.
.
On this day in 1991, Michael Schumacher lined up on the Italian Grand Prix grid with Benetton for the second F1 race of his career.
Between Spa - where Schumacher had made his sensational F1 debut with the Jordan team - and Monza, Benetton's Flavio Briatore, with the help of his good friend Bernie Ecclestone, had gone to work behind the scenes to cleverly secure the services of the promising young German driver.
The Italian manager simply scrapped Schumacher's deal with Jordan and then proceeded to do the same with one of his own drivers, Roberto Moreno. Threats of litigation ensued, but Briatore had the final word while poor Jordan was left holding the bag.
As for Michael Schumacher, he continued to set F1 on fire by outqualifying team mate Nelson Piquet at the Temple of Speed, and then out-running the Brazilian on Sunday, clinching a P5 finish and his first championship points.
When F1’s radically redesigned 2026 cars finally roll out in Barcelona at the end of…
Max Verstappen has never been one to sugar-coat reality – and as Formula 1 braces…
Ferrari have survived decades of criticism about strategy calls, driver politics and pit stops that…
While the paddock has been whispering for months that Mercedes might be holding the winning…
Dan Gurney passed away on this day in 2018, and here at F1i we'll never…
What began as a painful reminder of loss has ended with a moment of profound…