Final Race for Michael Schumacher

[i_max2k2]

After 2 decades of racing, the legend will finally step out of a F1 car never to go back to race again. I think his legacy will be helped by his positive attitude in the last 3 years and for the rest the results would be enough. Ferrari after seeing the depths before becoming champions again, and their form today can largely be attributed to him and the dream team. I will surely miss him a lot, even at his age he still stood up tall to guys 10 years or younger then him. I loved Canada 2011, Monza 2011 and several others. Hopefully he can have a good last race, Brazil 2006 is one of my favorite races a true drive from the back races. Farewell Schumi!

[Rollo]

Hopefully Kimi will tell us about his toilet habits, just like the last time Michael retired :D

[Big Ben]

deja vu

[steveaki13]

Its only his last race in his second career. He will be back in 2016 driving for the HRT team.

You heard it here first

[The Black Knight]

My childhood hero, he is still the most complete driver I have ever seen on any grid. I am going to miss him. It's a shame he didn't reach the heights of his first career throughout his second but three years off, being in his forties, incredibly bad luck and a useless Mercedes car for the most part certainly didn't help him. This year has seen a somewhat return to form though he is still not at the level we once witnessed. Still, we saw some really good drives from him throughout his second career, Japan 2010, Canada 2011, Monza 2011, Monaco 2012. I guess what hurts me the most is that in Monaco he proved he could still dice with the big guys and he deserved that pole position. It's a shame about Steward's meddling that he had to start from 6th position as he would have won the race.

The best driver of all time and a true gent. I wish him the best with the rest of his life, I hope it brings him the same happiness he brought to F1 fans throughout the world who witnessed him do his magic over the last 20 years.

[big_sw2000]

My childhood hero, he is still the most complete driver I have ever seen on any grid. I am going to miss him. It's a shame he didn't reach the heights of his first career throughout his second but three years off, being in his forties, incredibly bad luck and a useless Mercedes car for the most part certainly didn't help him. This year has seen a somewhat return to form though he is still not at the level we once witnessed. Still, we saw some really good drives from him throughout his second career, Japan 2010, Canada 2011, Monza 2011, Monaco 2011. I guess what hurts me the most is that in Monaco he proved he could still dice with the big guys and he deserved that pole position. It's a shame about Steward's meddling that he had to start from 6th position as he would have won the race.

The best driver of all time and a true gent. I wish him the best with the rest of his life, I hope it brings him the same happiness he brought to F1 fans throughout the world who witnessed him do his magic over the last 20 years.

Have to agree with this. Followed him since Silverstone 1000kms in 89. When he was driving for Sauber Mercedes in the WSPC. Having being told, whatch out for this kid, he will be massive in a few years. How right they were.

Steve

[Nornbugger]

He should never have come back IMO and I think its a good choice by him to call it a day. I would say its sad to see him go, but I don't think we ever had the Michael back we saw in his first career. He is certainly a nicer character these days and maybe if he'd been like that all along he would have been liked a lot more. I wish him well with his family life and hope he accepts and finds something to fill the void of motorsport. Fair well Michael and thanks for the great races. :)

Why should he not have came back? He is and was a pure racer from day one, he came back as he still loved to race, and he is still very good at it, its a shame Mercedes couldnt have given him a car that was up to the job. His stats dont read as well now as they did after his 1st retirement but IMO the standing of the man and the racer have been enhanced in his 2nd career.

[The Black Knight]

Michael is lucky he was able to come back just for the sheer fun of it, and I don't agree his second period in the sport has enhanced his career. He had the power of his stats and standing behind him which meant he was able to stay for longer than perhaps he deserved IMHO. You don't have to agree with me on that obviously, and I'm not being anti Schumacher, I just agree its time to call it a day and I feel his legacy would have been a lot stronger had he not come back.

Well his legacy is still stronger and his stats are still better than any other driver to ever walk the grid so I don't think he should be too bothered about it ;)

[Donney]

He was one of the greatest and the sport owns him a lot. A legend goes and a new one will appear eventually. Best of luck for him!

