Why is Michael Schumacher Nicknamed the Red Baron?

Michael Schumacher is arguably the greatest ever to step in an F1 cockpit. After making his debut at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix with the Jordan team, Schumacher went on to dominate the scene for the next 15 years. Before Lewis Hamilton’s unprecedented dominance, Schumacher dictated almost every glass ceiling in F1. He still shares the record for most championship wins with the Briton.

Schumacher’s extraordinary career in Formula 1

In his first five years, Schumacher switched three teams, starting from Jordan, then Benetton, and at last Ferrari. Only this time, he stayed with the Red Team and made the record for the most race entries with a team, with 181. Subsequently, he partnered with Nico Rosberg at Mercedes. However, he finally bid adieu to F1 in 2012, handing over his seat to Hamilton.

A man with 306 GP starts, 91 wins, and 7 championships will naturally enjoy popular support among the F1 fans. Though Schumacher has been out of the social media glare since his skiing accident in 2013, his admirers from all over the world still pray for his well-being.

Schumacher is a man with many names. He is popularly called “Schumi”, “Rain King”, and “The Red Baron.” Here, we will explore the reasons behind the third one, as most of us are aware of the first two.

The story behind the nickname ‘Red Baron’

Schumacher, quite expectedly, has several nicknames. His sheer dominance in wet track conditions earned him the nickname, “rain king”. The German legend has won 17 out of the 30 wet races he competed in. Talking about the “Red Baron”, Schumacher is not the first person to have given this name.

German fighter pilot Manfred von Richthofen is popularly known as the Red Baron in the country. He gave his services to German forces during the First World War and had 80 confirmed kills. As per the reports, the British gave him the nickname, the Red Baron, because he flew a red plane and was the top-rated fighter pilot during the war.

Why was Michael Schumacher associated with the name ‘Red Baron’?

Coming from a little chapter of history, let’s get back to Formula 1. Michael Schumacher is another German hero who was associated with the Red Team for the longest of time. Schumacher carried the signature Red look and cliched 72 victories sitting with the Ferrari, earning the name “Red Baron”. British media houses famously gave this nickname to Schumacher owing to his German Nationality and Red Ferrari car.

Did you know the story behind the ‘Red Baron’ name? And would you like to know more such facts about the great Michael Schumacher? Let us know in the comments below.

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