How a single letter changed Michael Schumacher destiny and F1 history

After running Martin Brundle in British F3 in the titanic championship battle with Ayrton Senna in 1983, Eddie Jordan took the plunge and moved up to F3000 as the decade drew to a close. 

F3000 can be considered the modern version of FIA F2, the highest rung on the ladder below F1, and for 1991, Jordan decided to join the ranks of grand prix racing, with the iconic Jordan 191 machine.

Decked out in resplendent green, of course, and sporting the 7UP livery, the car had a V8 Ford Cosworth bolted in the back, and Andrea de Cesaris and Bertrand Gachot were hired to pedal the Gary Anderson-designed machine.

After a slow start, in Canada, things clicked for the team, with a four-five finish with de Cesaris ahead of Gachot. These were the days when points only went down to sixth place, and with the likes of McLaren, Ferrari, Williams and Benetton usually cleaning house, it was a remarkable achievement.

More points came in Mexico, France, Britain, and Germany, with the fastest lap in Hungary as Jordan would ultimately finish an incredible fifth in its maiden season, behind only the aforementioned giants. 

But events around the Belgian Grand Prix would make Jordan's season all the more iconic, giving one M. Schumacher his debut. 

Off to prison

The story of Schumacher's F1 debut actually starts back in December 1990 in central London. 

Gachot was stuck in traffic around London's Hyde Park Corner, when he got into an altercation with a black cab driver, Eric Court.

Gachot sprayed Court with CS Gas, he claimed in self-defence, but unfortunately for him, CS Gas was an offensive weapon under UK law, and so in 1991, he found himself on trial. 

This trial was set for the week before the Belgian GP at Spa, and to his horror, Gachot was invited to spend some time inside one of Her Majesty's prisons, specifically HMP Brixton.

He was given an 18-month sentence, and ultimately the conviction was quashed after a couple of months, but in the meantime, Jordan needed a driver for Spa.

Step forward Mercedes, who were keen to get their sportscar ace and former Kerpen go-karter a seat in F1. $150,000 later, B Gachot and the French tricolour stickers were removed for one bearing M.Schumacher and the German version. 

After a quick seat fit and test at Silverstone, Schumacher was packed off to Spa, a track he promised Jordan he had raced at before. 

This proved to be at odds with the truth, as Schumacher took to learning the fearsome circuit on nothing more than a bicycle. 

Famously, Schumacher would place the Jordan seventh on the grid, behind only Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Gerhard Berger, Jean Alesi, and Nelson Piquet - grand prix winners all and world champions some. 

He was about seven-tenths faster than de Cesaris in the sister car, but Schumacher's race would not last all that long.

His inexperience with an F1 clutch meant he burnt it out seconds after the start, but the impression had been made - and as Ron Dennis would famously tell Jordan, he was about to experience the Piranha Club's bite.

One letter changes F1 history

Jordan, believed, quite rightly that Schumacher was now his driver, and accordingly moved to sign the German down to a longer contract.

Now, here comes the legal point that would change F1 history. 

After the race, Schumacher sent Jordan a fax saying that, after all, he was "very sorry" but that he "not going to be able to drive for your team."

Schmumacher's legal team had changed a term in the letter of intent agreed during the weekend. 

Originally, it read: 'We will sign 'the' contract in seven days.'

Once the lawyers were done, it read: 'We will sign 'a' contract in seven days."

Now, as any good lawyer will tell you, 'the' and 'a' refer to completely different things. 'The' contract referred to the deal with Jordan, whilst 'a' contract could mean anything. Schumacher could have signed a contract with NASA to become an astronaut. 

As it happened, Schumacher was crowbarred into the Benetton in a deal between Flavio Briatore and F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, which left Jordan blindsided.

Roberto Moreno was removed from the seat in an effective swap with Schumacher, who was paired with Piquet, nearing the end of his career.

For 1992, Schumacher was undoubtedly team leader alongside Brundle, and the F1 record books did not know what was about to hit it.