[Mark]

While he retired too soon; I think he returned too late.

[pino]

I only know the great MS who drove for Ferrari ;)

[i_max2k2]

While he retired too soon; I think he returned too late.

This is so true.


I only know the great MS who drove for Ferrari ;)

I think I'll remember him for the gentleman he is, he still is an inspiration, I started watching racing in mid 90's when Ferrari was a dud of a car he switched in, the underdogs and still he fought with skill, that was when I really started liking him, his fights with Mika in 1998-2001 was in my opinion the best of F1 I ever saw, loved those races, even in his 2nd Career I think he still had a lot of skill to mix it with the guys today, his racecraft is probably better then none. I was happy to see his resurgence this year, and confident he would be on the grid in 2013, but I guess the way Mercedes has come down in performance I dont think they'll have a great car next year, no need for him wasting himself another year chasing 7-12th positions.

[Firstgear]

I used to be a fan years ago - even after the JV incident, and about until the turn of the millenium. Eventually his arrogance and the Ferrari domination turned me off. That's what got me to join this forum and start posting here.

He was pushed out the first time around, and he was pushed out again this time. I wouldn't be completely surprised to see him come back in 2014 so he can retire on his own terms. People always say you need a huge ego to get as far as F1. Michael has the ego, so I'm pretty sure he thinks he's 'still got it'. It's a shame he couldn't do much on his return, especially since Nico was able to win a race this year. He's gotten more 'donkey of the race' awards on this forum in the last couple of years than any other driver, mostly getting in the way of others. I'm only a couple of years older than he is, and I'm not as quick or as strong as I used to be. I'm sure Michael is going thru the same things physically, as no one can win against time - and it's a tough thing to face. Probably alot tougher to face with bigger ego and so much success in the past. I won't be sad to see him go because I think Lewis can do alot more with that car.

[dj_bytedisaster]

I used to be a fan years ago - even after the JV incident, and about until the turn of the millenium. Eventually his arrogance and the Ferrari domination turned me off. That's what got me to join this forum and start posting here.

Have you ever met the man? I always find it funny that people accuse others of arrogance, while never having met them. Michael never was arrogant. What he was at Ferrari was determined and sometimes too professional, which doesn't go down well with an emotional bunch like the Italians.
Like many say, he was a different person in his second career and the reason is that he had nothing to prove anymore. He simply did it for the freakin' fun of it. He is and was actually much more like Kimi than some people think. Kimi isn't the only one, who falls off the boat wasted out of his skull. I don't know which year it was, but after one of his Ferrari titles, he and some of the Fezza boys got hogwashly bladdered and laid waste to the hospitality area :D
What people forget is, that he isn't some rich kid, who came into F1 with daddy's millions. His parents were not exactly rich and he won on knackered old karts before catching the eyes of sponsors. He never forgot these roots.

One thing that says a lot about the man is the fact that, when the South East Asia Tsunami hit in late 2004, he donated 10 Million Dollars for the victims. That's more than a lot of foundations or companies were willing to cough up. He was ruthless on the track, which is why he is a 7 times world champion and an all around nice fellow like Heinz-Harald Frentzen isn't, but off the track he was and is a very humble and likeable guy.

Watching him in live F1 broadcasts or in German TV in the after-show broadcasts (called Forum on BBC, i think) was like watching two different persons. That's why his second career is such a stark contrast - he simply doesn't put on the über-professional mask on anymore. I'm pretty sure that, had he been driven by the same single-track-minded determination as in his Ferrari days, Mercedes could have a few more wins by now or he would have ditched them to drive a Red Bull or a Ferrari after 2011 at the latest. But then a lot of people would hate his guts by now.

[Firstgear]

No, I've never met him and maybe arrogance wasn't quite the right word. My dislike for him started in the years Mika was winning (I was never really a fan of Mika - too sterile, a perfect fit for McLaren). In the post race interviews, when they were both on the podium, I thought Michael usually came across as a pr!ck, dishing out backhanded compliments, or thinly veiled insults. I understand that he was trying to get under Mika's skin, but it just rubbed me the wrong way.

