Michael Schumacher

At 55 years old, Michael Schumacher has this physical status:

Michael Schumacher (born 3 January 1969) is a retired German racing driver who raced in Formula One for Jordan Grand Prix, Benetton and Ferrari, where he spent most of his career, as well as for Mercedes upon his return to the sport.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers ever, and regarded by some as the greatest of all time, Schumacher is the only driver in history to win seven Formula One World Championships, five of which he won consecutively.

The most successful driver in the history of the sport, Schumacher holds the records for the most World Championship titles (7), the most Grand Prix wins (91), the most fastest laps (77) and the most races won in a single season (13), and according to the official Formula One website (Formula1.com), Schumacher was "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen" at the time of his retirement from the sport.After success in karting as a child, Schumacher won titles in Formula König and Formula Three before joining Mercedes in the World Sportscar Championship.

In 1991 his Mercedes-funded race debut for the Jordan Formula One team resulted in Schumacher being signed by Benetton for the rest of that season.

He finished third in 1992 and fourth in 1993, before becoming the first German World Drivers' Champion in 1994 by one point over Damon Hill, albeit in controversial circumstances.

In 1995 he repeated the success, this time with a greater margin.

In 1996 Schumacher moved to Ferrari, who had last won the Drivers' Championship in 1979, and helped them transform into the most successful team in Formula One history, as he came close to winning the 1997 and 1998 titles, before breaking his leg at the 1999 British Grand Prix, ending another title run. Schumacher won five consecutive drivers' titles from 2000 to 2004, including an unprecedented sixth and seventh title.

In 2002 Schumacher won the title with a record six races remaining and finished on the podium in every race.

In 2004 Schumacher won twelve out of the first thirteen races and went on to win a record 13 times as he won his final title.

Schumacher retired from Formula One in 2006, after finishing runner-up to Renault's Fernando Alonso.

Schumacher returned to Formula One in 2010 with Mercedes.

He produced the fastest qualifying time at the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix, and achieved his only podium on his return at the 2012 European Grand Prix, where he finished third.

In October 2012 Schumacher announced he would retire for a second time at the end of the season.His career was frequently controversial, as he was twice involved in collisions in the final race of a season that determined the outcome of the World Championship, with Damon Hill in 1994 in Adelaide, and with Jacques Villeneuve in 1997 in Jerez.

Schumacher is an ambassador for UNESCO and has been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts throughout his life, donating tens of millions of dollars to charity.

Schumacher and his younger brother, Ralf, are the only siblings to win races in Formula One, and they were the first brothers to finish 1st and 2nd in the same race, a feat they repeated in four subsequent races. On 29 December 2013 Schumacher suffered a traumatic brain injury in a skiing accident.

He was placed in a medically induced coma for six months until 16 June 2014.

He left the hospital in Grenoble for further rehabilitation at the University Hospital of Lausanne.

On 9 September 2014, Schumacher was relocated to his home where he continues to receive medical treatment and rehabilitation privately.

As of 2016, he remained unable to walk or stand, and in July 2019, former Ferrari manager, Jean Todt said that Schumacher was making "good progress" but also "struggles to communicate".

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Formula One career

Schumacher was known throughout his career for his ability to produce fast laps at critical moments in a race and his ability to push his car to its limits for extended stretches. He was also praised for his pioneering fitness regimen and his ability to galvanise teams around him. Christopher Hilton, a writer for Motor Sport, said that "the most important measure of a driver's ability is his success in wet races": Schumacher's record in wet conditions reveals few blunders: he won 17 of the 30 races he fought in 2003. Even in non-German-language media, some of Schumacher's finest performances occurred under such circumstances, earning him the nicknames "Regenkönig" (rain king) or "Regenmeister" (rain master). He is also known as "the Red Baron" due to his red Ferrari and in honor of the German Manfred von Richthofen, the first World War's most popular flying ace. "Schumi," "Schuey," and "Schu" are also among Schumacher's nicknames.

