In any sport you can find champions, record breaking points hauls and men or women who dominate a generation of willing also-rans. In the case of Michael Schumacher, the sport of Formula 1 Grand Prix racing has a name that will forever be associated with all of the above, and then some. Just as McGrath and Rossi are to 2 wheel racing – this is a man who towers above the mere mortals who’ve had the nerve to mix it up around him on a track.

Michael Schumacher changed the way Formula 1 worked single handed. In the ten years between 1994 and 2004 he didn’t just win seven world titles but he basically owned the darn sport. Heck – he sent the tech guys running round in circles trying to find a way to bring the pack closer together, just to give the global TV audiences a less predictable result each season. Podium after podium, pole position after pole position, fastest lap after... ok, ok you get it, right?

What makes this racing driver so darn good is the incredible appetite for racing, and in the case of Michael that means pounding every ounce of performance out of a car and the magic formula of developing it into a more competitive package at the same time. Back in 1996, and with 2 World Championships already in the bag with Benetton, he moved to Scuderia Ferrari at a time when the prancing horse resembled more of a straining nag but he went to work on the beast with such precision that he was putting it in places many thought it had no reason to occupy.

By 2000 the scarlet car took him to five consecutive championships and records tumbled along the way. He was the artful dodger, far too quick or nimble than anyone else and if you thought he was on the ropes, he was about to make a fool out of you. The grin and fist pump of Schumi, as he became known, defined F1. Maranello rejoiced.

In 2010 Michael was coaxed back into the sport by long time friend and mentor to numerous previous titles, Ross Brawn. The brand new Mercedes GP Petronas team he stepped into may have been a works package in comparison with the McLaren factory team but anticipation for the maestro to return was overwhelming. Back behind the wheel the German has stepped back 15 years to the development work he went through at Ferrari but the entertainment and excitement of watching him race remains as intense as ever. For the drivers who grew up hero worshipping the guy there has been no shortage of latter day champions getting pretty darn excited about sharing tarmac with him.

Michael’s 20 year career in F1 has seen it all. The appetite for speed and testing his limits are still there and whilst he’s into his 40s now he’s an example to anyone who thinks that life ever needs to slow down. Schumi, we salute you.