Michael Schumacher: The Magnificent Seven

“Number rules the universe” once said the great mathematician Pythagoras... And when looking closely at Michael’s career through a “mathematical prism”, something quite uncanny starts to appear: the importance of the number 7.

The 2012 season for one, Michael’s last with the team and in Formula One, provides a significant amount of examples: Michael, the 43 years old (4 + 3 = 7) 7 times World Champion, racing in car number 7, scored a total of 49 (7x7) points.

How did Michael score those points? 49% (7x7) of them were scored from his 4 7th places. 7 (all but 1) of his point finishes were non-podium finishes. Michael also sadly faced 7 retirements, before finishing up on the high, crossing the line in his W03, number 7, in 7th place for his final race in Sao Paulo...

His “previous” career would also prove to be a goldmine for any “mathematical fact geek”: Michael still holds the record for most consecutive wins in a season, from 2004 with... 7 wins. Same goes for “most wins at one circuit” record, with his 7 wins in Canada, or the “most wins as a season-runner up” record (7 in 2006.)

Strange isn’t it? It makes you wonder if Michael planned all of this, in the cockpit of his first race car when at his very first race he qualifyied for his first official F1 result on... position 7.