I've heard of his generous contibution to charity - I think everybody has. My question would be, did it come from the genuine Michael, or the uber-profesional Michael trying to lose his 'schummel-schumi' moniker. I don't want to judge the man (especially since I've never met him) but these thoughts did cross my mind. Yes, very generous. In the words of Shrek, "Do you think he's compensating for something?"

[i_max2k2]

No, I've never met him and maybe arrogance wasn't quite the right word. My dislike for him started in the years Mika was winning (I was never really a fan of Mika - too sterile, a perfect fit for McLaren). In the post race interviews, when they were both on the podium, I thought Michael usually came across as a pr!ck, dishing out backhanded compliments, or thinly veiled insults. I understand that he was trying to get under Mika's skin, but it just rubbed me the wrong way.

I've heard of his generous contibution to charity - I think everybody has. My question would be, did it come from the genuine Michael, or the uber-profesional Michael trying to lose his 'schummel-schumi' moniker. I don't want to judge the man (especially since I've never met him) but these thoughts did cross my mind. Yes, very generous. In the words of Shrek, "Do you think he's compensating for something?"

He doesn't need to prove himself, he has always been a popular figure and more people know his good then otherwise, part of this makes him highly marketable. He is more closed then a lot of public figures though, at least that's what I observe and gather from whatever I have read on him.

[dj_bytedisaster]

No, I've never met him and maybe arrogance wasn't quite the right word. My dislike for him started in the years Mika was winning (I was never really a fan of Mika - too sterile, a perfect fit for McLaren). In the post race interviews, when they were both on the podium, I thought Michael usually came across as a pr!ck, dishing out backhanded compliments, or thinly veiled insults. I understand that he was trying to get under Mika's skin, but it just rubbed me the wrong way.

I think you fell victim to a serious misconception. Michael has always said that Mikka was the one opponent he respected the most and the fights against him were the ones he remembered most fondly. I always had the impression that the two could be firends if it weren't for the fact that they wanted the same trophy. In fact I cannot remember a single time where he has said a single bad word about Mikka.


I've heard of his generous contibution to charity - I think everybody has. My question would be, did it come from the genuine Michael, or the uber-profesional Michael trying to lose his 'schummel-schumi' moniker. I don't want to judge the man (especially since I've never met him) but these thoughts did cross my mind. Yes, very generous. In the words of Shrek, "Do you think he's compensating for something?"

I don't think so, but then you're jumping to conclusions without all the facts. The donation was announced during a huge fundraising show on TV. If he wanted to abuse it for PR purposes, he would've milked the hell out it, but he didn't. The donation was announced at two million dollars, while it were in fact 10 million. Two millions were given as immediate relief funds, while 8 million were given to a foundation (Bill Clinton Foundation IIRC) that cared for long time rebuilding projects. Those additional 8 millions were never mentioned and only became known after the Clinton Foundation published the list of donors. Not announcing 4/5ths of you donation does not sound like using it for PR purposes.

[Mark]

My first year watching F1 was where he ran Damon Hill off the road to take the world championship. I've never liked him since. Although I have grown to respect him.

[Firstgear]

I don't think so, but then you're jumping to conclusions without all the facts.
Not jumping to conclusions, merely speculating.

But my intension was not to derail this thread, or have it spiral into negativilty - as I don't think that was it's intended purpose.

I do wish MS a good last race - just like at the end of his first retirement - so his fans have one last good memory of him on track in F1.

[wedge]

He was pushed out the first time around, and he was pushed out again this time. I wouldn't be completely surprised to see him come back in 2014 so he can retire on his own terms. People always say you need a huge ego to get as far as F1. Michael has the ego, so I'm pretty sure he thinks he's 'still got it'.

His retirement wasn't handled well: lack of honesty and indecisiveness, but then there isn't really a right way of retiring and in Schumi's case it was a ruthless outcome.

