MSC Retires

Tenzo

Tenzo

Tenzo

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23 Jan 2012
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/19826983

Michael Schumacher has announced that he will retire from Formula 1 at the end of the season.

Lewis Hamilton is to replace the seven-time world champion at Mercedes from next year.

Rather than look to continue racing with another team, Schumacher has decided to end an F1 career that began in 1991.

"Although I am still able to compete with the best drivers, at some point it is good to say goodbye," he said.

"During the past month I was not sure if I still had the motivation and energy which is necessary to go on.

"It is not my style to go on if I'm not 100% with it but with today's decision I feel relieved."

Schumacher won 91 races between 1991 and 2006, helping to revive Ferrari's fortunes when he joined them in 1996.

The German won five straight titles between 2000 and 2004, before retiring in 2006.

After four years away from the sport he decided to make a comeback with the Mercedes team in 2010.

However, since his return to the sport he has taken just one podium finish over the last three seasons - at Valencia earlier this year.

Schumacher had been linked with a move to Sauber for the 2013 season, but he has instead decided to bring an end to his racing career.

More to follow.
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Quite saddened by this.

Don't think he managed to get near his potential in the last three years. As he said in the announcement, he's still competing well with the best.

Hope he gets to get to the top of the podium once this year.

kd
 
Im totally bummed out about this, well depressed. Much like in 2006, he retires whilst the speed is still there, just glad we got to see him race again
 
It's a shame, seems a bit of a sad way for someone like him to end his career would have been nice for him to finish on a high... Still time I guess, he will have to pull something out of the bag before he goes.

dannyjo22 said:
He deserved another year after this one. Some bad luck and he's still as good as massa. They should have given him a one year ferrari deal.
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Yea that would've been good.
 
Sadly it's gone exactly how I predicted it would. I really wanted him to win at least one race, or maybe a few.

Unfortunately it's panned out as I'd feared. Meagre comeback containing poor results, driver errors and suchlike.

Ah well, at least we can remember his dominant years with Ferrari. His first career was extraordinary.
 
In his best season, in Alonso's best season(well not really so far in this one) Vettel, Hamilton, Hill, there are always mistakes. When you're in a less good car you push harder and more mistakes are made, that's racing. On the track, Rosberg who was pretty highly respected, has been trounced this year by Schumi, of 7 finishes he was significantly ahead of Rosberg, 4-5 failures and 2-3 incidents, of which one was his fault but clearly a lot of bad luck(the last one, clearly breaking as he hits a bump and the tire locking). Another season he'd be quite easily beating Rosberg on points and realistically pretty close if not ahead of Button, which is to say, its been a really great year but the car has failed him in almost every situation he could have gotten a podium or a top 4-5 finish.

Only really a shame he never got in a more competitive car, the few races the car has been truly competitive he's got a pole, and done very well in races till DNF's, most people will see him behind Rosberg and assume he was crap which is very very far from the truth.

I would have actually thought based on this season, being better than Rosberg but having no luck he'd try one year anywhere else to have one final season with the luck rather than without. Trouble being, he couldn't get a drive in a better car, only a worse one which wouldn't help him out much.

Ferrari ditching Massa and one last season for Schumi would have been fantastic.
 
Good, amazing driver who's comeback has sought to tarnish that great memory of that driver.

Interested to see who gets the Sauber seat now though! (got to do the Italian thing and switch sides on the thread front when I noticed there are two)
 
If anything, this year he has exposed Rosberg as nothing special, the first year he beat Schumi fair and square, but since half way though the second season, the old man has had the legs on the young gun. Thing is, next year when Lewis beats Rosberg, which i fully expect he will, it will be claimed that Hamilton is much better than Schumacher, when in fact if the media would drop its bias, and actually look at the results and reasons for them, they would see that Schumacher has out raced the young Nico Rosberg
 
Also, for Michael, it was an interesting experiment because he would have been sitting at home wondering what if? can i still do it? he has the answers now that yes, in the right car he could still win the championship, its a shame he was never given the tools to deliver.
 
I don't think Michael has tarnished anything of what he achieved. If he had a competitive car then he would have been winning races no doubt about it.
 
Retirement speech in full

It is probably not a complete surprise to explain a little bit on how my thoughts are on this. Basically I have decided to retire by the end of the year.

Although I am still able and capable to compete with the best drivers that are around, at some point it is good to say goodbye - and that is what I am doing this season. This time it might even be forever.

During the past month, I was not sure if I still had the motivation and energy which is necessary to go on. It is not my style to do something that I am not 100 per cent feeling for. With today's decision, I feel released from those doubts and in the end my ambition to fight for victories and the pleasure of driving is nourished by competitiveness.

It is without doubt that we did not achieve our goals to develop a world championship fighting car. But it is also very clear that I can still be very happy about my overall achievements in the whole time of my career.

In the past six years I have learned a lot about myself. For example, that you can open yourself without losing focus. That losing can be both more difficult and more instructive than winning. Sometimes I lost sight of this in the early years. But you appreciate to be able to do what you love to do. That you should live your convictions and I was able to do so.

I would obviously like to thank Daimler, Mercedes-Benz, the team, the engineers, and all my mechanics for all the trust that they put in those years in to myself. But I would also like to thank all of my friends, partners and companions who over many years in motor sport supported myself.

But most of all I would like to thank Corinna, and my family for standing always by my side, giving me the freedom to live my conviction and share my joy. That is very special.

I would like now to concentrate until the end of the season for the last races, and enjoy them together with you. Let's have fun.

Thank you.
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