Between the 2001 US Grand Prix and the 2002 Japanese Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher set a record that’s unlikely to be broken any time soon. The German stood on the podium for 19 consecutive races, more than twice as much as the previous record holders Jim Clark, Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet and 4 more than Alonso’s impressive podium run between 2005 and 2006. After having finished the 2001 Italian Grand Prix in fourth, Schumacher ended the season with a second place at Indianapolis and a win in Suzuka to claim his fourth World Championship.
What happened in the next season was incredible. Schumacher put his Ferrari on the podium in each of the seventeen races of the season, displaying a level of dominance that had only been achieved by Jim Clark in 1963, Nigel Mansell in 1992 and Fernando Alonso in 2005.
When the F2002 made its debut at the third race in Brazil, it’s power became immediately clear. Schumacher won the first four races in the new car before coming second in Monaco. Three more wins and another second place meant that Schumacher clinched the World Championship in France, after just eleven rounds. After that, the German took his foot slightly off the pedal, helping teammate Rubens Barrichello win three races in which the World Champion came second.
In the first race of 2003, it looked as if Schumacher would continue his impressive sequence after having qualified well ahead of the pack. However, in the race things went wrong when Schumacher damaged the car while driving over a kerb. A fourth place just behind Kimi Raikkonen meant that the string of 19 consecutive podium finished had come to an end.
The number 27 will always occupy a special place in Formula One history. Since Gilles Villeneuve displayed his unique style with that number in 1981 and 1982, the number is rarely thought of without thinking of the Canadian. That this didn’t have much to do with success, shows in the fact that three drivers won more races than Villeneuve with number 27. Alan Jones won nine times in the Williams, Ayrton Senna six times in the McLaren and Michele Alboreto three times with the Ferrari. The fact that so many successes were achieved with this relatively high numbers is because Williams grew from mediocrity in the early eighties. The former privateer team carried the number from 1978 until 1980. Rules then prescribed that the team of the World Champion should carry the numbers one and two and that the team of the previous champion would drive with the numbers that team used in the previous season. Hence Ferrari got the numbers 27 and 28 for 1981. 