Ayrton Senna

Michael Schumacher

Ayrton Senna da Silva

Ayrton Senna was born on March 21, 1960 in São Paulo, São Paulo State, Brazil – died 1 May 1994 in San Marino/Imola Circuit, Imola, Italy. He was a Brazilian racing driver and three-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion. He is believed by many to be the greatest driver ever to grace the sport of F1. Senna won Drivers' titles in 1988, 1990 and 1991 as well as 41 race wins in a career which spanned only just over ten years. For most of Senna's career, he formed a great rivalry with four-time World Champion, Alain Prost, to whom he finished runner up in 1989 and 1993.

After winning the British Formula Three Championship in 1983, Senna débuted with Toleman in 1984. After consistently outperforming his car, notably taking a second place in atrocious conditions in Monaco, Senna moved to Lotus, partnering Elio de Angelis for 1985. Senna came out on top that season, and De Angelis' replacements for 1986 and 1987, Johnny Dumfries and Satoru Nakajima, were outclassed.

A deal was arranged to take Senna to McLaren for 1988. In the MP4/4, Senna and Prost dominated, Senna just edging out his teammate for his first title. The rivalry between the two drivers began to heat up and after a controversial incident at the Japanese Grand Prix, Prost took the 1989 title and left for Ferrari. Senna, still at McLaren, took the 1990 title after collision with Prost in Japan, before sufficiently holding off Nigel Mansell in 1991 for his third title. Two more difficult seasons at McLaren followed, falling far behind Mansell in 1992 and being beaten by Prost despite heroic efforts by the Brazilian in 1993. Senna left for Williams in 1994.

At the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Senna crashed heavily at the Tamburello corner on lap six. The Brazilian's Williams FW16 had been leading from pole for the first five laps, three of which had taken place behind the Safety Car. Two laps after the restart, Senna was leading from Michael Schumacher on one of the fastest parts of the circuit. Approaching the fast left hander at Tamburello, Senna's car went straight-on and collided with a concrete barrier at around 135 mph. During the crash, the FW16's front right wheel and attached suspension strut struck Senna on the head, causing fatal injuries. 

Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher was born on January 3, 1969 in Hürth-Hermülheim, Rhein-Erft-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany, is a German Formula One racing driver who most recently drove for Ferrari and Mercedes.

He has seven world titles (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004), 91 wins, 77 fastest laps and 155 podiums. Schumacher had for some time stood head and shoulders above other Formula One drivers during his career.

Schumacher made an immediate impact driving at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1991 at Spa for Jordan, and moved to Benetton the next race, eventually winning the title in 1994 controversially and the 1995 title with relative ease. He moved to Ferrari in 1996, and after four years without success (and even getting disqualified from the championship in 1997), Schumacher won five titles in a row to end Ferrari's 21-year driver's title drought in style, setting many records in the process, including most wins in a season and most points before the 2010 points system overhaul. After a difficult 2005 and nearly winning the title in 2006, Schumacher retired from F1. After nearly returning in 2009 to cover for Felipe Massa, Schumacher returned to F1 in 2010 with Mercedes without much success, taking just one podium on his return at the 2012 European Grand Prix.

He was replaced at Mercedes in 2013 by Lewis Hamilton, and subsequently following this announcement, Schumacher opted to enter his second retirement from F1 at the end of the 2012 season.

On 29 December 2013, Schumacher suffered a serious head injury following a fall while skiing in the French Alps. Schumacher was skiing off-piste in the resort of Meribel, France, when he fell and hit his head on a rock. Having been airlifted to hospital in Grenoble, Schumacher was kept in a medically-induced coma until later he moved home to Switzerland.