F1 75 years: Michael Schumacher and Ferrari given race snub

Ferrari legends Jean Todt and Michael Schumacher at the Brazilian Grand Prix 2003 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 at 75

Michael Schumacher and Ferrari given race snub as F1 celebrates 75 years

Michael Schumacher and Ferrari era in curious absence

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Tuesday 13 May 2025 14:06 Updated: 17:52

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As Formula 1 officially ticks past the 75 years mark, it's time to celebrate a sport that has perhaps transformed like no other during that period.

If given the chance to look into that maiden championship race from Silverstone in 1950 - you would see virtually everything has changed (for better or worse) since, and that includes the historic venue itself.

Even Italy's favourite red cars at the time were not Ferrari (who didn't compete in the first race) as Alfa Romeo took a one, two, three finish on their way to a dominant season.

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Since then, heroes have arrived and sadly fallen in one way or another through grand prix legends from Juan Manuel Fangio and Jim Clark to today's stars such as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, there's obviously a lot to celebrate and remember during such a vast time span.

Which is why F1's incredible gesture to live stream seven races over 24 hours to mark the 75th anniversary is to be celebrated. But there is just one problem.

The celebrations only blanket a timeframe of 17 seasons... SEVENTEEN! The order during the day is mixed to serve time zones best but chronologically 75 years of racing starts with the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix where Hamilton won his first world championship in an unforgettable finish, and ends with... erm, last year's Las Vegas Grand Prix.

And you know what that means. No Alain Prost, no Ayrton Senna and not a single race featuring Michael Schumacher at Ferrari.

To put that into perspective that's like celebrating football's Premier League history without showing anything of the division's all-time top goal scorer and England legend Alan Shearer.

Now we can appreciate there are mitigating circumstances to cut 75 years of action down to such a thin time period. Anything before the 1980s is going to be incredibly difficult to get a decent amount of highlights from (let alone a full race) and it wasn't until the mid-1990s until Formula One Management (FOM) started to get a firm grip on broadcasting rights.

And let's be fair to F1, they do still offer LOTS more content between the races and on their social channels reflecting the Schumacher and Ferrari legacy in their day's coverage of the 75 years celebration.

GPFans understands that F1's reason for not showing any full races before 2008 is down to the more recent races having superior production that offer a better experience for viewers.

Michael Schumacher battles Fernando Alonso at Imola, 2006

Epic Michael Schumacher Ferrari races

Either way, it seems a huge shame to leave out Schumacher's Ferrari's domination when talking about F1's history through full races.

There are still many memorable moments including his epic battles with Mika Hakkinen (Spa 2000 anyone?) or even the famous four-stop strategy masterminded by Ross Brawn to win the French Grand Prix in 2004.

What a chance it would have also been to show the full scale of his wet-race domination from the 1996 Spanish Grand Prix or even his lesser spotted maiden Ferrari Monza win from the same year?

The full-race displays or even extended highlights could have been an excellent chance for F1 to educate some of its newer fans to some of the older gems from the sport's past, rather than dust over them in other areas. It's a big opportunity that has been sadly missed.

24 hour MARATHON! ?

To celebrate F1's 75th anniversary on 13th May, sit back and enjoy a 24 hour YouTube marathon of full races and iconic moments

Starting at 11pm UTC tonight, tune in for full race replays, extended race highlights and some of your favourite F1 content! ?… pic.twitter.com/ouNJS3LqLL
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 12, 2025