Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher (born 30 June 1975) is a German former racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . Schumacher won six Formula One Grands Prix across 11 seasons.

Born and raised in North Rhine-Westphalia, Schumacher is the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher, and the pair remain the only siblings to each win a Formula One Grand Prix. Schumacher began karting at the age of three and achieved early success before making the transition to automobile racing in the German Formula Three Championship and the Formula Nippon series. He first drove in Formula One with Jordan Grand Prix for the 1997 season. Schumacher moved to the Williams team in 1999, finishing sixth in the Drivers' Championship that year. He won his first Grand Prix in 2001, en-route to fourth place in the Drivers' Championship, and subsequently won five more races over the course of two years.

Schumacher left Williams at the end of 2004 and joined Toyota Racing in 2005. His performance throughout 2006 and 2007 resulted in Schumacher leaving Formula One as a result of internal pressure. After leaving Formula One, Schumacher joined the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) in 2008, achieving minor success, and retired from motorsport at the end of 2012 to enter a managerial role within DTM, mentoring young drivers. He is now a co-commentator for Sky Sport in Germany.

Early life and career

Schumacher was born in Hürth, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany, on 30 June 1975, the second son of Rolf Schumacher, a bricklayer, and his wife Elisabeth. Michael Schumacher is his elder brother. He began karting at the age of three driving on his parents' go-kart track in Kerpen. Schumacher's first major karting success came when he clinched the NRW Cup and the Gold Cup in 1991. In 1992, he won the German Junior Kart Championship. He then moved up into the senior series, finishing runner-up. For 1996, Schumacher's manager Willi Weber secured him a seat in the Formula Nippon Series, driving for the Team Le Mans alongside experienced driver Naoki Hattori. Schumacher won the series on his first attempt, becoming the first rookie driver to clinch the championship. In September, it was announced that Schumacher had signed a three-year contract to drive for the Jordan team. The deal also brought in a further £8 million from Schumacher's sponsor Bitburger brewery, with a small percentage going towards his salary. In January 1997, Giancarlo Fisichella was confirmed as Schumacher's teammate replacing Martin Brundle, who expressed a desire to remain with the team. Schumacher believed that Brundle's experience would have helped him in the coming season.

Like all male German citizens, Schumacher was subject to compulsory military service in the German Armed Forces. Outside Formula One, Schumacher participated in the FIA GT Championship as a guest driver for the AMG Mercedes team at the Spa 4 Hours and was partnered by Klaus Ludwig. The pair finished fifth, scoring two points.

1998

For 1998, Schumacher remained at Jordan and was partnered by 1996 Drivers' Champion Damon Hill. Schumacher endured a horrid start as he suffered from retirements in the first three races, and managed to finish in the races in San Marino and Spain, albeit outside the points scoring positions. Schumacher suffered from further consecutive retirements in the next two races, and managed to finish 16th in France. He took his and Jordan's first point of the season with a sixth-place finish at the British Grand Prix, before picking up further consecutive points finishes in the next two races. Reportedly, this came after Michael Schumacher verbally declared to Eddie Jordan that his younger brother would never race for his team again and offering to buy him out of his contract with the team. According to Jordan himself 22 years later, Schumacher's elder brother actually paid the money of 2 million GBP to terminate his contract. He finished the season with consecutive retirements in the final two races, and clinched tenth place in the Drivers' Championship, with 14 points. He was replaced at Jordan for 1999 by Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who left Williams after two generally unsuccessful seasons. He rounded off the season with a fifth-place finish in Japan. Schumacher finished the 1999 season sixth in the Drivers' Championship, with 35 points. and clinched fifth position in Brazil. He was forced to retire from the San Marino Grand Prix due to a fuel system issue but managed to clinch consecutive fourth-place finishes in the next two races. and another retirement followed in Monaco due to a crash where he suffered from a 3-inch cut across his calf.

