f1bits

The so called “King of Formula1” Michael Schumacher was born in 1969 in Germany. His enthusiasm for racing and winning built up at a very young age. In 1984, at the age of 15, he won the German kart championship for the first time. After this nothing seemed to be able to stop his success.

In 1991 his career in the Formula 1 began as a member of the Sauber-Mercedes junior team. After being successful in the team a lucky coincidence helped him start his successful career. Bertrand Gachot, the driver of the Jordan team, was arrested for attacking a taxi driver. Schumacher was asked to step in for him. During the race he surprised everybody with his driving skills and was able to win the seventh place. After this all eyes were on him and Benetton team boss Flavio Briatore took a special interest in him.

He took him under contract for the next race and led Schumacher to his first Grand Prix victory in 1992. Driven by the constant need to prove himself, Schumacher was able to win the Grand Prix championship in 1994 for the first time. He also was able to continue his success by winning the championship in the following year again. After this, the exceptional racer switched to the Ferrari team and was able to be even more successful then before.

After his serious accident in the 1999 Schumacher continued to take part in races and won the Grand Prix championship in the following year. All in all he was able to win five championships with the Ferrari team and with his salary of 30 Million Euro a year he never has to worry about money again. In 2006 Schumacher retired for the first time, but he was still working as a consultant for the team.

In 2009 he was already planning a comeback, which was made impossible through a motorcycle accident. After this, Schumacher was still determined to make his way back into the Formula 1. So he called one of his close friends, Ross Brawn, who was quick to agree to take him under contract for the Mercedes team.

Now Michael Schumacher is continuing to race in the Formula 1. He is the most successful driver in the history of Formula 1 and the only non-Italian, who was ever able to win the hearts of the Italian people.

Since 1927 the old Nurburgring was used as a race track, but nicknames like Kesselchen or Fuchsroehre belong in the past. The old Grand Prix course was 22.83 km long. In 1976 the new Nurburgring opened for Formula 1 racing fans from all over the world and fearless drivers are chasing each other around the historic circuit. The circuit is located in the east of Cologne in direct proximity of the old course. The curve named Nordschleife is feared by the drivers for being like a labyrinth and many accidents occurred there over the years.

The new Grand Prix track opened its doors in 1982, but only after two years the first Grand Prix race was held there. In 1985 there was held the last Grand Prix in Germany until today. Until today there were hold a total of 25 Grand Prix at Nurburgring in Germany, 12 Grand Prix of Europe and 2 Grand Prix of Luxembourg. One lap of the Nurburgring race track measures 5.148 km.

Fast and slow corners are mixed in the modern circuit. Before and after staring point the course offers the best opportunities for overtaking, but is fundamentally difficult to do it. Therefore a clever pit stop strategy is vital for winning the race. The Nurburgring challenges the drivers in many different ways and only by having great driving skills and being able to plan ahead one can win on the course.

The most successful drivers on Nurburgring are Michael Schumacher, who won five times, and Jackie Steward, who won three times. The most successful teams on the track are Ferrari, which won fourteen times, and Brabham, which did it four times, as well as Mc Laren, which also won the race four times. Juan Pablo Montoya from the Williams team still holds the record of the fastest race lap.

The Nurburgring is still very popular amongst the Formula 1 fans because of its tradition and the exciting race, which are caused by the easily changing Eifel weather. Therefore the locals are looking forward to every race cheering for their favorites. Since the track is 60 km away from the nearest big town, there is not much else to do in the area.

The famous energy drink seemed to be much more successful in the last years then it’s racing team. In 2007 Red Bull first took part in a Grand Prix race, but the road to success was rocky and the team had to work very hard to keep up with their competitors.

After a promising initial year in 2005, in which the team was able to gain 34 points, it seemed like Red Bull started to feel the pressure. There was a lot to proof and credibility to gain, but the year 2006 was less than fortunate for the team. The year was a big disappointment for Red Bull and in the following two years the teams luck just would not change. Until this point the team was relying mostly on the ideas of star designer Adrian Newey, but it was time to change the way of thinking.

The factory in Milton Keynes has been extended over the last years in addition the staff was supplemented with a few handpicked engineers from other F1 teams. All this effort finally paid off in the years 2009 and 2010, in which Red Bull made his breakthrough and celebrated its first Grand Prix victory and Sebastian Vettel won his first title.

Vettel was brought in the team in 2009. There are rumors claiming that he was especially requested by Mateschitz, the owner of Red Bull. His collegue is Mark Webber – an experienced driver, who is an excellent qualifier and a solid racer. Because of the steady improvement on the cars and the excellent drivers brought in, Red Bull was able to establish itself amongst the top teams of the Formular 1. Also in the running season 2011 Vettel is dominationg the formula 1.

Fans and journalists think of the team as dynamic and future-orientated, therefore it is well-like amongst them. The Red Bull team entertains its fans with exciting PR campaigns and builds a positive corporate image. Although the team seems successful and entertaining while presenting itself in public, behind the scenes Red Bull is still hard-working to keep up with its main competitors.