Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher driving for the BMW-Williams F1 team in 2003

Ralf Schumacher (born June 30, 1975) is a German Formula One racing driver for the Williams-BMW team. He is the younger brother of seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher and started racing at age three on his parents' go-kart track in their hometown of Kerpen.

In 1995, he finished third in the German Formula 3 championship, and then won the Japanese Formula Nippon championship (ex JapaneseF3000) Championship in 1996 with two race wins.

Ralf Schumacher at the USGP in 2002

Ralf made his Formula One debut in 1997 with Jordan and finished on the podium in just his third race, at Argentina. In 1999 he changed to Williams and finished sixth in the World Drivers Championship with the underpowered Supertec engine.

The 2000 season was considered by many a bit of a disappointment for Ralf. Running the powerful new BMW engine, he was expected to compete for wins, but despite only four mechanical failures, he was only able to match the three podium finishes of the previous year. In 2001, however, he broke through with his first three Grand Prix wins at Imola, Montreal and Hockenheim. In 2002, he won the Malaysian Grand Prix, and in 2003, he won the European Grand Prix (at the Nurburgring) and the French Grand Prix, helping, along with teammate Juan Pablo Montoya the Williams team finish second in the Constructors Championship in 2002 and 2003.

In 2004 Ralf was seriously injured in a severe accident at the United States Grand Prix. The accident was measured at 78 G's, one of the most severe in all of motor racing history, resulting in a concussion as well as two minor fractures to his spinal column.

The accident effectively ended Ralf's career with Williams. From 2005 Ralf will drive with Toyota.

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