Schumacher was passed fit to participate in the Canadian Grand Prix, where he was classified 14th after being hit in the closing stages by BAR driver Jacques Villeneuve. Schumacher managed to take fifth place in France, before suffering a brake failure that forced him to retire in Austria. He managed to finish the next four races, which included consecutive third-place finishes in Belgium and Italy. Despite these results, he was unable to finish the final three races of the season. Schumacher finished fifth in the Drivers' Championship, with 24 points. He scored his first points of the season with a fifth-place finish in Malaysia, and later spun off in the next race in Brazil, which included a collision with Barrichello early in the race. In the succeeding round at the San Marino Grand Prix, Schumacher started from third on the grid and led every lap of the race to take his first Formula One victory. The following three races saw Schumacher failing to finish. These results were followed by a fourth-place finish at the European Grand Prix, and took second place in France. He was unable to finish the race in Britain due to a problem with his car's engine. In Germany, Schumacher took his third and final win of the season having started from second on the grid. This result marked a good run of form as Schumacher scored points in three of the remaining five races, including a third-place finish in Italy. Schumacher finished the 2001 season fourth in the Drivers' Championship, with 49 points. His decision was influenced after he was involved in a car crash on the Autobahn 3 when driving to visit his family. On 14 January, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), Formula One's governing body, gave permission for Schumacher to wear glasses, and his helmet maker Schuberth developed padding with channels for the glass frames.

Schumacher's season started in Australia with a first lap accident where his car was launched into the air after colliding with Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello. In the following race in Malaysia, he took his only victory of the season. He followed up the result by taking consecutive podiums in the next two races—a second place in Brazil, and a third-place finish in San Marino. At the Spanish Grand Prix, Schumacher ran wide on lap 29 while under pressure from teammate Montoya and eventually retired from an engine failure, although he was classified 11th. He managed to secure consecutive points finishes in the next two races, with a podium in Monaco. He followed these results by finishing in next eight races, which includes consecutive third-place finishes in Germany and Hungary. Schumacher rounded off the year with non-points finishes in the final three rounds which included a retirement in the United States. For the second consecutive season, Schumacher finished fourth in the Drivers' Championship, with 42 points. although he later returned in February. He endured a good first half of the season, and scored points in the opening seven races and clinched his first podium of the season with second place in Canada. Schumacher backed up the results by taking consecutive victories in the European and French Grands Prix. At the German Grand Prix, Schumacher retired on the first lap of the race after a collision with Rubens Barrichello and Kimi Räikkönen, for which he received a ten-place grid penalty for the next race. Williams successfully appealed against the decision and Schumacher managed to qualify second for the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he finished fourth. Although he had participated in the event's first qualifying session, Schumacher decided to withdraw and his place was taken by Williams test driver Marc Gené. He returned for the United States Grand Prix, where he retired having suffered an accident resulting from his car sliding on a wet track surface. At the season finale in Japan, Schumacher finished 12th despite spinning his car three times. He finished the season fifth in the Drivers' Championship, with 58 points,

2004: Final season at Williams

thumb|right|Schumacher after a serious accident at the [[2004 United States Grand Prix]]

Schumacher remained at Williams for 2004 and continued to be partnered by Montoya. Schumacher was ambitious for the season, saying: "I can say that we'll come up with a car that will be competitive from the very first race of the new season." He made a good start to his season by finishing fourth in the opening round in Australia, although he retired from the next race in Malaysia from an engine failure. He managed to secure consecutive seventh-place finishes in the next two rounds, before finishing outside the points in Monaco. Schumacher was forced into retirement on the opening lap of the European Grand Prix due to a collision. At the Canadian Grand Prix, Schumacher qualified on pole position and went on to finish second in the race, but was later disqualified for irregularities on his car's brake ducts.

At the United States Grand Prix, Schumacher suffered serious injuries in an accident that occurred on the ninth lap of the race. The deceleration was measured at 78 g (765 m/s²), resulting in a concussion as well as two minor fractures to his spinal column. Schumacher was forced to miss the next six races. As in 2003, Gené substituted for Schumacher for the races in France and Britain, with Antônio Pizzonia taking over the role for the next four races. In July, Schumacher signed a three-year contract with the Toyota team. Although he was passed fit for the Italian Grand Prix, Schumacher ultimately returned for the Chinese Grand Prix, where he retired from a puncture. Schumacher followed up the result by taking second place in Japan, and a fifth place at the final round in Brazil. He finished the season ninth in the Drivers' Championship, with 24 points. Schumacher secured his first two points scores of the season in Malaysia and Bahrain, and later finished outside the points in San Marino due to taking a 25-second penalty after finishing eighth due to causing an incident in his pitstops. Schumacher followed this up with consecutive points finishes in the next two races. He retired due to a spin during the European Grand Prix.