Schumacher is often credited with popularizing Formula One in Germany, where it was once viewed as a fringe sport. Three of the top ten drivers in that year's Drivers' standings were German, more than any other nationality. Schumacher was regarded as the primary factor in their transition to Formula One, particularly Sebastian Vettel. Vettel named Schumacher as the best Formula One racer of all time in 2020. Schumacher was president of the Grand Prix Drivers' Union for a large part of his Formula One tenure. He was named the season's most popular driver in a 2006 FIA poll. Schumacher was praised as the best all-round racing driver in the history of the sport in the United States during the same year. Schumacher was named the most influential person in Formula One in 2020 by the time.

Schumacher made his Formula One debut with the Irish Jordan-Ford crew in 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, driving car number 32 as a substitute for the detained Bertrand Gachot. Since Mercedes paid Jordan $150,000 for his debut, Schumacher, who is still a Mercedes driver, was signed by Eddie Jordan.

Schumacher impressed Jordan designer Gary Anderson and team manager Trevor Foster during a test drive at Silverstone this week. Schumacher's boss, Weber, told Jordan that Schumacher was aware of the burgeoning Spa-Francorchamps circuit, but that he had only seen it as a spectator. Andrea de Cesaris, a teammate, had intended to show Schumacher the circuit but was forced to cancel due to labor talks. Schumacher soon learned the way on his own by pedaling around the track on a fold-up bike he carried with him. He earned his seventh appearance in qualifying. Schumacher out-qualified veteran de Cesaris, which corresponded to the team's best grid position on season-best grid position, and Schumacher out-qualified veteran de Cesaris. After qualifying "clumps of German journalists were discussing "the best talent since Stefan Bellof," motor Sport journalist Joe Saward announced that. Schumacher was forced to stop early in the first lap of the season due to clutch issues.

Schumacher was engaged by Benetton-Ford following his Belgian Grand Prix debut and despite an agreement in principle between Jordan and Schumacher'sriya team, which may see the German race for the Irish team for the remainder of the season. Jordan requested an injunction in the British courts to prevent Schumacher from driving for Benetton, but the court dismissed it because the parties had not reached a final deal.

Schumacher earned four points out of six races in 1991. In his second race, the Italian Grand Prix, in which he finished ahead of his colleagues and three-time World Champion Nelson Piquet, he came fifth place.

Schumacher's team, planning their Formula One debut with Mercedes backing for the following year, invoked a clause in Schumacher's deal that stated that if Mercedes enters Formula One, Schumacher would drive for them. liquidity was eventually decided that Schumacher would remain with Benetton, but Peter Sauber said that "[Schumacher] didn't want to drive for us." Why did I have to force him?" The year was dominated by Williams cars of Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patton, which were equipped with sophisticated Renault engines, semi-automatic gearboxes, and active suspension to regulate the car's ride height. Schumacher took his first podium position in the Benetton B192, the Mexican Grand Prix's "conventional" Benetton B192. He won his first race at the Belgian Grand Prix in a wet season at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, which he would describe as "far and away my favorite track" by 2003. He came in third place in the Drivers' Championship in 1992, three points behind runner-up Patrese and three in front of Ayrton Senna.

The Williams of Damon Hill and Alain Prost both dominated the 1993 season. Benetton's first offensive suspension and traction control were enabled early in the season, making them the last of the frontrunning teams to do so. Schumacher won one race, the Portuguese Grand Prix, where he defeated Prost and finished ninth in nine of the other 16 races, but he resigned in seven of the other 16 races. He finished fourth in fourth with 52 points.

In 1994, Schumacher won his first Drivers' Championship. Senna's death was, however, marred by Senna's death, as well as the passing of Roland Ratzenberger during the San Marino Grand Prix, as well as allegations that many Zaina teams, but more specifically Schumacher's Benetton team broke the sport's technical laws.

Schumacher won six of the first seven races and was leading the Spanish Grand Prix before a gearbox malfunction left him in fifth gear for the majority of the race. Schumacher finished the season in second place. Following the San Marino Grand Prix, the Benetton, Ferrari, and McLaren teams were investigated on suspicion of violating the FIA-imposed ban on electronic aids. Benetton and McLaren were initially reluctant to hand over their source code for investigation. The FIA discovered hidden functionality in both teams' applications when they did so, but there was no proof that it had been used in a competition. Both teams were fined $100,000 for their first refusal to cooperate. However, the McLaren software, which was a gearbox system that permitted automatic shifts, was considered legal. By contrast, Benetton's app was supposed to be a sort of "launch control" that would have allowed Schumacher to get off to a good start, but was specifically forbidden by the rules. However, there was no evidence that this application was actually used.