Thinking he has ego and 'still got it'. That would be a haters response. He had an unfullfilling sabbatical - no sportsman wants to be in that position. Kimi wanted to be back inF1 which shows you how much F1 is valued as the pinnacle.

Schumi was back in F1 because he is Schumi, no different to JYS entering an F1 team.

[The Black Knight]

No, I've never met him and maybe arrogance wasn't quite the right word. My dislike for him started in the years Mika was winning (I was never really a fan of Mika - too sterile, a perfect fit for McLaren). In the post race interviews, when they were both on the podium, I thought Michael usually came across as a pr!ck, dishing out backhanded compliments, or thinly veiled insults. I understand that he was trying to get under Mika's skin, but it just rubbed me the wrong way.

I've heard of his generous contibution to charity - I think everybody has. My question would be, did it come from the genuine Michael, or the uber-profesional Michael trying to lose his 'schummel-schumi' moniker. I don't want to judge the man (especially since I've never met him) but these thoughts did cross my mind. Yes, very generous. In the words of Shrek, "Do you think he's compensating for something?"

All I got to say is this: I have met him on lots of occasions and you are way off in everything you have said about him in this thread. He's a very humble guy and, most of all, he really appreciates the work that everyone in his team does for him and he gives equal in return. He is the ultimate athlete and professional. You're way off the ball park but I'm not surprised, most anti-Schumacher fans are usually way off with their comments.

[Tazio]

It is my opinion whether you like, dislike, or are indifferent to Mike, you aren't much of an F1 aficionado if you don't recognize the significance of his last race, regardless of how unsuccessful his comeback was.

[Knock-on]

The Michael off track is a much different person to the racer. Off track he is quite humble with an impish sense of humour and quite capable of taking the p*ss out of himself. His charity work is legendary and I really hope he continues in F1 in some capacity.

On track, he's ruthless and although I used to be enthralled by his driving in the early days, as I am with Lewis now, but then his on-track antics and disregard for others in his singleminded quest for success turned me off. We then had the issues with cheating and FIAssist that are well discussed on here and are not worth going into again.

In my opinion, he could have been the best ever but although a diamond, certainly flawed one.

It's a pity he came back as he's not up to the standard he was and frankly, should have retired a year at least before he did the first time. Just how average he is now will be demonstrated by the battle between Lewis and Nico next year. However, I wish him well and will raise a glass to the pure racer I remember.

[airshifter]

Like a number of others here I have had mixed feelings about the MS that exists on track. While I think he is a brilliant driver and well deserving of his place in history his ruthless nature on track has gone beyond sporting many times IMO. In his case I think he is simply so competitive that he can't really just turn that off. In either case despite the professional flaws that some of us think exist, I have great respect for his abilities as a driver, and it would be great to see him have a good finish at his last race... if in fact it is.

I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him return to F1 in some other capacity within a team. I simply think he is too attached to the sport to just walk away completely.

As for his charity and the tsunami relief efforts in particular, IIRC MS, Montoya and JV got very hands on, with MS and Montoya making a point of calling out the other uber wealthy within F1 circles to help financially. They may have got some publicity out of things but I think the intentions were right.

[F1boat]

I hated this guy for many years because I supported Damon Hill and Mika Hakkinen. In the twilight years of his first career I learned to admire him and became a fan. Now I consider him to be the best driver ever and I don't think that his return damaged his reputation - these comebacks are almost always unsuccessful. I think, if I am not mistaken, that Michael Jordan made one and it was bad, but he is still respected and admired. I think that when the years pass, the comeback of MS will become nothing more than a footnote to a remarkable career. In conclusion I will say this - even when I was a hater of the guy, deep down I knew that he is the best and was always afraid but what he can do on a race day. I have feared no other driver in the same way - not Alonso, not Vettel, Hamilton or Raikkonen and in different times I have rooted against all of them. Michael was that special. I am glad that I was able to witness his legendary career.

[steveaki13]

I agree.

We have seen a true legend in action in many situations and forms. Benetton, Ferrari & Mercedes and we should be grateful as many new F1 fans over the next few seasons will say to us, "What was it like watching Michael Schumacher?

