Twenty years ago, Schumacher narrowly defeated a young Kimi Raikkonen to win his sixth World Championship. The Finn was one of three drivers on the grid in 2003 who would go on to win the title.
The rules were also changed, and points-paying positions now extended to the top eight places rather than the first six.
Let’s take a look back at some of the drivers from the past and what they are currently doing as the 2023 season draws closer.
In 2004, the legendary German driver won a second World Championship, setting a new record for the most titles won by a single driver and one that he still holds alongside Lewis Hamilton to this day.
After racing for Ferrari for the last time in 2006, Schumacher would leave the team in 2009, but he would be tempted back into the sport by the opportunity to drive for Mercedes, a dream he had had all his life. Before taking his second and final retirement, he would work for the team for three seasons.
After Schumacher’s tragic accident while skiing with his son Mick in the French Alps, little is known about his life since then. The beloved driver has not appeared in public since his accident in December 2022, which marked nine years.
After a 20-year career, the Iceman took his retirement in 2021 as the driver with the most laps in Formula 1 at the time.
From that point forward, the Finn has been partaking in some very much procured time with his family however has fiddled with other series, most as of late NASCAR with Trackhouse Dashing Group.
Juan Pablo Montoya’s CV is perhaps the most diverse of all the drivers on the 2003 grid. He left Formula One in 2006 and went on to race in NASCAR for the next nine seasons before moving to IndyCar in 2014.
In 2015, he tied Scott Dixon for the lead in IndyCar points with 556 points, but he missed out because Dixon had won more races.
In 2016, Montoya left full-time IndyCar, but he returned for the Indy 500 in 2017, 2021, and 2022. Additionally, the Colombian competes in a number of International Motor Sports Association races as a driver.
Rubens Barrichello Barrichello collaborated with Jenson Button at Honda after being teammates with Schumacher. Even though the team would change its name, the two of them would be involved in one of the biggest underdog stories in the history of Formula One when Brawn GP won both world titles in its first year of competition.
Following Sturdiness’ takeover by Mercedes, Barrichello moved to Williams where he finished his F1 profession in 2011.
The Brazilian driver has since competed in a number of Brazilian series and IndyCar events. Since 2012, he has raced stock cars in the country, finishing third for Full Time Sports in the championship.
Barrichello spends his time commentating and has been a part of the Brazilian channel TV Globo’s coverage of Formula One since 2013. He is not in the car.
After a difficult time working for Toyota, the younger Schumacher brother left Formula One in 2007, but despite numerous attempts to make a comeback, Ralf never got back on the grid.
All things considered, he hustled in Deutsche Tourenwagen Experts until he declared his retirement from driving in Walk 2013 and became associated with Mucke Motorsport.
Schumacher’s work as a pundit for Sky Sports Germany, where he has frequently defended his nephew Mick, is perhaps what has made him most famous today.