Senna vs. Schumacher

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My small and humble addition to long debate

With Michael Schumacher returning last year (2010) to race with Mercedes GP team, and after his teams mate Nico Rosberg beat him constantly, question arisen if Michael is really good as it was believed. He win an unprecedented 7 Drivers' Titles and people are again debating who is better Schumacher or Senna. Who is better and why? Is this still in debate? Yes, it is. BTW this debate has been going since 93, so even when Michael Schumacher was almost a rookie the F1 world was already questioning who was better Senna or Schumacher. No one would ever know which driver was better, is it Mr. Ayrton Senna da Silva or Mr. Michael Schumacher. We can only look at their achievements and try to draw a conclusion to see if one has an edge over the other. This article is only my opinion, and I'm sure you have your own. I will try to put together a few arguments and some statistical data.

01 May 1994 was quite simply the most tragic date in motorsport history for more reasons than can be written! Two great drivers death, and one (Barricello) almost death. Nonetheless all 'real' and 'knowledgeable' F1 fans should rejoice that Ayrton Senna Da Silva gave us 10 years plus of amazing entertainment, pleasure and sheer feelings of awe! I have the honor to see both of them racing, Senna’s whole career and also Schumacher’s, and I can think that it is extremely difficult for Michael to beat a dead man, especially one as young, dynamic and charismatic, who died so dramatically, and still ahead of his game. I don’t think Senna was better than Michael, anymore than I think Michael is better than Senna. There where some areas where any of them is more brilliant then other. Unfortunately, we will never know the real score. I think they were both very similar racers, including the will to win – sometimes at any cost. I do rate Michael a slightly better racer than Senna, although I could never say that Senna was a second rate driver compared to Michael. Both are idols to me. Where I think Michael has the advantage is in team-building/car development.

First a bit of statistics!

	Ayrton Senna	Michael Schumacher
Titles	1988, 1990, 1991	1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
Second in title year/s	Alain Prost, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell	Damon Hill, Damon Hill, Mika Hakkinen, David Coulthard, Rubens Barrichello, Kimi Räikkönen, Rubens Barrichello
Teams	Toleman, Lotus, McLaren, Williams	Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari, Mercedes
Team mates	Johnny Cecotto, Elio de Angelis, Johnny Dumfries, Saturo Nakajima, Alain Prost, Gerhard Berger, Michael Andretti, Mika Hakkinen, Damon Hill	Andrea de Cesaris, Nelson Piquet, Martin Brundle, Riccardo Patrese, Jos Verstappen, JJ Lehto, Johnny Herbert, Eddie Irvine, Rubens Barrichello, Felipe Massa
Starts	161	268
Wins	41 (25.47%)	91 (33.96%)
Poles	65 (40.37%)	68 (25.37%)
Podiums	80 (1,7%)	154 (1,8%)
Fastest Lap	19 (1,7%)	76 (3,5%)
Finish in points	96 (1,7%)	195 (1,4%)
Teams	4	4
Modern points per start1	11.68	14.05
% car failures2	20.50	8.21
Modern points per finish3	14,70	15,30
Notes	Won three titles in four years with McLaren	Missed several races in 1999 after breaking his leg at Silverstone
	Killed in third race for Williams in 1994	Returned with Mercedes in 2010
Bio	Ayrton Senna	Michael Schumacher

1 How many points they scored in their career, adjusted to the 2010 points system, divided by the number of races they started
2 The percentage of races in which they were not classified due to a mechanical failure
3 How many points they scored in their career, adjusted to the 2010 points system, divided by the number of starts in which they did not suffer a race-ending mechanical failure

 

It's a typical case where the numbers can mislead to wrong conclusions. It's my opinion that is impossible to understand the greatness and "shine" of each pilot achievement, without living the context and atmosphere of each GP they raced. As wise people have said before, the quality of the other competitors and equipment can distort the numbers in a very strong manner. Who can say Damon Hill was better than Schumacher 1996? Or Patrese was better than Senna 1992? I think no one. But what conclusions can you take if you look into the numbers of those seasons? So I don't make a case based in numbers that indicate superiority to Schumacher because his numbers are bigger. I think to compare two of the strongest pilots of the history we have to go deeper. We have to compare their ability to produce "magic"!!! For those two guys, winning with the best equipment was nothing more then their obligation, in other case they would never be here being compared as two of the most talented drivers of formula1 isn't it? The "magic" is to win without the best equipment, to resist under pressure, to keep going with a semi broken car, to perform even with a pathetic team, to build the team and keep good feeling inside team.
I can say I'm very lucky to have seen every race of Ayrton's career and every race of Schumacher career's.

