he would enjoy his most successful years in Formula 1, winning five consecutive drivers' titles from 2000 to 2004. Here he is seen celebrating his first win for his new team, at the 1996 Spanish Grand Prix.

Schumacher occasionally stepped out of line on the track. In the last race of 1997, he turned into Jacques Villeneuve's car as the Canadian attempted to overtake him. Damage resulting from the crash forced Schumacher to retire but the four points Villeneuve earned for finishing third gave him the drivers' title. The FIA subsequently disqualified Schumacher for the entire 1997 season.

Schumacher won the 91st race of his Formula One career in Shanghai on October 1, 2006. It would turn out to be the last win of his F1 career. Schumacher retired from racing at the end of the season, in which he finished second in the drivers' standings. In 2007 he accepted an advisory role with Ferrari.

During his time out of F1, Schumacher took up motorcycle racing and in early 2009 he had an accident while testing his Honda 1000 CBR-Fireblade on a track in Cartagena, Spain. He damaged a vertebra, a rib, and the bottom of his skull, while also suffering a torn artery in his brain. This forced him to call off a planned 2009 comeback, when he would have replaced the injured Felipe Massa.

In 2010, Schumacher returned to the F1 circuit with Mercedes, enjoying limited success. However, at the 2012 European Grand Prix in Valencia, Schumacher finished third. At the age of 43 years and 173 days he became the oldest driver to reach the podium since Jack Brabham finished second in the 1970 British Grand Prix. Schumacher would retire (again) after the 2012 season.

On December 29, 2013, Schumacher lost control while skiing off-piste in the French Alps, hitting his head on a rock. Despite wearing a helmet he sustained a serious head injury. He underwent surgery and was placed in an induced coma. In June 2014, his management announced that he was no longer in a coma. Since the accident, his wife Corinna and his manager have shielded him from public view.

When he stepped out of the cockpit, Michael Schumacher was indisputably the greatest F1 driver of all time, with a record 91 Grand Prix wins and seven drivers' championship titles. While Lewis Hamilton has bettered his number of races won (103) and equaled his drivers' championships record, Schumacher remains the greatest of his era and will be remembered as one of the best ever.

Michael Schumacher is not the only member of the family to have competed in Formula One – his younger brother Ralf drove for Jordan, Williams and Toyota between 1997 and 2007, winning six races. Still just 24, Michael's son Mick (pictured above) has followed in his father's footsteps, competing in F1 in 2021 and 2022. He is currently a reserve driver for the Mercedes F1 team.