Ralf Schumacher makes a name for himself

Ralf Schumacher moved to the Williams F1 team in 1999, was competitive all season and finished sixth in the Drivers’ Championship. Michael Schumacher’s younger brother had a good chance of winning the rain-sodded 1999 European Grand Prix at the new Nürburgring race track, but a puncture prevented him to do so. Instead, Johnny Herbert won the race for Stewart.

Ralf Schumacher reacts after the race: “I feel that I narrowly missed a great opportunity today. My car was really good, even in the wet conditions it was very quick. But I was unlucky with the puncture when I was leading the race. Of course, it is good to have three more points, but I can’t stop thinking that it could have been ten!”

He won his first Grand Prix in 2001, en-route to fourth place in the Drivers’ Championship, and subsequently won five more races over the course of two years. Schumacher, attracted by a huge salary, then left Williams at the end of 2004 and joined Toyota Racing in 2005. His performance throughout 2006 and 2007 was disappointing, that resulted in the German to leave the F1.