French Grand Prix: Remembering Michael Schumacher's 2002 title win 20 years ago today

Formula 1 is back in France this weekend and it’s a country that will always have a fond place in the hearts of the Schumacher family, with it 20 years to the day since Michael Schumacher won his fifth Drivers’ title.

The German great was the dominant force between 2000 and 2004, with him winning five straight world championships for Ferrari.

Indeed, he’d add them to the two titles he won at Benetton to get to seven world championships, which of course was a standalone record until Lewis Hamilton equalled it in 2020.

The former Ferrari driver will go down as one of the greats in the sport, that is for sure, and it’s also clear that his 2002 campaign in particular may well be written in the history books as one of the most dominant we’ve ever seen.

He won the world championship, his fifth to equal the then overall record held by Juan Manuel Fangio, as early as the French Grand Prix in 2002, at Magny-Cours, with that just the 11th race of the 17-race calendar.

Indeed, to win a title so early in the summer is scarcely believable, with Schumacher’s dominance taking him to a podium finish at every single race that particular campaign.

It’s a feat that even the likes of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton would be hard pressed to match and serves as a reminder as to what a formidable partnership Schumacher and Ferrari were at their height.

20 years on, the Scuderia will be looking for another world title this year, with Charles Leclerc still in contention for a championship win.