[dj_bytedisaster]

I think in a few years Michael will even come closer to his idol Senna in people's opinion. If you think about it - deleberate crashes to decide a world championship and squeezing people off (or trying to) wasn't something that Schumacher invented. It was a normal part of Senna's arsenal, too, but the years have pushed that very far back in people's memory, so give it 10 years and Michael will probably be seen as an even greater man than now.
Also Senna often came across rather cold and sometimes even arrogant or diva-like on camera, while in private being quite a sensitive, funny and caring guy. Maybe that was part of the reason, why Schumacher once burst into tears when being told that he had equalled one of Senna's records. The two of them were more alike that appeared to the eye.

[donKey jote]

The second line of my sig dates from his first retirement and the atmosphere of gloom hanging over F1 due to it (according to some diehards here anyway) :p .

Can't say I've missed him too much since then either. The F1 show went on without him... :andrea:

[jens]

Schumacher has been pretty impressive this season. The points tally doesn't do any justice to his driving this season, especially compared to Rosberg. I feel on the whole Schumi has perhaps been even slightly more impressive of the two Mercedes drivers.

I don't think it really matters in terms of legacy. Nothing takes away his 7 WDC titles, regardless of how he has been doing after winning them. The only thing, what matters, is that whether Schumi was a useful and competitive addition to F1 during those three years. And I'd say that while in 2010 he wasn't, in the last two seasons he pretty much has been.

Pole position at Monaco is the highlight of his comeback career. Oops... Sorry, not pole position, but officially just the "fastest time in qualifying". :D Still, he won the competition on Saturday, regardless of penalty. Extremely impressive at the age of 43.

On a wider scale I have to admit that Schumacher has forced to re-evaluate my personal view on the age factor in F1. Before his comeback I genuinely thought that drivers at the age of 40+ are just too "past it" to be even properly competitive any more in modern F1, let alone have a shot at winning.

So as you see, even with his comeback Schumacher has added a valuable contribution to the understanding of F1. Even if in a slightly different way rather than through outright success.

[steveaki13]

Schumacher has been pretty impressive this season. The points tally doesn't do any justice to his driving this season, especially compared to Rosberg. I feel on the whole Schumi has perhaps been even slightly more impressive of the two Mercedes drivers.

I don't think it really matters in terms of legacy. Nothing takes away his 7 WDC titles, regardless of how he has been doing after winning them. The only thing, what matters, is that whether Schumi was a useful and competitive addition to F1 during those three years. And I'd say that while in 2010 he wasn't, in the last two seasons he pretty much has been.

Pole position at Monaco is the highlight of his comeback career. Oops... Sorry, not pole position, but officially just the "fastest time in qualifying". :D Still, he won the competition on Saturday, regardless of penalty. Extremely impressive at the age of 43.

On a wider scale I have to admit that Schumacher has forced to re-evaluate my personal view on the age factor in F1. Before his comeback I genuinely thought that drivers at the age of 40+ are just too "past it" to be even properly competitive any more in modern F1, let alone have a shot at winning.

So as you see, even with his comeback Schumacher has added a valuable contribution to the understanding of F1. Even if in a slightly different way rather than through outright success.

I agree Jens I think he has been good this year baring a couple of incidents. The main problem has been the Mercedes has been so slow.

I think he has outraced Rosberg for much of the season, however Nico has been more conisistant and had less realiability issues it seems

[The Black Knight]

I agree Jens I think he has been good this year baring a couple of incidents. The main problem has been the Mercedes has been so slow.

I think he has outraced Rosberg for much of the season, however Nico has been more conisistant and had less realiability issues it seems

Schuey has been impressive but he tripped over Senna in Brazil and did something similar in Singapore. Other than that he has been really good. Currently qualifying is 10/9 in his favor to Rosberg. I'm very interested to see how it will end up. I hope the old dog can do one more super qualifying session and surprise us all like he did last week :)

[BDunnell]

Schumacher has been pretty impressive this season. The points tally doesn't do any justice to his driving this season, especially compared to Rosberg. I feel on the whole Schumi has perhaps been even slightly more impressive of the two Mercedes drivers.