It is my firm belief that Schumacher was a bit greater of the two on the track. This is based on the fact that Schumacher just simply knows how to win races and titles better than Senna ever could. Some Formula 1 established people, like Lauda, Alesi, Piquet, Rory Byrne (who worked with both of them) think higher of Schumacher than Senna. Were the likes of Alain Prost, Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Riccardo Patrese and Gerhard Berger tougher opposition for Senna than drivers like Damon Hill, Mika Hakkinen, Juan-Pablo Montoya, Jean Alesi, David Coulthard, Rubens Barrichello, Kimi Räikkönen, were for Schumacher?

Senna at Donnington behind the wheel of McLaren 1993

Senna had more days of inspiration; take Donnington in 1993 for example. The reason people bring up Donnington all the time is because Senna did the impossible in a piece of junk car that had no real chance that year to win the championship. I of course won't deny that was a masterpiece of all times from Senna, but people forget that he had traction control (reportedly the most evolved at the time) where Schumacher didn't have. He gets one only in Monaco some races after. I guess I don't need to explain the importance of that facility. But anyway, I find it hard to imagine even Schumacher bettering that performance. On rainy day in Donnington Senna was in forth position after first corner after start. On the end of the first lap he was in first place with four second advantage.

Michael made his Formula One debut in 1991 with Jordan team, and just 12 months later had won his first Grand Prix, driving for the Benetton team. In his first full season he finished third in the championship and in the years to come, he established himself firmly at the top of the Formula One tree. Schumacher only raced Senna in 1992, 1993, and 1994. In 1992 and 1993 Senna did beat Schumacher, but don’t forget that Schumacher was a rookie, and up until the 1994 Schumacher did have the upper hand on Senna.
To prepare myself for this article, I recently watched again the 1993 and 1994 seasons in review and Schumacher gave Senna a really good run for his money in many of the wheel to wheel battles. I find funny when people say that in 93 Schumacher had an advantage in the engine (only 8-10 horsepower), but Senna had TAG electronics, the best it is in this time. In race at Silverstone, Schumacher beat him by a great margin with a great overtaking in the middle, and don’t forget the fact that in 94 Senna had a V10 with reportedly 80-100 horsepower more than Schumacher's V8 engine. In 1993 Schumacher only had traction control in Monaco, were he got first line behind Prost. In Monaco '93 Schumacher had Senna well and truly beaten, however his engine cruelly gave up half way through the race. Schumacher was leading the race with 15 second advantage over Senna and then he had a technical problem. On top of this Senna was a matured driver at his peak when a young and inexperienced Schumacher came on the scene. Michael's development since those early years should leave most of us wondering just how Senna could have managed in equal equipment in say 2000. Talking of experience, McLaren had in 93 a lot more experience than Benetton with active suspension and semi-automatic gearbox, because in 92 Senna use active suspension and semi-automatic gearbox were Schumacher had to use a manual gear box and conservative suspension the entire year. Remember?

Then come 1994 and Schumacher was clearly the man destined for the title (if you see how beginning of season went) in spite of the widespread belief that this was Senna's year. In 94 Senna was loosing the championship, he knew it, and was obvious that he was feeling the pressure from Schumacher, reason why he was making several mistakes. Yet, Senna claimed pole positions in those first 3 races. Williams had the best car for 1994 but not at the beginning of the season because they were still trying to sort out the car without their active suspension. But all teams have to adjust to new rules. Schumacher win first race of the season in Brazil (Schumacher was leading; Senna was trying to reduce the gap to Schumacher, but then spun off on lap 56, just pushing too hard.
Schumacher won ahead of Hill, Alesi, Barrichello, Katayama and Wendlinger). Schumacher win second race in Japan (at the start, Schumacher got ahead of Senna, later Senna spun and was hit by Larini, taking both out, Schumacher made it two wins out of two ahead of Berger, Barrichello, Christian Fittipaldi) with fastest lap in both races. BTW, third and tragic race at Imola was won again by Schumacher with fastest lap done by Damon Hill (Schumacher won ahead of Larini, Häkkinen, Wendlinger, Katayama and Hill). Whatever might have happened at Imola, Schumacher perhaps making a better race strategy, and he is the all-time genius in this category, looks like he would have beaten Senna fair and square in Monaco, the Senna's fabled power circuit. In Monaco Schumacher took a 4 second advantage over the second placed car after only one lap. This hadn't been seen since the days of Clarke.