Schumacher was disqualified for taking Hill on the formation lap at the British Grand Prix. He and Benetton ignored the warning and the ensuing black flag, which means the driver must return to the pits immediately after being disqualified and then banned from racing. Benetton attributed the incident to a team communication breakdown. Schumacher was disqualified after winning the Belgian Grand Prix despite illegal wear on its skidblock, which was a step taken after the crash at Imola that reduced downforce and therefore cornering speed. Benetton protested that the skidblock had been lost when Schumacher spun over a kerb, but the FIA denied their appeal due to the block's pattern of wear and tear.

These events helped Damon Hill close the points gap, and Schumacher led by a single point in Australia's final race. Schumacher hit the guardrail on lap 36 while leading while leading. Hill attempted to pass, but Schumacher's car came back to the track, prompting them both to stop. As a result, Schumacher won the Drivers' Championship, becoming the first German to do so—Jochen Rindt was German but not under Austrian flag. The race stewards ruled it a racing accident and took no responsibility against either driver, but national coverage of the incident and Schumacher was vilified in British media. Schumacher dedicated his title to Senna at the FIA conference after the race.

Schumacher defended his title with Benetton, which now had the same Renault engine as Williams; according to Motor Sport author Marcus Simmons, Benetton had the most effective team, while Williams had the fastest car. Schumacher gathered 33 more points than Hill, who finished second. Benetton won the inaugural Constructors' Championship with teammate Johnny Herbert, breaking McLaren and Williams' dominance and making him the youngest two-time World Champion in Formula One history. Many accidents with Hill, in particular an overtaking manoeuvre by Hill, forced them both out of the British Grand Prix on lap 45 and again in lap 23 of the Italian Grand Prix, bringing them both out of the British Grand Prix. Schumacher won 9 of the 17 races and finished on the podium 11 times. Only once did he qualify lower than fourth; at the Belgian Grand Prix, he qualified 16th, but he went on to win the championship.

Schumacher joined Ferrari in 1996, a team that had last won the Drivers' Championship in 1979 and 1983, as well as the Constructors' Championship in 1983, for a salary of $60 million over two years. He left Benetton a year before his deal came to an end; he later cited the team's failing behavior in 1994 as his reason for pulling out of his contract. Schumacher lured Benetton workers Rory Byrne (designer) and Ross Brawn (technical director) to Ferrari a year later.

In 1982 and 1990, Ferrari came close to winning the championship. The team had suffered a catastrophic decline in the early 1990s, partially because its legendary V12 engine was no longer competitive against its opponents' smaller, lighter, and more fuel-efficient V10s. Several drivers, including Alain Prost, had given the vehicles labels "truck," "pig" and "accident waiting to happen." In addition, the Ferrari pit crews' poor results was considered a running joke. Despite the fact that the squad had developed into a strong competitor, it was still considered inferior to front-running teams like Benetton and Williams at the end of 1995. Schumacher declared the Ferrari F310 a winner in a championship, but after that, his colleague Eddie Irvine called it "an ugly car" and "almost undriveable," although designer John Barnard admitted that it "wasn't very good." Schumacher was the first to drive a Ferrari, a 1995 Ferrari 412 T2, and it was two seconds faster than former regulars Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger had been during winter testing.

Schumacher, Brawn, Byrne, and Jean Todt have all been credited with turning the struggling team into the most profitable team in Formula One history. Jackie Stewart, a three-time World Champion, believed that the Ferrari team's transformation was Schumacher's greatest achievement.

