Although he’s considered one of F1’s greats, Michael Schumacher was no stranger to controversy. Whether directly involved in it or by association, the German driver has seen his fair share of penalties. Despite his seven drivers’ championship titles, Schumacher did not always battle it out cleanly on track. He was considered by many to be a dangerous racer. The F1 racer has been involved in on-and off-track controversies from his first championship-winning season to his final years in the sport.
5. 1994 British Grand Prix – Michael Schumacher is fined, penalized, and disqualified
In what would become his first title-winning year, Michael Schumacher made headlines at the 1994 running of the British Grand Prix. By lap 14 of the race, the German had been given a stop-go penalty because the FIA ruled that he had overtaken Hill twice during the formation lap. But the future champion did not stop. Instead, he kept racing. This resulted in the driver being shown a black flag, indicating that he had been disqualified from the race. Schumacher continued, while his team feigned confusion. The Benetton team received a $25,000 fine due to their driver’s actions.
When the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council got involved, the fine became $500,000, and the driver was handed a two-race ban. But the team appealed and Michael Schumacher continued racing the rest of the season.
4. 1994 Australian Grand Prix – Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill collide
At the end of the 1994 season, Michael Schumacher had scored 92 points. His rival, Damon Hill, had scored 91 points. The final race of the year in Australia is where it all came down. Initially starting P2 and P3, the two contenders made their way up and were battling for the lead. On lap 36, while Hill was catching the Benetton driver, the latter hit the wall. To come back on track, he went across, and while Hill was trying to pass him, they crashed. Both drivers retired, and Michael Schumacher ended up going home with his first championship title.
3. 1997 European Grand Prix – Michael Schumacher is disqualified from the championship
Once again, it was the final race of the season where Michael Schumacher found himself in the center of controversy. At the European Grand Prix, the German driver was one point ahead of Jacques Villeneuve. Although Villeneuve scored the pole for the event, Schumacher, now driving a Ferrari, stole the lead quickly. On lap 48, the Canadian F1 driver attempted to overtake his championship rival from the inside line. But, the two-time WDC winner turned into Villeneuve, causing damage to his right front wheel and bringing about his retirement from the race.
While the Canadian went on to win the title by three points, the Ferrari driver was subject to a disciplinary hearing by the FIA. The result of which brought about Schumacher’s disqualification from the championship, but he was allowed to keep his race wins and pole positions.
2. 2002 Austrian Grand Prix – Team orders cause trouble for Schumacher
During the 2002 season, Michael Schumacher was attempting to secure his fifth championship, and his third consecutive title driving for Ferrari. At the Austrian Grand Prix, he was running in P2 behind Rubens Barrichello, his teammate. Over the radio, team orders came in for Barrichello to swap places with Schumacher, handing the latter the race win. On the top step of the podium, the German driver was booed by fans, and even when his teammate climbed up to join him, their discontent didn’t change.
The FIA was angered by Ferrari’s actions. They had banned team orders and felt that the team was out of order when it came to podium regulations. This caused Ferrari and the two drivers to have to split a $1 million fine. They had to pay half, with the other half suspended for a year, based on the understanding that nothing similar would occur.
1. 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix – Schumacher pushes Barichello into a wall
Coming back to the F1 grid after a brief break, Michael Schumacher was now driving for the Mercedes outfit. While racing at the Hungaroring, Schumacher was in P10 when his former Ferrari teammate was closing the gap. In an attempt to salvage the points he would receive by finishing in tenth, Schumacher defended the place intensely. When Barichello attempted to overtake him on the straight, the German driver pushed Rubens into the wall. He managed to avoid a spin or a crash and overtook Schumacher anyway. Speaking later, Barichello said [via PlanetF1]:
“I am lucky to be alive. It was a go-kart maneuver. If he wants to go to heaven, in the event he is going to heaven, I don’t want to go before him. Thank God, I was lucky the wall finished where it did because I was millimeters from it.”