Schumacher actually drove a brilliant year in 1997, challenging Villeneuve despite much inferior machinery, but obviously, due to Jerez debacle, it’s overlooked. I have big respect for Hakkinen too, but he has beaten Michael really only once – 1998. 1999 when Hakkinen win his second championship, Michael broke a leg and missed half of the season. All other years Michael beat him. Former world champion, Jacques Villeneuve (not the friend of Michael at all, and with the good reason), perhaps summed up Michael's dominance of the sport best after losing to him at the Spanish Grand Prix in 1996: "He has set an amazing standard which we all have to try to follow. I cannot imagine a harder challenge."

But which was the better driver? That is far harder to answer. About the racing I think it is difficult to compare these two. Because for Schumacher, his career was just beginning and Senna’s was on his maximum and his career start to go to his end. What you can say for sure is that both were the ABSOLUTELY BEST of their own ERA and that is a fact. In terms of driving I think they were pretty even and share same of principal characteristics, like speed, rain ability, calculating, ruthlessness etc, with a little advantage (in my opinion) for Michael in race speed consistency and tactics. But Ayrton was capable to perform with everything against him and this was one of his best qualities. In the most difficult moments he grew and could found a way to fight back. His character couldn't let him lose and I think because of that, he pushed to the limit more often and more strongly than Schumacher has ever need to. This is a trace of personality which leads Ayrton to produce the most magic moments in Formula 1 I've ever seen.
Of course, I can’t talk now about each one great races. It will take a book. There are a countless great races from each of two. Who can forger Senna’s 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix in Estoril, 1993 European Grand Prix in Donington (again)? Or Michael's Spain 96 (he obliterating everyone in the wet), Monaco 97 (Schumacher obliterating everyone in the wet), Suzuka 97, Hungary 1998 (20 qualifying-esque laps from Schumacher), Silverstone 1998 (Schumacher wins in the pitlane) Suzuka 2000, Austria 2003 (Pitstop fire cost him a lot of time, but he still won) or Brazil 2006.

In some ways the two are products of their time. Schumacher perfected the art of strategic racing; Senna was a master at street circuits when they were much more common in the sport. I still think only Jim Clark could approach Senna in terms of speed over a single lap. Pole position statistics are proof of that. That is what separates the two. Senna was regularly brilliant in single lap, but sometimes he surpassed even himself. Most famously, there was Monaco in 1988, when he put his car on pole position, 1.5 seconds quicker than Prost in the same car. He later said he felt as if he was driving on instinct, watching himself from above.

However, even taking into account what I’ve written above about car reliability and relative car qualities, I still think Schumacher was fractionally the better driver over a race distance. The consistency of his laps and hammering down many fast laps on the key moments. All of them on pole position time. These have netted him many unlikely victories, most memorably at Hungary in 1998, when he had to make up 25 seconds in 19 laps in the middle of the race to compensate for one pit stop more. And he did it. Just look at the fastest laps in a race statistics. I also regard Prost as one of the best on racecraft and race consistency. Just reading the race. But they are very very close with each other. Michael was a master of using all car abilities for speed. He was the first to use left foot braking in all conditions and was master to use weight transfer and trail braking to reach the maximum. You can often see at TV graphics that he was using brake and accelerator at the same time. He was a master in driving technique. In time of Ferrari, Ross Brown used to say that testing with Michael behind the wheel can hide some negatives of the car because his abilities to adapt can mask some bad things of the car. His diligence to details, discipline, vision, technical knowledge, relentless pursuit of perfection, ruthlessness, physical and mental preparation and speed makes him incomparable with anyone else.
I think if you look at the 18 years (1987-2004), years when both of these great drivers are active, the only man which I in my opinion can say that won the championships with a little bit lesser material is Schumacher, but not much! Please hold that - but not much- in mind before people is going to shout. All other drivers in my opinion became champions in the best car of period. Michael also came very near in 1997 and 1998 in far lesser material. Although he didn't win the championship he made clear what kind of driver he was. Just like Senna did in 1993. What a great season that was.

