How a London taxi driver and prison launched Schumacher's F1 career

As former British prime minister Harold MacMillan once said: "Events, dear boy, events."

Michael Schumacher's F1 debut at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix was the culmination of events that had started in December 1990 - and they did not involve him. 

Instead, a future winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours and a London black cab driver combined with a can of CS spray, to launch Schumacher from Mercedes sportscar driver to F1's hottest property.

The well-known story goes something like this. 

Bertrand Gachot was signed by F1 newbies Jordan Grand Prix for 1991 to partner the experienced Andrea de Cesaris in the eye-catching 191 machine. 

As preparations were underway for the new season, in December 1990, Gachot was making his way to a meeting with sponsor 7UP, but found himself caught in the evening rush-hour traffic around Hyde Park Corner in London, just around the corner from Buckingham Palace.

His car make slight contact with a taxi, with Gachot and the cabbie, Eric Court, engaged in a verbal argument that then turned physical. 

In his vehicle, Gachot had a canister of CS spray - something which was legal in Belgium, but illegal in the UK - and sprayed Court in the face.

Fast forward to summer 1991, and just after the Hungarian GP in which he set the fastest lap, Gachot was up in court for the attack, but did not expect a harsh sentence with a test at Monza already pencilled in.

Unfortunately, the judge had other ideas, and after his defence of self-defence was rejected, Gachot found himself checking into HMP Brixton for an 18-month sentence. 

On appeal, this was reduced to nine months, but his seat needed to be filled for the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix. 

Eddie Jordan managed to agree a deal to put an unknown former go-karter from Kerpen in the car, assured that his new signing knew the Spa track, which proved a lie. 

After qualifying seventh (but then promptly burning out the clutch on the launch), so began the F1 career of Michael Schumacher.