Flashback: Michael Schumacher wins first championship with Benetton – Formula 1 Special
Formula 1 has witnessed many impressive drivers who have proven themselves with impressive performances over the circuit.
One of those legends is Michael Schumacher who is currently racing for Mercedes. He has given remarkable performances with his car over the circuit. He is the only driver who has attained seven championships until now and has earned a lot of respect in the
profession.
Schumacher nicknamed as Schumi won his first championship in 1994 with 92 points. He won the first four grands prix that year and won the championship with one point lead to the runner up. Damon Hill was driving for Williams and was the runner up with 91
points, with the old system of points. This was the year which witnessed last death of the sport until now, when Ayrton Senna died in a devastating accident. He died during the San Marino Grand Prix while he was leading the race.
Schumi won that championship even after getting retired and disqualified from 4 races. He won the first four races of the season after starting from the 2nd grid in the first three races. Schumacher was racing with Benetton and won 8 out of the 14 races
he started in that season.
Schumacher proved his skills in the French Grand Prix when he edged Damon Hill after starting from the 3 grid position. He finished the race 12.642 seconds prior to the Williams driver. The driver at the second grid position Nigel Mansell of Williams retired
due to a gear box failure.
The veteran driver attained second position in the Spanish Grand Prix held on May 29, 1994. He was leading that race but the 5th gear of his car stuck however he managed to finish the race at the 2nd position. During the British Grand Prix the German driver
was disqualified because he ignored the penalty and the black flag which was shown to him therefore he was disqualified and was given a two race ban however his team reported that the incident happened due to a communication error between the stewards and
the team. All these incidents helped Damon Hill close the championship gap with Schumacher therefore he attained the championship title with a lead of one point only.
Schumacher was leading the last race of Australian Grand Prix but faced an incident however he managed to get back to circuit but the corner of his car touched with the car of Hill resulting in retirement of both drivers. Despite all the incidents he managed
to win the Drivers’ Championship that year.
1994 was the season when several teams were reported using banned equipment and this was the most controversial championship of the seven times world champion. This was the season when the great driver won his first ever championship despite facing controversies
and allegations.
In the early part of the current of the season Schumacher could not show impressive performances over the circuit. Some people believe that it has happened due to the questionable performance of Mercedes while others believe that it happened due to growing
age of the veteran driver. It is a well known fact that Mercedes have struggled with tyre degradation and other issue in the beginning of the current season. We believe that he still has the potential to win more races if he is provided with a competitive
car.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely of the writer’s and do not reflect bettor.com’s official editorial policy.
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