There are also some claims on that Senna had great characters to fight to and that is true. But remember in his prime days in 1988-1991 he fought only with Prost and had far better cars than Mansell, Piquet, etc although they were great characters. Schumacher on the other hand had fought with lesser material against Williams and McLarens and that compensates this theory. Remember 1997, 1998 and not that much 1999.

 

 

Senna in Lotus during Estoril GP 1985

In the rain and changing conditions they are a class of their own. I would put them equal on this side, with maybe Senna with small edge. They are probably the best wet-weather drivers of all time, for their consistent level of excellence in such conditions, and their total superiority over their peers. Impossible to separate them.
Senna has a great moment in Donnington as explained before. It was a victory which Senna himself later rated as one of his very best. In the 2002 book, "Formula 1, The Autobiography", edited by Gerald Donaldson and published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson, he is quoted speaking about the race: "People later said that my win at the wet in Donnington in '93 was my greatest performance - no way! I had traction control! It was a good win, sure, but, compared with Estoril '85, it was nothing, really."

Schumacher at 1996 Spanish GP

I can not forget Michael Schumacher at the 1996 Spanish GP when he humiliated all field in scrappy Ferrari F310. In qualifying, Michael was third behind the two Williams-Renaults the best car on the field. Hill was a full second quicker than the Ferrari, but considering his massive car advantage. After taking the lead, the reigning world champion started to lap an incredible four seconds a lap faster than anyone else, the gap growing to almost 15 seconds in the next three laps. Despite his engine behaving a bit erratically, down on power most of the time, he still pulled away from the rest as if they were standing. He was so quick that by the time he rejoined after his second pitstop he was a whole minute ahead of the others. It was a day when all Michael’s rivals could do was acknowledge defeat, and admit that the man was way beyond anyone else in Formula 1 at the moment. These are the races when the good racers are separated from the great ones.

But, for every great moment by Schumacher there seems to be an even bigger controversy. Senna had his incidents but for each controversy there’s a better drive. Let’s get one thing clear: neither driver was above taking off a championship rival in a deciding race.

Senna - Prost incident in Japan 1990 after Sennas dirty racing line complaints

Senna may have only done it once but his willingness to do it at a speed of around 150mph (Prost having taken him out at a comparative snail’s pace the year before) shocked and appalled many. Ayrton Senna’s ruthless will to win at all costs was no better displayed than in the 1990 Japanese GP. Having secured pole position, the Brazilian was unhappy with the side of the track it was situated on, claiming that pole should always be on the racing line and not the dirtier side of the track. Senna’s request to be moved to the favorable side was rejected, so when his rival Alain Prost passed him at the start, Senna took out Prost on the first corner to secure the world championship. But, Prost did more or less same thing to him year before.

Prost pushed Sena and crash with him during Japan GP 1989

 

Schumacher on the other hand had the audacity to try it twice – once with success in 1994, and once without in 1997.

Schumacher flying after he collides with Damon Hill at williams 1994 at Australia season final race

1994 0n lap 36 of the last race of the season in Australia Schumacher clipped the guardrail while leading from Hill. With his race over by then, he steered towards Hill's path as the latter was passing him, forcing a crash that took Hill out of the race. As neither he nor Hill scored, Schumacher won a very controversial championship, the first German to do so (Jochen Rindt raced under the Austrian flag).

Schumacher attempted to provoke an accident but Villeneuve went on and scored four points to take the championship 1997

 

 

 

During 1997 Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve battled for the title. Villeneuve, driving the superior Williams FW19, led the championship in the early part of the season. However, by mid-season, Schumacher had taken the Championship lead, winning five races, and entered the season's final Grand Prix with a one-point advantage. Towards the end of the race, held at Jerez, Schumacher's Ferrari developed a coolant leak and loss of performance indicating he may not finish the race. As Villeneuve approached to pass his rival, Schumacher attempted to provoke an accident but got the short end of the stick, retiring from the race. Villeneuve went on and scored four points to take the championship. Schumacher was punished for unsportsmanlike conduct for the collision and was disqualified from the Drivers' Championship.

