Formula 1 – Greatest Drivers #1

Michael Schumacher

7-time World Champion (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001-2004), 250 Grand Prix starts with 91 wins. If statistics were the
yardstick by which we measured the greatest of all time, this would be a walkover for Schumacher. He was the
greatest record-breaker in the history of sport. You name it, he achieved it. He was also the consummate
team-builder, creating a squad at Ferrari that was completely dedicated to him. He rewarded them with a level of
commitment in the cockpit that was not only awe-inspiring but dominant for more than a decade. Yet, his incredible
focus was both his strength and his downfall. He won his first title in 1994 amid dubious circumstances after crashing
into Damon Hill, preventing the Briton from winning the championship. In 1997, he was expunged from the official
records after doing the same to Jacques Villeneuve and who can forget, even near the end of his career, how he
parked his Ferrari across the track at Monaco to prevent Fernando Alonso taking pole. Utterly ruthless, some may say
a downright cheat. It is a shadow that will fall long across a truly great career from a truly extraordinary sportsman.

Driven To Win – (21 min)

Excellent ITV documentary produced just after Michael Schumacher’s
retirement from Formula 1 at the end of the 2006 season.

The Master In A Kart : 2009 – (9 min)

From European TV, this is Schumacher wielding his magic in the vehicle he started racing with as a kid;
a go-kart. This is a wonderful highlight reel from the 2009 ‘International Challenge Of The Stars’, a
charity event held by Felipe Massa in Brazil. Michael shows how and why he won 7 Championships as
he works his way through a field filled with IndyCar and F1 drivers to take the win.

Michael Schumacher : Revealed – (20 min)

Again from European TV, this is an excellent documentary
produced when Michael announced he was coming out of
retirement for the 2010 F1 Season to drive for Mercedes.

Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna amassed a staggering 41 wins in only 161 starts, and was a 3-time World Champion (1988, 1990,
1991).  Senna has been elevated to the status of a legend as much because of the dramatic circumstances of his
death in front of a worldwide television audience. The world held its breath on that day in May 1994, as doctors tried
to extricate the three-times champion from the wreckage of his Williams. The Brazilian had started the San Marino
Grand Prix desperately trying to fend off the challenge of Michael Schumacher, the pretender to his throne, when his
car careered off the Imola circuit into a wall. Senna could be regarded as the forerunner to the modern grand-prix
driver, as dedicated to his fitness as he was to his technical ability and understanding of the the modern grand-prix
car. When he was hired by McLaren to partner Alain Prost, he was not remotely overawed to be alongside an
established champion. He just worked harder until Prost had to move on. Ruthless, private and yet a practical joker,
particularly in the company of Gerhard Berger and Ron Dennis, his McLaren team principal, Senna was the complete
driver: brave, fast, skilful, exciting and daring. We will never know whether Senna would have overcome Schumacher
in what could have been one of the most fascinating battles in the history of Formula One.

Ayrton Senna Documentary – (41 min)

The BBC’s award winning 1995 documentary looking at the impact the death of Ayrton Senna had
upon the world of motor racing. Featuring interviews with key people from Senna’s life in motor sport.
A truly moving documentary. Senna was tragically killed while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand
Prix, and his legacy continues to live on. He was brilliant, brave, and an unusually gifted driver. To
this day, many consider him to be the greatest Formula 1 driver in history.