Schumacher finished third in the Drivers' Championship in 1996 and helped Ferrari win second place in the Constructors' Championship ahead of his old team Benetton. Schumacher did not finish in 7 of the 16 races during the season; Schumacher did not finish in 7 of the 16 races. Schumacher claimed pole position at the French Grand Prix, but the formation lap suffered from a mechanical failure. He won three races, but more than the team's total count for the period from 1991 to 1995. He won his first race for Ferrari at the Spanish Grand Prix, where he led the entire field to third place in the wet. He ran five seconds faster than the rest of the field in the challenging weather on lap 19. Schumacher fended off Williams' Jacques Villeneuve with well-timed pit stops at the Belgian Grand Prix. Schumacher won in front of the tifosi, the tifosi, and Ferrari supporters took first place at Monza.

In 1997, Michael Schumacher and Villeneuveneuve competed for the title. In the early part of the season, Villeneuveneuve, who was riding the more powerful Williams FW19, was the champion. Schumacher had taken the championship lead by mid-season by winning five races, and he had a one-point advantage in the season's final Grand Prix in Jerez. Schumacher's Ferrari suffered a coolant leak and loss of control near the end of the race, implying that he will not finish the game. Schumacher retaliated on him as Villeneuve approached to pass his opponent on lap 48, but he was disqualified from the sport. Villeneuve's win came as a result of four points. The race stewards did not initially award any penalty, but two weeks after the event, Schumacher was disqualified from the entire 1997 Drivers' Championship, it was an unfortunate omission. Schumacher accepted the decision and admitted to making a mistake. In British, German, and Italian newspapers, his activities had been widely condemned.

Mika Häkkinen, the Finnish driver, became Schumacher's top champion in 1998. Häkkinen also won the first two races of the season, giving a 16-point advantage over Schumacher. Schumacher won in Argentina then, and Schumacher followed them with six victories and five other rosemary finishes in the second half of the season. Ferrari claimed a 1–2 finish at the French Grand Prix, the first Ferrari 1–2 finish since 1990, and the Italian Grand Prix, which tied Schumacher with Häkkinen for the Drivers' Championship's lead by 80 points. Häkkinen won the Championship by winning the final two races, but not in the Championship. Schumacher was leading on the last lap when he turned into the pit lane, crossed the finish line, and stopped to serve his ten-second stop-goal penalty (received for overtaking a lapped vehicle (of Alexander Wurz) during a safety car period). There was some doubt whether this counted as serving the penalty, but the victory was valid because he had crossed the finish line as he came into the pit lane. Schumacher was leading the race by 40 seconds in heavy fog, but when the Scot, a lap down, slowed on the track in poor visibility to let Schumacher past, he collided with David Coulthard's McLaren. His Ferrari lost a wheel, but it could return to the pits, but he was forced to abandon due to his injuries. Schumacher sped out of his car and drove to McLaren's garage in an indigning mood, accusing Coulthard of "trying to kill him." Coulthard admitted five years later that the accident was his mistake.

Ferrari won the Constructors' championship in 1999, thanks to Schumacher's efforts. He missed his chance to win the Drivers' Championship at the British Grand Prix at Stowe Corner, but his rear brake failed, throwing him off the track and resulting in a fractured leg. He was recalled by Finnish driver Mika Salo after his 98-day absence. He made his return to the inaugural Malaysian Grand Prix by almost a second after missing six races. He then assumed the role of second driver, assassinating teammate Irvine's fight for the Drivers' Championship for Ferrari. Häkkinen won his second straight title in the season's last race. Häkkinen was the enemy he admired the most, according to Schumacher later.

After a year-long struggle with Häkkinen, Schumacher claimed his third World Driver's Championship in 2000, and first with Ferrari. Schumacher won the first three races of the season and five of the first eight. Schumacher's hopes fell with three straight non-finishes, allowing Häkkinen to close the gap in the standings. Häkkinen won two more titles before Schumacher triumphed at the Italian Grand Prix. After equalizing the number of victories (41) won by his idol Senna, Schumacher burst into tears at the post-race press conference. The championship title will determine the Japanese Grand Prix, the season's penultimate race. Schumacher started from pole position and lost the lead to Häkkinen right away. Schumacher came out ahead of Häkkinen in his second pit stop and went on to win the race and the Drivers' Championship. Despite Schumacher's victory in more Grand Prixs than Häkkinen, BBC Sport journalist Andrew Benson said that "the challenge from Mika Hakkinen and McLaren-Mercedes was much greater than raw numbers indicates" and that the Adrian Newey-designed McLaren was "the fastest car in F1 for the third year in a row." Schumacher was also praised as "unquestionably the greatest engine of his time," Benson said of him.