Controversy about Senna was generally confined to his to robust methods of defense, something that Schumacher also got quite a lot of criticism for. I do feel that a lot of what Senna got criticized for in his time seems fairly tame by modern standards – his squeezing of Prost centimeters towards the pit wall at Portugal in 1988 elicited shrieks of outrage at the time but today we would probably consider it a straightforward defense. Perhaps in some time we will come to see some of Schumacher’s defensive moves including the notorious ‘Schuey chop’ (performed on number of drivers including his own brother Ralf) in much the same way? During 1944 season there was some acusations to Shumacher about ilegal software in his Benetton car, but this is nothing to do with Michael. If there was a cheating, Benetton was cheating. This helped Michael to win the scampionship? Maybe but sccusations where never proofed.

Schumacher was ashamed and embarrassed of result of 2002 Austrian GP, and booed

There was another incident 2002 involving Michael. If you ask me, that was more Ferrari shame then Michaels. Total embarrassment for him. The 2002 Austrian Grand Prix saw Schumacher’s team mate Rubens Barrichello out qualify the German and lead virtually the entire race when radio orders came through with eight laps remaining to let Schumi by. Arguments raged over the last few laps until Barrichello moved over on the start/finish straight. And for what? So Schumacher could extend his lead over Juan Pablo Montoya to 27 points rather than 23 points? The crowd booed. Ferrari got fined and criticized. Team orders were banned. And everyone was very embarrassed. Including Michael. Despite he

Schumacher, entering one of the final corners, a tight 180 degree turn, spun his car 90 degrees, effectively blocking the track and forcing a caution flag, and ruining Alonso's very fast last lap

“win” the race, during the ceremony hi put Rubens on top step, and he went to second step of the podium. But the brazen and transparent stunt he pulled at Monaco in 2006 will surely not be remembered so kindly, nor the arrogance with which he and Ferrari presumed no-one-else-would-figure-out what he was up to. During qualifying for Monaco GP 2006, Schumacher had set the fastest lap and was on pole. However, on Schumacher's last lap before qualifying ended, he was ahead of Alonso on the track, and running a pace off of his best time. Alonso, also on his last lap, was running at a pace that would put him on pole. Its suspected that Schumacher knew this, and entering one of the final corners, a tight 180 degree turn, spun his car 90 degrees, effectively blocking the track and forcing a caution flag, and ruining Alonso's very fast last lap.
So, if they are under pressure I would give Senna the edge, I don't know why. My feeling says that he is better under pressure, but I don't know if I am able to say that. Looks like Senna can control himself better. Controversies and number of them for each driver can show as how good they are under pressure.

I think on tactics Schumacher has little bit the edge. Of course he has a team around him, but he was so superb with those things. He can perform and transform in a race and can deliver a tactic. Senna, sadly, couldn't show us this in the refueling era (remember, 1994 was the first year).
As a team man Schumacher is just one step higher than Senna, because of his capacity to transform a team, first Benetton then Ferrari, which Senna never did and never had the force and desire to do. Michael criticisms to the team are constructive where Senna’s were destructive. Senna always goes for the better team and when he leaves, it is not better than when he arrives. McLaren and Lotus and Williams are an example of this. With Schumacher the opposite happens, he improves the teams. It was not only he, team was better. When he left Benetton, it was still great team. With no so great drivers.
I will quote the words of one of the most respected voices in F1, Sir Jackie Stewart: “Schumacher’s greatest feat was not winning seven world titles, but turning Ferrari into Formula One’s best team. Michael brought Ferrari from 21 years of not winning anything to being champions many times. I put that down much more to him than President Luca di Montezemolo or team boss Jean Todt. Without Michael Schumacher it would not have happened. Generally speaking, I think it’s true to say he re-shaped Ferrari and made the Ferrari the car it is today.“

Alan Henry, a Grand Prix reporter, working in Formula 1 since the early 1970s. He is the Formula One correspondent and currently holds the title of Editor at Large of "F1 Racing" magazine. Henry is also the chief editor of the yearly Autocourse Formula One season review books, a position he has held since 1988 and Grand Prix editor of Autocar magazine. In Autocourse 1997-98 Alan Henry wrote: "Schumacher remains the most complete driver in F1 today. Apart from the dazzling car control, Michael rules his Italian team with a psychological rod of iron, taking as much responsibility for technical decisions as he does for capitalizing on them during the race. . . . Jackie Stewart believes that the man who eventually eclipses Schumacher is not yet even in F1. He could be right."