During the second practice session of the United States Grand Prix, Schumacher lost control of his car entering the final corner of the circuit, which resulted from a tyre failure. He was forced to miss the event and was replaced by Toyota test driver Ricardo Zonta. Schumacher returned for the French Grand Prix and began a run of four consecutive points scoring positions which included a podium finish in Hungary, and later finished outside the points in Turkey. This marked a turning point as Schumacher scored in all of the remaining races and took a podium position in the season finale in China. He finished the season sixth place in the Drivers' Championship, and helped Toyota clinch fourth in the Constructors' Championship. He started the season with a non-points finish in Bahrain as both Toyota cars were off the pace. Schumacher managed to score his and Toyota's first points of the season with eighth place in Malaysia. He managed to secure his and Toyota's only podium finish of the season in Australia.

Schumacher took ninth place in San Marino but suffered consecutive retirements in the next three races. He was able to finish the next five consecutive races, which included points scoring positions in France, Hungary, and Turkey. He was unable to finish the races in China and Brazil due to problems with his car's oil pressure and suspension, respectively. On 29 September, Schumacher was elected as the chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA), the trade union of Formula One drivers. He finished the season tenth in the Drivers' Championship, and scored 20 points. Schumacher took eighth position at the opening round in Australia, and finished outside the points-scoring positions in the next two rounds. At the Spanish Grand Prix, he was involved in a collision with Williams driver Alexander Wurz and eventually retired with a mechanical issue. After finishing 16th at the Monaco Grand Prix, it was reported that Toyota were unhappy with his performances and faced pressure of possibly being replaced before the season concluded. Despite taking eighth place in Canada, Toyota Motorsport vice-chairman Tadashi Yamashina publicly urged Schumacher to improve his performances as he had qualified 18th for the race.

At the next Grand Prix in the United States, Schumacher spun off in the first corner and collided with the cars of David Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello. To ensure a greater chance of retaining his seat at Toyota, he offered to accept a $17 million pay cut. Schumacher did not finish the races at the British Grand Prix, and the European Grand Prix from a mechanical failure and a collision with BMW Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld, respectively. Schumacher later scored a further point for Toyota in Hungary, before taking consecutive finishes outside the points in the next three races. He was unable to finish the race in Japan having sustained a puncture. Schumacher spun off in the next race in China and secured an 11th-place finish in the season finale in Brazil. Schumacher ended his final season in Formula One 16th in the Drivers' Championship, with five points. who ultimately opted to sign Sebastian Vettel and Sébastien Bourdais. Schumacher later approached McLaren to enquire about a seat that was vacated by Fernando Alonso; he was later turned down. Despite these setbacks, Schumacher remained certain that a Formula One seat would be available for 2008.

Schumacher's final participation in Formula One came at a test held for the newly formed Force India team in December 2007. This was a bid to secure a race seat alongside fellow German Adrian Sutil. During the test, Schumacher was the slowest driver, and later announced that he would not join the team for 2008, and that the possibility of participating in Formula One would be unlikely. After spending two seasons away from the sport, Schumacher's experience made him a target for the new teams US F1, Hispania (HRT), Virgin, and Lotus that entered the 2010 season, all of whom he rejected.

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (2008–2012)

2008

thumb|right|Schumacher driving for Mücke at the DTM round at Brands Hatch in 2008

On 18 February 2008, it was announced that Schumacher would be driving in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) series in 2008, driving for Mücke Motorsport and was partnered by Maro Engel. Making his début at the Hockenheimring, Schumacher managed to finish 14th, which he followed up with a 10th-place finish at Oschersleben. He was forced into retirement at the next race at Lausitz, and managed to finish in the next three races he entered, albeit outside the points scoring positions.