Schumacher won his fourth title in 2001. Four other drivers earned titles, but no one contested the championship for the first time in season. Schumacher won a record-tying nine games and clinched the World Championship with four races remaining. He took home 123 points, 58 ahead of runner-up Coulthard. Schumacher finished second to his brother Ralf in Formula One, resulting in the first-ever 1–2 finish by brothers; and the Belgian Grand Prix, where Schumacher scored his 52nd grand prix, beating Alain Prost's record for most career victories.

Schumacher kept his Drivers' Championship in 2002. Nonetheless, there was some controversies at the Austrian Grand Prix, including a few women. Rubens Barrichello, girls' teammate, was leading the charge, but Schumacher slowed down in the final meters of the race, under team orders. Although the transfer of positions did not breach any actual sporting or technological rule, it enraged followers, and it was alleged that the team's conduct demonstrated a lack of sportsmanship and reverence to the fans. Many said that Schumacher did not have to be "given" victories in just the sixth race of the season, particularly given that he had already won four of the previous five Grand Prix and that Barrichello had dominated the sport weekend up to that point. Schumacher pushed Barrichello to the top step at the podium, and the Ferrari team was fined US$1 million for this drama. Schumacher returned the favor by giving Barrichello the victory by the second-closest margin in Formula One history, 0.011 seconds on the finishing line. Schumacher's explanation differed between him "returning the favor" for Austria and designing a formation finish, a feat that was denounced as near-impossible in a sport in which timings are taken to within a thousandth of a second. The FIA outlawed "team orders that interfere with the race result" after the season ended, but the ban was lifted for the 2011 season because the application was impossible to follow. He tied for the first time in winning the Drivers' Championship, beating Juan Manuel Fangio of five World Championships. Ferrari won 15 out of 17 races, and Schumacher claimed the title with six races remaining in the season, which is still the first time a driver has been crowned World Champion. Schumacher won 11 races and finished every race on the podium, beating Nigel Mansell, who had nine race wins in a season. He scored 144 points, a record-breaking 67 points ahead of his teammate Barrichello, who was runner-up. In the first two events, this pair won nine of the 17 races.

After a close contest with his main rivals, Schumacher ended Fangio's record of five World Driver Championships by winning the drivers' title for the sixth time in 2003. To make the championship more accessible, the FIA introduced new guidelines and a new points system before the season started. The McLaren-Mercedes and Williams-BMW teams were the best in the competition. Schumacher went off track in the first round of the series, and in the ensuing two races, he was involved in collisions. Kimi Räikkönen, McLaren's Kimi Räikkönen, dropped 16 points behind him. Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix despite the death of his mother Elisabeth just hours before the race—and the next two races—and ending accompagning Räikkönen within two points. Other than Schumacher's win in Canada and Barrichello's win in the United Kingdom, the mid-season was dominated by Williams drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, who each received two victories. Michael Schumacher led Montoya and Räikkönen by just one and two points after the Hungarian Grand Prix. The FIA announced changes to the way tyre widths were to be measured ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, prompting Michelin, a Williams and McLaren supplier, to quickly modify their tyres. Schumacher, who was riding on Bridgestone tyres, won the next two races. Only Schumacher and Räikkönen remained in contention for the title after Montoya was disqualified in the United States Grand Prix, leaving only Schumacher and Räikkönen in contention. Schumacher lost only one point in the final round, but Räikkönen was unable to win. Schumacher claimed his sixth World Drivers' title by finishing the season in eighth position, just two points shy of Räikkönen.

Schumacher won a record 12 of the first 13 races of the season in 2004, but he lost in Monaco after a collision with Montoya during a safety car period. At the Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher claimed his seventh Drivers' title. He finished the season with 148 points, 34 points ahead of the runner-up Barrichello, and a new high of 13 race wins out of a potential 18, beating his previous record of 11 victories from 2002.