It is a fact that Schumacher like stated before transformed teams into winners and champions. He did it with Benetton and also with Ferrari. He made them better. Of course he has a good team around him, but one thing must be clear here. To be number one in any team, you have to earn it. No team in the world will give you number one status if you are slow and scrappy driver. Schumacher could choose for Williams in 1996 but he chose (in this period of time scrappy) Ferrari, which I admire really. He could have won more championships if he went to Williams. But he prefers to be absolute number 1 in a team. And that is not that bad. It is a way to achieve your goals and goals of the team effectively and if he wouldn't deliver, he never would have achieved that number one status. Especially in Ferrari. Schumacher never complained really hard on the team, even when it was critical. He was always positive to the team even in bad times. He never slammed the team and this is positive about him. I also admire his “We win as the team, and we lose as the team” attitude. Team was always first. But one race that sticks in my mind to proof this was the one he raced hours after his mother died after a tragic accident. San Marino GP 2003. He could have not raced, but he knew the team was desperate for the points. He put aside his grief and won the race. How the hell he managed that with the emotion he was going through is a lasting memory of his heyday. Todt, who attended the post-race news conference in his driver's place, said the decision over whether to compete had been left to Schumacher.“ I think it was very important. He decided together with his brother yesterday to go to Germany and definitely he felt in a way more comfortable having been there," said the Frenchman. Today again Michael has shown the dimension of what he is as a driver and as a man. It's a shame sometimes that people may want not to understand what he is. Today I think he has done a big demonstration and we are very proud of him."
This you can’t say about Senna. You cannot say that he transformed team into a better one. This is also stated before. He always choose the best team, which doesn't mean that it was easy. Let this be clear! He drove against Prost at McLaren. Comparing to Schumacher he was not always that positive on the team. He was upset in 1993 while driving for McLaren and said some really bad things about his team. This was his character. Compare this with Schumacher in Ferrari 2005. Hakkinen was McLaren's test driver back in 1993, but he took the racing seat when American Michael Andretti was dumped by the team with three races to go, becoming Senna's teammate for the rest of the season. That's what he sad about working with Senna: "I learned a lot from Ayrton. I used to watch Ayrton so closely. I would try to understand what he was doing. I would try to look at him all the time. Ayrton's dedication to racing was incredible, and that was the thing that gave him the ability to do what he did. He wasn't a very easy person to work with. I raced with him three times in '93 – from Estoril onwards – and it was very difficult, extremely difficult.“ Hakkinen was the last driver to outqualify Senna, who lost his life only five races later. One of the best moments of his career, Hakkinen recalled, was outqualifying Senna in his first race for McLaren, at the 1993 Portuguese Grand Prix. He sad about that: "It was extremely close, but I beat him. It was a great feeling. I wasn't shouting about it – I was just there doing my job. To drive as fast as possible was my job. He and I had a discussion afterwards. He wasn't very happy about my behavior. He was very upset with me." Senna was visibly pissed-off for starting behind Mika.

On pure mentality I would give Senna the edge. He had this ability to focus and put more out of his human body. That's very special.... it’s like a form of yoga. Some people are born with that and others not. This ability you cannot learn, he was born with it and it was God Given.
I also believe that Senna had more raw natural (God Given) talent than Michael, but Michael can compensate that with tactics and race craft and he learns quickly. Senna and Schumacher both showed a total commitment to success, unmatched by anyone else bar Prost. All three worked long into the nights to ensure they were as prepared as they could be. Schumacher, Senna's successor as the best driver in the world, broke down in tears when he equaled Senna's record of 41 Grand Prix victories in 2000, and always finds himself at a loss for words when asked about Senna.

