Michael Schumacher
— The Definitive Illustrated Race-
by-Race Record of His Grand Prix Career
“Whatever
you think of
The Man, Michael
Schumacher had the
most remarkable career
in Formula 1 — don’t
miss Christopher Hilton’s
race record of this
Grand Prix star’s
racing
achievements...”
FANS OF MICHAEL SCHUMACHER have a treat in store with Christopher Hilton's
book, Michael Schumacher — The Definitive Illustrated Race-by-Race Record
of His Grand Prix Career, which reads like The Man's personal journal
of events.
Christopher Hilton recreates Schumacher's sixteen-season career in
an original way. Each chapter is devoted to one year and the races
are featured in chronological order, with the date of each race, a few paragraphs,
race report, statistics and quotes from Michael Schu-macher at that time. This
is set against the evolving landscape of F1 itself — rule changes, what
Schumacher faced from the opposition,
and the historical context of his growing dominance.
Michael Schumacher — The Definitive Illustrated Race-by-Race Record
of His Grand Prix Career also looks at Schumacher's origins — he came
from an obscure small town in Germany and wanted to be a footballer. Instead,
between 1991 and 2006, he destroyed every significant record in Formula 1 racing
to the point where his achievements may well stand forever.
Along the way he grew from a slender, angular young man to a global presence.
But that wasn't simply because of his seven World Cham-pionships or his unprecedented
feat of making Ferrari mighty, fearsome and feared again. He crashed —
most controversially into Damon Hill for the first of those Championships, into
Jacques Villeneuve battling for another and, ultimately, into the barrier at
Monaco to stop a qualifying session and bring allegations of foul play.
In the early days, rumours had begun flying around that Michael Schumacher was
good. He knew just how he wanted to develop his own style and would check out
each new track thoroughly before
each race, driving round it to consign every curve to his memory.
Looking at his original photographs of that time, you'll find names from F1
history such as the late Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell, who vied for the World
Championship in 1991 (there is also a handy Teams and Drivers chart) and pictures
of a young Michael Schumacher barely looking old enough to drive!
Illustrated with more than 340 dramatic photographs, this book encom-passes
all the great days, from Schumacher's astonishing debut at Spa for Irishman
Eddie Jordan, via two world titles for Benetton and right through the Ferrari
years to his dignified and emotional farewell in Brazil at the end of 2006.
It also embraces the dark days — following Ayrton Senna at Imola in 1994,
the crashes and a dozen other controversies, like the day he marched down the
pit lane to lay hands upon David Coulthard.
Because Schumacher expressed himself through the medium of his rac-ing, this
is more than a fascinating sequence of 250 races; it becomes a valuable portrait
of a man shaping his own life and reshaping Grand Prix racing as he did so.
This is a fantastic record of The Man and his races and a marvellous historical
Grand Prix souvenir.
• Michael Schumacher — The
Definitive Illustrated Race-by-Race Record of His Grand Prix Career by Christopher
Hilton is out now in hardback format and available from all good book shops
at an RRP
of £30. ISBN: 978 184 425 450 7.
• Also out now is Christopher Hilton's Michael
Schumacher: The Whole Story, available in paperback format at an RRP of
£9.99. ISBN: 978 184 425 448 4.
“Whatever
you think of