Гонщики, S | |
Schumacher, Ralf Курсивом отмечены гонщики, |
| Ральф ШумахерSchumacher, Ralf |
 (c) 'Who is Who' by Steve Small, 2000 Родился: 30.06.1975 Хоерт-Хермольцхайм Сезонов в Ф1: Лет в Ф1: 11 Гран При: Старты: 180* *не стартовал: 2 Победы: - подряд: 2 Подиумы: - подряд: 3 Поул-позиции: - подряд: 2 Первый ряд: - подряд: 3 Быстрые круги: - подряд: 2 Лучший финиш: Лучший старт: 1 Дубли: Хет-трики: Лидирование старт/финиш: Большие шлемы: Круги: - лидирования: 401 Километры: - лидирования: |
Год | Команда | Шасси |
If the 1999 season buried the reputation (and possibly the F1 career) of the popular Alex Zanardi, then it was the making of the previously unpopular Ralf, who by the end of the year had earned a respect that went far beyond mere acceptance that he was on the Grand Prix grid on his own merits. As the younger brother of the prodigiously talented Michael Schumacher, it would have been perfectly understandable if he had opted for a profession as diametrically opposed to his sibling's as could be found, but Ralf had other ideas.
The younger Schumacher first made an impression in German Formula 3 during the 1994 season: driving the ubiquitous Dallara, he only scored a single victory but posted an additional nine top-three finishes to claim third place in the final standings behind runaway winner Jörg Müller and Alexander Würz. The following year saw Ralf embroiled in a battle with Norberto Fontana for the crown but, despite a run of three wins from four races in mid-season, he was eventually beaten into second place by the diminutive Argentinian.
Although courted by Opel for a drive in the ITC series in 1996, Ralf and his manager Willy Weber decided that he should race in Formula Nippon in Japan as the next stage of his career development. It was a successful move for the young German, who posted three victories in the Le Mans Co. Reynard 96D to take the title. In addition he shared a Toyota Supra with Naoki Hattori in the All-Japan GT championship.
His year in Japan was crucial to his personal development - and Ralf certainly needed all his resilience when he stepped up to F1 with Jordan in 1997. He was paired with the equally ambitious and inexperienced Giancarlo Fisichella, and the two young turks slugged it out in a battle for supremacy within the team which was to be counter-productive for everyone. Ralf simply overdrove in his attempts to impress. A podium finish in Argentina should have been cause for major celebration, but it was tainted by his crassness in pushing his team-mate into premature retirement. The prevailing feeling was that Schumacher was wasting the natural speed that even his hardened critics had to admit he possessed in abundance.
For 1998 the German was joined by Damon Hill and both drivers spent the first part of the season vainly looking for an answer to seemingly insoluble problems, but Ralf's superb drive into sixth place in the wet at Silverstone was to prove the turning point for the team. Schumacher seemed to grow in confidence race by race and was deeply frustrated to have to hold station behind Hill at Spa when Jordan's first Grand Prix win was achieved. By then, however, he had already decided to accept an offer from Williams for 1999, much to Eddie Jordan's disappointment.
The conventional wisdom was that it was going to be a year of bedding-in for Ralf, with the planned BMW engine tie-up coming on tap in 2000. Nobody expected fireworks with the team consigned to running Supertec-engined cars, but they were wrong. Schumacher was the revelation of the season and could have won both the Italian and European Grands Prix if circumstances had played into his hands. More than anything, however, he had finally proved that he didn't need 'big brother' at all. He was very much his own man.
(c) 'Who is Who' by Steve Small, 2000
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