 

Michael talking about time after Senna death:

 

 

 

Schumacher benefit match at july 12. 2008 at Munich, one of so many

Only his closest friends and confidants know what awaits Schumacher after a motor racing career that has raised millions of pounds for charity. The son of a builder from Kerpen, near Cologne, has donated almost £50 million to projects around the world in the past five years alone. If the public perception of Schumacher for the past 15 years has been one of snarling arrogance, the private Schumacher is a warm family man, and who wants to know that his vast earnings are not all being stashed in offshore accounts. Unlike many famous sportsmen or show business stars, he has kept celebrity magazines at arm’s length and his donations would have gone almost unnoticed but for research by BusinessF1 magazine, which checked records in Germany. They found that Schumacher, since his first retirement has been busy with a multitude of charity projects, including supporting UNESCO (the United Nations’ body that works with children), building schools in Senegal and Sarajevo, and supporting homeless children in Peru. It is estimated that his charitable donations total more than £50 million. Michael is also a high-profile supporter of a campaign to make roads safer. He was the biggest private donor to the Asian Tsunami Appeal, giving about £6 million.

But so secretive is he about his giving, few, even in his Ferrari team, knew the extent of his charitable work.
It is typical of a man whose privacy is guarded with an even greater fervor than his dedication to winning grands prix. Schumacher is one of the few sportsmen who reached the rarefied stratosphere of fame, in which life is restricted to a circle of just a few trusted friends and relatives. As his fame and vast wealth — about £300 million in salaries alone from his Benetton and Ferrari positions — grew, so did his paranoia for privacy.
But Corinna, his wife, has taken over in recent years as the leading influence, and a man who spent almost all his life at racetracks surrounded by men dedicated to help him win has learnt how to live. He and his wife bought a farm on the banks of Lake Geneva and Schumacher indulged his love of football, playing for the village team. The couple have two children, Gina-Maria, 9, and Mick, 7, who became Schumacher’s most important focus.
Ross Brawn, the Manchester- born technical director who has guided Schumacher to his record seven world championships, said: “People cannot understand what it is like to be Schumacher. He withdraws from public because he is naturally shy. But with his friends he is fiercely loyal and loves to joke.”
Harold Huisman, a neighbor in Norway, said: “People think Michael is always angry, always miserable. He is not. He is just cautious about showing his true personality in public. But he is a lovely, warm guy — a family man who hasn’t forgotten his working-class roots.”
Certainly he is a man with heart. One unreported incident of his kindness occurred in 1994 when he accidentally ran over the foot of a young boy with his scooter at Silverstone before the British Grand Prix. Schumacher was mortified when told and dashed to the medical centre, where he handed over a signed T-shirt and cap to Ian Foulds, of Seaham, Co Durham. A demonstration that the winning machine is human, after all.

Ayrton's sister, Vivianne Senna

When alive, Senna (anonymously) helped several charity entities. There is no any records of this donations, but words if his friends and family. After his death, the Institute Ayrton Senna was founded. Organized and administered by Ayrton's sister, Vivianne Senna, the institute has been gaining recognition as a major Non-government social organization in Brazil. In Brazil, the charity he set up to help the nation's disadvantaged children is still going strong. In 2007, the Instituto Ayrton Senna gave help to 1,350,532 children in 1,360 Brazilian cities. It has spent a staggering £45million, the family donating all the proceeds from the Senninha characters and the licensing of Ayrton's image to the charity. All Institute Ayrton Senna money are spend only and exclusivly in Brasil.

Senninha (little Senna) was created by Rogério & Ridaut, and with Ayrton Senna's help, Senninha grew out to be a real hit in Brasil.  And still is today. Rogério & Ridaut were two good friends.  Rogério worked with commercial designs, while Ridaut was a comic book creator.  But that wasn't the only thing they had in common, they both liked Formula1, and they both loved Ayrton Senna. So they decided to create a comic, which would be a copy of Senna, a little Senna. And Senninha was born. They gave Senninha a little gang (Turma do Senninha), and of course created another gang which would be the bad ones. They didn't have the money to publish it, so they decided to go to the only man who could help them... Ayrton Senna. They went to his building in Brasil, but of course Ayrton wasn't there. They arranged a meeting to talk about the project. When they met, Ayrton loved the idea.  He always wanted to do something for the children, but didn't really know what.  It had to be educational, it had to be fun, children  needed to love it, it had to be exciting. And so Senninha was the best way to express how Senna felt towards the children.  They would learn ethical values in life through Senninha, and they would have fun reading it.  Brasil immediately loved it, of course it was something of Senna, their hero. To visit Senninha site folow this link.