He secured 15th place at the round held at Brands Hatch, before he backed the result up with a seventh-place finish at the Circuit de Catalunya. Schumacher rounded off the season with a retirement at the Bugatti Circuit and a 14th-place finish at the Hockenheimring. He finished the season 14th in the Drivers' Championship, with three points. and was partnered by Paul di Resta, Bruno Spengler, and Gary Paffett. Schumacher managed to finish the first two races, although he did not finish in the points scoring positions. He secured his first points of the season with a sixth-place finish at the Norisring, which he followed up with tenth and 11th-place finishes in the races at Zandvoort and Oschersleben respectively. and would be partnered by di Resta, Spengler and Gary Paffett. Schumacher's season started with a ninth-place finish at the Hockenheimring, before he was forced into retirement due to a failure in his car's electronic control in Valencia resulting in an misfire. Schumacher later secured finishes in the next two rounds,

This marked a turning point as Schumacher did not score points in the remaining six races. He suffered retirements in the races at Brands Hatch where he was involved in a collision and later suffered damage to his steering as a result of running off the race track His final retirement of 2010 came at the Hockenheimring where he was involved in another first lap collision. Schumacher finished the season 14th in the Drivers' Championship, scoring three points. Schumacher started off the season by taking his first two podiums in DTM with third place at the Hockenheimring and second at the Red Bull Ring, which remained his best result in DTM. Schumacher was unable to take further points in Lausitz but managed to clinch sixth place in Norisring. Despite the early successes of Schumacher in the first part of the season, he was able to only secure one further point scoring finish at Brands Hatch, and Oscherleben, from a collision with Audi driver Filipe Albuquerque. Schumacher managed to finish the races in Valencia and at the Hockenheimring, albeit outside the point scoring positions. Schumacher finished the season eighth in the Drivers' Championship, scoring 21 points. Schumacher's season got off well as he clinched consecutive points scoring finishes in the first two races of the season, and managed to secure further finishes in the races held at Brands Hatch and the Red Bull Ring, although Schumacher did not finish in the points scoring positions. This marked a turning point in Schumacher's season as he managed to finish the remaining five races of the season, including two points finishes in the races held at Zandvoort and the season finale at the Hockenheimring. Schumacher finished the season 17th in the Drivers' Championship, with ten points. In his role, he assists in the mentoring of young drivers signed with Mercedes-Benz. Schumacher had a guest role in an episode of the RTL television crime series Alarm for Cobra 11 – The Highway Police in 2015. He took over the running of the ADAC Formula 4 team HTP Junior Team Ungar with Mercedes DTM technical chief Gerhard Ungar from 2016; Schumacher had previously with Peter Mücke ran the Berlin-based RSC Mücke Motorsport team in the GP3 Series in 2010 and 2011.

In 2019, Schumacher became a pundit and co-commentator at Formula One races for the pay-TV channel Sky Deutschland. He made a one-off return to racing when he entered the Nürburgring round of the Prototype Cup Germany and shared a US Racing-fielded Ligier JS P320 LMP3 car with his son David in August 2024. The duo won the two races held that weekend.

Personal life

In April 2001, Schumacher became engaged to Cora-Caroline Brinkmann, a former model; they were married on 5 October that year in a private civil ceremony at the couple's home in Hallwang, Austria. On 23 October 2001, their son David Schumacher was born three weeks premature. David also went on to become a racing driver.

On 20 February 2015, Schumacher's lawyer confirmed that Schumacher and his wife had divorced after an acrimonious period of separation. The couple fought a custody battle over their son, and Schumacher's estimated €100 million fortune, which was resolved with Cora receiving a €6 million settlement and the family home at Bergheim. He is a supporter of the Gut Aiderbichl animal sanctuary, situated near Salzburg. Animal rights activists accused Schumacher of hypocrisy as he has also engaged in animal hunting. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) criticized Schumacher in 2007 when he was accused of paying £35,000 to shoot three deer in a defined area.

On 14 July 2024, Schumacher announced on social media that he was in a same-sex relationship with his partner of two years, 34-year-old . On 10 February 2026, he announced that they were engaged to be married.

