Michael Schumacher won his first-ever race with Ferrari OTD 25 years ago at Spanish GP

Twenty-five years ago on this day, Formula 1 icon Michael Schumacher bagged his first win for Ferrari. To this day, people recollect Michael Schumacher's first win with Ferrari at the 1996 Spanish Grand Prix. The seven-time F1 World Champion has been away from the media since his ski accident in 2013, but fans still go back and revisit his countless contributions to motorsport. 

Michael Schumacher for Scuderia Ferrari was OTD 25 years ago: 1996 Spanish Grand Prix

Schumacher won back-to-back titles for Benetton and then moved to Ferrari – which is looked at as the biggest F1 team of all time by many.

Incredible 25 years since Michael won his first @F1 GP for @ScuderiaFerrari 1996 #OTD in Barcelona - a magnificent drive in the pouring rain. Did you know that the original trophy is displayed in the 'Michael Schumacher Private Collection' exhibition at @Motorworld_de in Cologne? pic.twitter.com/A2DUD7HDEW

— Michael Schumacher (@schumacher)

"I really did not think I would win today, this is a really great, great day because we deserved it as we did all the work together,” Schumacher had said after his first win with Ferrari. “Beside the problem with the engine in the middle of the race that has been running without one or two cylinders, the car was very good in the rain, which confirms that we have to work hard to understand what the car’s problems are". 

The car he used in 1996 – the F310 – was not considered as good as cars Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve drove. In that race, Hill had the pole position with a 0.434 seconds advantage over Villeneuve. Schumacher was third, 0.937 seconds behind Hill. However, with a car ready to face rain, Schumacher won. 

Michael Schumacher health update

In 2013, Schumacher underwent a horrific skiing accident, where he hit his head while skiing in Meribel. He was air-lifted and taken to a hospital in Grenoble. Two surgeries later, the racer was in a medically induced coma for six months, which was to help reduce the swelling in his brain. 

He came out of the coma in 2014 and returned home to Lake Geneva after 250 days. Since then, his wife Corinna has not interacted with the media much, providing little information about his health. FIA president Jean Todt recently spoke about the F1 legend, stating that he sees his friend at least twice a month. 

"I don’t leave him alone. Him, Corinna, the family: we’ve had so many experiences together. The beauty of what we have experienced is part of us and it goes on," Todt said while talking to Italian publication Corriere della Sera. 

(Image credits: Ferarri website)