Rule changes for the 2005 season mandated that tyres last an entire race, effectively tipped the balance to teams using Michelins over Ferrari's that relied on Bridgestone tyres. The rule reforms were partly designed to destabilize Ferrari's position and make the sequence more interesting. Schumacher's most memorable moment of the early season came in San changing, where he started 13th and ended just 0.2 seconds behind Alonso. Schumacher said: "I don't think I can count myself in this fight any more." It was similar to fighting with a blunted gun. If your weapons are weak, you have no chance." Schumacher's sole victory in 2005 came at the United States Grand Prix. The Michelin tyres were found to have significant safety issues prior to the race. If there was no agreement between the teams and the FIA, no one would have been able to reach a compromise, but only three teams using Bridgestone tyres dropped out of the competition after the formation lap, leaving just six drivers on the grid. Schumacher retired in 6 of the 19 races and ended the season in third with 62 points, fewer than half of World Champion Alonso.

Schumacher's Ferrari career ended in 2006 in the last year. Schumacher had just 11 points in three races and was now 17 points behind Alonso. He won the following two races; his pole position at San Marino was his 66th, breaking Ayrton Senna's 12-year-old record. Schumacher was disqualified from pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix and began the race at the back of the grid after he halted his car and blocked a section of the track while Alonso was on his qualifying lap; he nevertheless managed to finish fifth place on the notoriously packed Monaco circuit. Schumacher was 25 points behind Alonso in the Canadian Grand Prix, the ninth race of the season, but he then won the following three races to reduce his handicap to 11. Schumacher led the championship standings for the first time during the season after further victories in Italy and China. Ferrari released a press release in Italy announcing that Schumacher will step down from racing after this success, but that he will continue with the team. Since tifosi and the Italian press's chilly public image, Schumacher's tifosi and the Italian press displayed an affectionate reaction as he announced his resignation.

Schumacher led the Japanese Grand Prix, but his car suffered an engine failure for the first time since the 2000 French Grand Prix, handing Alonso the victory. Former football player Pelé, the Brazilian Grand Prix, presented a trophy to Schumacher for his efforts in Formula One during the season's last race. Schumacher was unable to complete a single lap in the third qualifying session, causing him to start the race in tenth place due to a fuel pressure problem. Schumacher rose to sixth place in the series early in the season but was forced to cancel due to a puncture caused by Renault's front wing. Schumacher finished 19th in 19th puppies, 70 seconds behind teammate and race leader Felipe Massa. Schumacher recovered and gained fourth place over Fisichella and Räikkönen. In the press, his result was described as "heroic," an "utterly breath-taking drive," and a "performance that... sums up his career."

Schumacher served as Ferrari's advisor and Jean Todt's'super assistant' during the 2007 season. Schumacher also assisted Ferrari with their expansion program at the Jerez circuit. For the 2008 Formula One season, he concentrated on developing electronics and tyres. Schumacher was also active in motorcycle racing in the IDM Superbike series in 2008, but said he had no intention of having a second competitive career in this sport. Felipe Massa of Ferrari was seriously injured during qualifying after being hit by a suspension spring. Ferrari announced that they wanted to draft Schumacher for the European Grand Prix and subsequent Grand Prixs until Massa was able to compete again. Schumacher tried a modified Ferrari F2007 to prepare himself because he was unable to test the 2009 model due to testing limitations. Ferrari requested special permission for Schumacher to test in a 2009 prototype model, but Williams, Red Bull, and Toro Rosso opposed this attempt. Schumacher was forced to cancel his return due to the severity of his neck injury in a motorcycle crash earlier this year. Luca Badoer and then Giancarlo Fisichella filled Massa's shoes, with Luca Badoer and later Giancarlo Fisichella.

Schumacher announced his return to Formula One for the 2010 season in December 2009, alongside fellow German driver Nico Rosberg in the new Mercedes GP team. For the first time since 1955, Mercedes returned to the sport as a constructor. Schumacher said that his preparations to replace the injured Massa had revived an interest in Formula One, which, along with the opportunity to race for Mercedes and the possibility of working with team principal Ross Brawn, led Schumacher to decline the bid after he was cleared. Schumacher has been on a three-year deal, now worth £20 million. He turned 41 in 2010 and his Mercedes prospects were compared to Juan Manuel Fangio, Formula One's oldest champion who won his fifth title at 46 years old.

