Yesterday we celebrated Michael Schumacher's first Formula One appearance 25 years ago at Spa. That début ended in clucth failure, but Schumacher would go on to win six Belgian Grand Prix - more wins at Spa than any other driver in the sport's history.

Pictured here is Schumacher's last time standing on the top step of the podium here, which was in 2002 when he saw off Ferrari team mate Rubens Barrichello and McLaren rival Juan Pablo Montoya to claim victory by almost two seconds.

That season Schumacher finished first or second in every race except for the Malaysian Grand Prix, where he finished 'only' third, thus achieving a podium position in every race. He won a then-record 11 Grands Prix, surpassing the previous record of 9 wins which had been jointly held by himself (1995, 2000 and 2001) and Nigel Mansell (1992).

He won the 2002 drivers title by a country mile with almost double the number of points from Barrichello who finished a distant second. It was the fifth of Schumacher's seven world championships.

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

Lawson opens up about online abuse following Red Bull promotion

Liam Lawson has revealed that he became the target of online abuse by fans of…

1 hour ago

Norris and Leclerc agree: Sainz 'deserves to fight at the front'

As Carlos Sainz prepares for a new chapter in his Formula 1 career with Williams,…

2 hours ago

Sebastian Montoya steps up to Formula 2 with Prema

Sebastian Montoya, the 19-year-old son of former Formula 1 star Juan Pablo Montoya, is set…

17 hours ago

Sauber finds its ‘Northern Star’ under Binotto’s leadership

When former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto took on the role of Chief Operating Officer…

19 hours ago

Leclerc hails a season ‘without missed opportunities' in 2024

Charles Leclerc concluded the 2024 F1 season with a sense of satisfaction, the Ferrari driver…

20 hours ago

Coulthard sounds alarm over FIA president’s rift with F1 drivers

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has voiced his dismay at FIA president Mohammed Ben…

22 hours ago