Racing record

Career summary

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%; text-align:center"

! Season

! Series

! Team

! Races

! Poles

! Wins

! Points

! Position

! 1992

| align="left"| Formula BMW Junior

| align="left"| ?

| 10

| ?

| 66

| 6th

! 1993

| align="left"| Formula BMW Junior

| align="left"| ?

| ?

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 2nd

! rowspan="4"| 1994

| align="left"| German Formula 3 Championship

| align="left" rowspan=2| Opel Team WTS

| 19

| 2

| 1

| 158

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| 3rd

| align="left"| Grand Prix de Monaco F3

| 1

| 0

| N/A

| 15th

| align="left"| Macau Grand Prix

| align="left"| Mild Seven WTS Racing

| 1

| 0

| N/A

| 4th

| align="left"| Masters of Formula 3

| align="left"| WTS Motorsport

| 1

| 0

| N/A

| 30th

! rowspan="4"| 1995

| align="left"| German Formula 3 Championship

| align="left"| Opel Team Weber-Trella Stuttgart Racing

| 15

| 2

| 3

| 171

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 2nd

| align="left"| Macau Grand Prix

| align="left"| Mild Seven Opel Team WTS

| 1

| N/A

| style="background:#FFFFBF;"| 1st

| align="left"| Grand Prix de Monaco F3

| align="left"| Opel Team WTS

| 1

| 0

| N/A

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 2nd

| align="left"| Masters of Formula 3

| align="left"| WTS Motorsport

| 1

| 0

| N/A

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 2nd

! rowspan="2"| 1996

| align="left"| Formula Nippon

| align="left"| X Japan Team LeMans

| 10

| 2

| 3

| 40

| style="background:#FFFFBF;"| 1st

| align="left"| All-Japan GT Championship

| align="left"| Team Lark

| 6

| 4

| 3

| 60

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 2nd

! rowspan="2"| 1997

| align="left"| Formula One

| align="left"| Benson & Hedges Jordan Peugeot

| 17

| 0

| 13

| 11th

| align="left"| FIA GT Championship

| align="left"| AMG Mercedes

| 1

| 0

| 2

| 29th

! 1998

| align="left"| Formula One

| align="left"| Benson & Hedges Jordan

| 16

| 0

| 14

| 10th

! 1999

| align="left"| Formula One

| align="left"| Winfield Williams F1 Team

| 16

| 0

| 35

| 6th

! 2000

| align="left"| Formula One

| align="left"| BMW Williams F1 Team

| 17

| 0

| 24

| 5th

! 2001

| align="left"| Formula One

| align="left"| BMW Williams F1 Team

| 17

| 1

| 3

| 49

| 4th

! 2002

| align="left"| Formula One

| align="left"| BMW Williams F1 Team

| 17

| 0

| 1

| 42

| 4th

! 2003

| align="left"| Formula One

| align="left"| BMW Williams F1 Team

| 15

| 3

| 2

| 58

| 5th

! 2004

| align="left"| Formula One

| align="left"| BMW Williams F1 Team

| 12

| 1

| 0

| 24

| 9th

! 2005

| align="left"| Formula One

| align="left"| Panasonic Toyota Racing

| 18

| 1

| 0

| 45

| 6th

! 2006

| align="left"| Formula One

| align="left"| Panasonic Toyota Racing

| 18

| 0

| 20

| 10th

! 2007

| align="left"| Formula One

| align="left"| Panasonic Toyota Racing

| 17

| 0

| 5

| 16th

! 2008

| align="left"| Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters

| align="left"| Mücke Motorsport

| 11

| 0

| 3

| 14th

! 2009

| align="left"| Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters

| align="left"| HWA Team

| 10

| 0

| 9

| 11th

! 2010

| align="left"| Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters

| align="left"| HWA Team

| 11

| 1

| 0

| 3

| 14th

! 2011

| align="left"| Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters

| align="left"| HWA Team

| 10

| 0

| 21

| 8th

! 2012

| align="left"| Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters

| align="left"| HWA Team

| 10

| 0

| 10

| 17th

!2024

|align=left| Prototype Cup Germany

|align=left| US Racing

|NC†

! colspan="8" |