 

Who is the best I really don't want to argue. I just admire them both. I can make my top 5 of the best ever, but this is personal. I just list them them: Clark, Fangio, Prost, Schumacher and Senna, (order doesn't say a thing. I just put it down alphabetically). For myself I always have Senna as my only idol. Not only was he a great F1 driver but an inspiration outside the track too. Schumacher is no inspiration for me but I am his fan. On the track he is my man.

What if... Senna survived the Tamburello crashed and simply stepped out of the car unharmed but lost yet another race to Schumacher?

Would Senna have set the record straight at Monaco and took another win at his favorite circuit and then take the title from Schumacher? Would he have reached a record breaking 100 pole positions or 100 wins? How many more seasons would Ayrton has done? I believe he could have ended his career as late as 2000 ish. But what will happen if... nobody knows. It's the shame but we can't discus that. Only thing I'm sure, it will be great to se this two greats to break all statistical records.

Few more videos:

 

 

Michael about incidents:

 

Michael Schumacher is the greatest - Murray Walker 2006

 

 "Michael Schumacher is the fastest racing driver the world has ever seen" - Eddie Jordan:

 

Michael Schumacher-Rain master driving in the rain at Spa!!

 

 F1 Spa '97 - Schumacher Flies on Wet Track

 

 

 Senna to kiss a Japan woman reporter 1987

 

 

Ayrton Senna car control example

 

Senna slams the door on Rosberg at Brands Hatch 1985

 

 

Senna bump Schumacher at Kyalami F1 GP 1993

 

 

Senna Vs Prost vs Schumacher - Silverstone 93

 

 Prost vs Senna crash a Suzuka 1989 (Suzuka)

 

 
Senna vs Prost crash a Suzuka 1990 GP Japan (Suzuka)

 

 

Your answers and opinions:

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From:

Jacques Heckstall-Smith
Bsc (Hons) Motorsport student
Buckinghamshire New University

Hi
Firstly thank you for your reply to my email a while ago. It was very helpful towards my university report. I am unsure of what you would like an opinion on; your article or which driver I believe to be better? However I will provide an opinion on both.
The article below is good and makes sense, it is conversational and it comes across well to the reader. However the English is not the best, I appreciate you are not English, but beside some small spelling/grammer mistakes it is good.
As for Senna V Schumacher, I believe Senna to be better. Among so many people he was believed to be out of this world, the best, something that had never been before seen. He was from Brazil, yes we have Barrichello but I personally think it must be harder to be a succesful motor race and eventually F1 driver coming from Brazil, as opposed to Germany, which is in Europe and generally easier to graduate to F1. Senna came before Schumacher's time, therefore he reached such a level of skill and greatness earlier, when technology and circuits had not evolved so much, this proving to be harder. Senna was not as physically fit as Michael, as Schumacher was the driver who really brought driver fitness into F1, therefore being so succesful in driving yet not as fit, is quite an achievement. Senna, although the incident with Prost, was not dirty. Whereas Schumacher would continually take other drivers out, dangerously, cheatingly to win. Schumacher would do anything to win, not always in people's best interests or with safety at heart. Schumacher won more world titles than Senna indeed, however this was during a period when I was grown up. I was around 8 or 9 years old when the red ferrari of Michael Schumacher would win, week in, week out and by quite some distance. There was no competition. For years he ruled, and yes he is a good driver, but I lay that fact down more to his car. Ferrari built an exceptional car that was milestones ahead of it's competitors.
And for those reasons, I have to choose Ayrton. May I just add, when I was 3/4 my parents and I went to see Ayrton practice at Magny-Cours, it was raining and he had finished for the day. Before he left, he walked over to the people that came to watch, us, and said "that's me done for the day". He looked up, saw me on my Dad's shoulders, and he gave me a wink.. So I'm told. A true gent, a true racer, a true legend.

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From:

Wayne Ward

Dear SEAS,

This is a difficult question; I think it is impossible to compare drivers or riders whose best performances don't occur at the same time. When Schumacher raced Senna, Schumacher hadn't reached his peak. Had Senna already had his best races? I don't know.

People also talked very enthusiastically about Barrichello, Fisichella, Ralf Schumacher etc, but only a few of the promising new drivers reach the same peak as Schumacher, Senna, Fangio etc.

To me, Schumacher remained at a very high level for a long time. I don't always agree with his driving, but he was, and is, supremely skilled. We can never know if Ayrton Senna would have achieved the same or more.

Best regards,

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