Michael Schumacher has always said that he will only truly
reflect on his extraordinary Formula One achievements when he
retires.
Judging from his current form and obvious hunger for victory
that day may be still some way off, but on Sunday the seven times
world champion gave himself a few more milestones to consider in
his old age.
The 37-year-old's victory for Ferrari in France made him both
the first driver to win the same grand prix eight times and the
first to make 150 appearances on the Formula One podium.
He already held the record of seven wins at the same circuit --
the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, in Canada and France. Only
France's Alain Prost and the late Ayrton Senna came close to
that.
Prost won six times in France and Brazil, while Senna ruled
Monaco's street circuit with six wins in the Mediterranean
principality.
Yet Prost, the four times world champion who is always the next
name down in the list after Schumacher, had 'only' 106 podium
finishes.
Among current Formula One drivers, the next most familiar with
the podium are Briton David Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello with
61 apiece.
France has been special to the German, who won at Magny-Cours in
1994 with Benetton and 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2004 with
Ferrari before Sunday's success.
Yet he attributed his latest win less to the track or his own
prowess than to the mechanics working tirelessly to fix his car
after it caught fire in Saturday's final practice before
qualifying.
"Great guys behind me," he said, when asked what was so special
about the race.
"If you think about the problem I had on Saturday, to get the
car together to do the qualifying, to get pole position, to guess
the set-up from there on, to get the tyres sorted, they did a
really great job." Schumacher has 88 wins now, from 243 starts.
And, after more than a decade as a grand prix winner, he can see a
leading question miles off.
Asked on Sunday whether he thought he could reach 100 career
wins -- something that he can only do if he stays on for at least
another season, he smiled.
"Find out", he replied.
?(Reuters via China Daily July 17, 2006)