When people think of Michael Schumacher's time at Ferrari, they usually picture the dominant years between 2000 and 2004. But the German's first season in red was anything but straightforward. After winning back-to-back world championships with Benetton in 1994 and 1995, Schumacher was persuaded by Jean Todt to join Ferrari for 1996. Yet both driver and team were embarking on a major rebuilding project.
Todt had been appointed in July 1993 to restore Ferrari's former glory and oversaw significant changes ahead of Schumacher's arrival. Not only did Ferrari part ways with Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger after 1995, it also abandoned its iconic V12 engine in favour of a newly developed V10 power unit.