In the inaugural race of the season, Schumacher came in sixth. In any of the first four qualifying sessions and races, he came in second, behind teammate Rosberg; former driver Stirling Moss suggested that Schumacher might be "past it." Several other former Formula One racers disagreed, including former competitor Damon Hill, who said, "You should never write Schumacher off" after him. GrandPrix.com highlighted Schumacher's inability as a result of the Mercedes' narrower front tyres' introduction in the 2010 season. Jenson Button will later claim that Mercedes' car was built for the team, and that their diverse driving styles may have contributed to Schumacher's hese.

Schumacher finished fourth in Mercedes' upgrade for the Spanish Grand Prix, where Schumacher came in third place. Schumacher finished sixth at the Monaco Grand Prix after passing Ferrari's Fernando Alonso on the final corner before the safety car returned to the pits. After safety car line one announced that the race was not concluded under the safety car and all drivers were free to race," Mercedes said, "the combination of the race control messages 'Safety Car in this lap' and 'Track Clear' and the green flags and lights displayed by the marshals." Schumacher was found guilty of violating safety car rules and was sentenced to 20 seconds in lieu of his 12th rank, according to an FIA probe. Schumacher finished fifth in Turkey and fourth in the event, both his best results since his return. Schumacher finished 15th in the European Grand Prix in Valencia, his lowest finish in his career. Barrichello attempted to pass Schumacher down the inside on the main straight in Hungary. Despite the close proximity of a concrete wall and Schumacher leaving Barrichello on the outside, Schumacher shutting down the inside line to compel Barrichello to the outside, but Barrichello stayed on the inside at 180 mph (290 km/h) despite the close proximity of a concrete wall and Schumacher's leaving him with only inches to spare. Schumacher was found guilty of reckless driving and was barred ten spots on the grid for the next race, the Belgian Grand Prix, where he came in seventh place despite starting 21st after his grid penalty. Schumacher was involved in a major accident on the first lap of season finale in Abu Dhabi after Vitantonio Liuzzi's car collided with Schumacher's, barely missing his head. Schumacher finished in ninth place with 72 points on the season. Schumacher went without a win, pole position, podium, or fastest lap for the first time since 1991.

Schumacher's first points of 2011 were scored in Malaysia, where he finished ninth; later in Spain, he took fourth place in the Canadian Grand Prix after running as high as second in a wet race. Schumacher came in fifth place after starting last in Belgium. Schumacher led three laps during the race, marking the first time he had led a race since 2006. He became the oldest racer to lead a contest since Jack Brabham in 1970. Schumacher finished eighth in the Drivers' Championship, with 76 points.

For the 2012 season, he was partnered by Rosberg at Mercedes. Schumacher dropped out of the season's inaugural Australian Grand Prix and gained a point in Malaysia's second round. Schumacher started in China on the front row but had to leave due to a loose wheel caused by a mechanic's mistake during a pit stop. Schumacher received a five-place grid penalty for the Monaco Grand Prix after causing a collision with Bruno Senna in Spain. Schumacher was the fastest in qualifying in Monaco, but he dropped to sixth in fifth place due to his penalty. He came from seventh place in the class later this year. Schumacher came in third place at the European Grand Prix, his first podium finish after returning to Formula One. He became the first driver to earn a podium since Jack Brabham's second-place finish in the 1970 British Grand Prix, at 43 years and 173 days. Schumacher set the fastest lap in Germany for the 77th time in his career, and he became Belgium's second fastest driver to race in 300 Grands Prix.

Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes was fired as a result of Schumacher's indecision over his future prospects. Schumacher declared in October 2012 that he would not return for a second time in the previous few months, "I didn't want to deal with Formula One or set myself up for the next Grand Prix." Schumacher finished the season with a seventh-place finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix, while Schumacher finished 13th in the 2012 Drivers' Championship.

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