A protégé of the Mercedes sportscar team, Schumacher burst onto the F1 scene as a 22-year-old in 1991, qualifying seventh on his debut with Jordan at Spa.
His instant pace, and the awesome confidence with which he tackled F1’s most daunting circuit, immediately marked him out as a star of the future.
A year later at the same circuit, having been controversially poached by Benetton, Schumacher scored his maiden grand prix win in tricky wet/dry conditions.
His partnership with the Enstone-based squad delivered back-to-back world championships in 1994 and 1995 despite what was generally acknowledged as a car disadvantage to Williams rival Damon Hill.
But the manner in which he won the ’94 title – unceremoniously turfing Hill off the track after making an error at the previous corner – set the tone for a career that would be dogged by controversy and question marks over his sportsmanship.
Schumacher moved to Ferrari in 1996
The German’s five successive world championships from 2000 to 2004 ripped up the F1 record books; he eclipsed Juan Manuel Fangio’s long-standing mark of five titles in '03 and set a new record of 13 wins in a single season in ’04.
By the end of that year Schumacher towered above all rivals in the sport's pantheon in statistical terms.
However, love him or loathe him, Schumacher's unrivalled accomplishments – and countless stupendous drives over 15 and a half years – will stand as an eloquent testimony to his other-worldly talent for driving racing cars on the limit.
He is assured of a very special place in motor racing history.
