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Michael Schumacher (; born 3 January 1969 ) is a German Formula One racing driver, currently driving for the Mercedes team.

Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time on his performance records alone.

He holds many of the formula's driver records, including most championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, points scored and most races won in a single season – 13 in 2004.

In 2002 he became the only driver in Formula One history to finish in the top three in every race of a season and then also broke the record for most consecutive podium finishes.

According to the official Formula One website he is " statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen ".

In 2009, a poll of 217 Formula One drivers conducted by the British magazine Autosport named Schumacher as " the second-greatest Formula One driver who ever lived ", just behind Ayrton Senna, and the most complete driver, just ahead of Senna.

As of the 2012 Formula One season Schumacher is the only driver left competing in Formula 1 to have raced against Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, whose record of total career wins he beat with his 52nd win at the 2001 Belgian Grand Prix.