It was a sad day in the world of automotive racing when Michael Schumacher announced his retirement from competition on September 10, 2006.
Born in Germany in 1969, Michael Schumacher is arguably the greatest Formula One race car driver who ever lived. He has won the Formula One world championship seven times, the most by any individual. He also holds a number of other impressive Formula One records, including most number of race victories, most number of pole positions, fastest laps ever and most races won in one season.
His success on the racing track has also translated into a ton of wealth for the German icon, who also happens to be the only native of Germany to ever win the F1 championship. In terms of earnings, Eurobusiness magazine estimates that Schumacher has won over a billion dollars in Formula One competition, making him the world’s first athlete to win over a billion dollars. It speaks volumes of the man that he has donated tens of millions of his winnings to various charities and humanitarian causes all over the world.
Schumacher has also proven that his abilities have withstood the test of time. Since 1992 when he won his first race, he...