Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
When Michael Schumacher returned to Formula 1 with Mercedes, his old team, Ferrari, were performing well.
Ferrari fought for the title with Fernando Alonso in 2010 and 2012, though they lost out to Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel on both occasions.
Those championships went to the wire, with Alonso seeing 2010 glory slip away when he got stuck behind Vitaly Petrov’s Renault at the Abu Dhabi GP.
How many titles do you think Fernando Alonso should have won in his F1 career?
Comment below!
In 2012, Alonso had a chance to snatch the title when Vettel tangled with Bruno Senna’s Williams on the opening lap of the Brazilian GP. But Vettel fought back and held on to the crown by just three points.
Michael Schumacher helped Sebastian Vettel beat Fernando Alonso in 2012
With Alonso finishing second behind McLaren’s Jenson Button, Vettel only needed to be in the top eight to retain first place. In the face of significant car damage and treacherous conditions, he rallied to P6.
Reflecting on the race in an interview with F1-Insider at the end of last year, former Red Bull executive Helmut Marko said that Vettel had received a helping hand from some sympathetic drivers.
Running seventh on lap 64 of 71, Vettel encountered Schumacher’s Mercedes. The seven-time world champion appeared to pull off the racing line on the ascent to turn six, allowing his compatriot to drive past.
When you think of Michael Schumacher, what is the first moment that comes to mind?
One can see how the move may not have gone down well at his former team.
“In 2012, against Alonso again, it looked relatively easy [before the race],” Marko recalled. “[But] Bruno Senna turned him around in the first lap, and then he went through the field.
“You could see who was very well-disposed towards him. They drove right to the side, including Michael Schumacher.
“It wasn’t until the last lap that it was decided and he became the world champion.”
What Sebastian Vettel said about idolising Michael Schumacher
Vettel was seven years old when Schumacher won his first F1 title, so it was only natural that he idolised the national hero.
When he reached the pinnacle of motorsport himself, Vettel regularly sought Schumacher’s advice.
“If he was healthy, I would ask him about many things,” he said in 2018. “Not necessarily how to drive, but more things that are behind the scenes. Teamwork, Formula 1 politics. He has a lot of experience from his time with Ferrari.”
Vettel left Red Bull to race for Ferrari ahead of the 2015 season, a move that he says was partly ‘inspired’ by Schumacher.
“Ferrari has always been a dream of mine, massively inspired by my childhood, by Michael in the red car,” he said.
In a full-circle moment before his own retirement, Vettel then became a mentor for Schumacher’s son, Mick, who raced for the Haas F1 team in 2021 and 2022.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
