Ralf Schumacher: Michael"s Little Brother, Toyota Driver, Comes Into His Own
Name:
Ralf Schumacher
Born:
June 30, 1975 in Hürth-Hermülheim, Germany
Team:
Toyota
Height:
5'8"
Weight:
160 lbs.
Hobbies:
Karting, Tennis, Cycling, Backgammon
Previous F1 Teams:
- 1997 - 1998 Jordan
- 1999 - 2004 Williams
- 2005 - 2007 Toyota
- Victories:
6
Background:
As Michael Schumacher's younger brother, Ralf in many ways was born with a golden spoon in his mouth. Six and a half years Michael's junior, Ralf followed in his brother's footsteps throughout his career. He was German Junior Kart series champion in 1991, before moving to cars in 1992, where he finished second in the BWM ADAC series that year and the next. In German F3, he finished third in 1994 and second in 1995. He also won the prestigious Macao international F3 event in 1995. The following year he raced in Formula Nippon in Japan, and won the series, as well as finishing second in the Japanese GT series.
His Career Thus Far:
In 1997, Ralf joined Jordan, the team where his brother started his career six years before. Ralf's teammate was Giancarlo Fisichella, in his second year in the sport, but also his first year at Jordan. The two young drivers had a rough beginning, particularly at the third race of the season. It was the 24th lap of the Argentine Grand Prix, and the two drivers were in second and third place, with Fisichella leading. But the Italian was slower than Ralf, and Ralf was impatient to pass. He dived in and knocked Fisichella off the track, and lost some time himself. But for that, the team might have won its first race. Even so, Ralf finished third in what was only his third race.
That incident foreshadowed another the following year that was to mark Ralf. It was the Belgian Grand Prix and rain had caused a 13-car pile up on the first lap. By the end of the chaotic race, the two Jordans were 1-2, with Damon Hill as Ralf's new teammate, leading. Hill was slower than Ralf, so Ralf could have passed him and taken his first victory. But the team told Ralf to stay behind, in order to be sure that both cars finish and to have no accident as with the previous year. The cars finished first and second. It was another indication, however, that Ralf had it in him to win races.The Williams Years:
It was during his years at Williams, however, that Ralf came into his own. There in 1999, he partnered Alex Zanardi, the Italian who not only had F1 experience, but who had just won two CART titles. That season, Ralf finished sixth in the series, scoring 35 points, while Zanardi scored none. Even so, it would not be until 2001, and the second year with a BMW engine, that Ralf took his first victory, winning at the San Marino Grand Prix. He followed that with victories at the Canadian Grand Prix and the German Grand Prix. He finished fourth in the series both that year and the following year. By then, however, he was being consistently out raced by his teammate, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Ralf's luster seemed to have passed. He joined Toyota in 2005, where he has scored points steadily and helped establish the team.Character:
Although on television Michael Schumacher often comes off looking arrogant while Ralf looks like the nice little brother, many journalists have found the reverse to be true. Some who know Ralf more intimately, however, claim that he is simply misunderstood.
- Victories:
Source...