I don't think it really matters in terms of legacy. Nothing takes away his 7 WDC titles, regardless of how he has been doing after winning them. The only thing, what matters, is that whether Schumi was a useful and competitive addition to F1 during those three years. And I'd say that while in 2010 he wasn't, in the last two seasons he pretty much has been.

Pole position at Monaco is the highlight of his comeback career. Oops... Sorry, not pole position, but officially just the "fastest time in qualifying". :D Still, he won the competition on Saturday, regardless of penalty. Extremely impressive at the age of 43.

On a wider scale I have to admit that Schumacher has forced to re-evaluate my personal view on the age factor in F1. Before his comeback I genuinely thought that drivers at the age of 40+ are just too "past it" to be even properly competitive any more in modern F1, let alone have a shot at winning.

So as you see, even with his comeback Schumacher has added a valuable contribution to the understanding of F1. Even if in a slightly different way rather than through outright success.

I think this is an excellent assessment, jens. Schumacher has made some very amateurish errors on his comeback, and was never going to be the driver he once was, but he hasn't had the car in which to shine, and I think his performances when compared to Rosberg's have been more than acceptable. The one major point I'd make is that the Schumacher of old had the ability to transcend a poor car; the comeback version simply hasn't. What Schumacher's lack of success has proved, surely, is that Rosberg doesn't have that ability either.

As for drivers remaining competitive at 40-plus, I think Schumacher is probably an exception, rather as is 55-year-old Steve Davis today qualifying for the televised stages of the UK snooker championship. Both are, like them or not, exceptional competitors in their respective sports. Not everybody can be expected to reach such heights at a comparatively old age.

[wedge]

Schumacher has been pretty impressive this season. The points tally doesn't do any justice to his driving this season, especially compared to Rosberg. I feel on the whole Schumi has perhaps been even slightly more impressive of the two Mercedes drivers.

He's been hot and cold with a certain benefit of the lottery as in Monaco.

I wouldn't say he was impressive but then comparing with his team mate Rosberg was neither impressive which, perhaps, says something about Rosberg who can only shine in the right car...

I well and truly hope Schumi spends the time which in most part was a luxury into something useful for himself.

[jens]

I wouldn't say he was impressive

To put it in perspective - for a 43-y-o man it certainly was impressive. If Schumacher performed like that 10 years ago, then that would have been underwhelming.

[pino]

I would love to see Michael on podium tomorrow, with Alonso 1st...and Vettel 6th :p :

[jarrambide]

I dislike Schumy as much as the next guy, I remember being a huge Mika Hakkinen fan because he wasn't Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello was one of my favorite drivers simply because he was the Ferrari driver that was not Schumacher, I consider him a cheat, a bully, an unethical driver.

Funny thing is that years from now, one of the things I will brag about to young F1 fans is that I saw Schumacher in person driving an F1 car.

[wedge]

To put it in perspective - for a 43-y-o man it certainly was impressive. If Schumacher performed like that 10 years ago, then that would have been underwhelming.

What bothers me more is that his race craft have been poor at times.

[tfp]

Dont know about anyone else, but I'm still going to be left wondering if he would have won in Monte this year....

[Knock-on]

I seriously got the p*ss taken out of me for this but here you go.

3053

Dont say I never do anything for you.

[Knock-on]

Oh well ;)

3054

[dj_bytedisaster]

I doubt he will be able to bring down the house as he did in his previous 'last race' at the same venue - not in this poor excuse of a car, but maybe the his wet wheather skills might shine a last time.
It's still a somewhat weird thought that in about 4 to 5 hours he won't be an F1 driver anymore. Of the last 21 years only three went without him on the grid. Now that both he and Rubens are gone, I really start to feel old.
Apart from wishing him a good race, I also hope that his competitive itch has now been properly scratched. He goes out after the best of his three comeback seasons with a last podium and a last Pole (f*** the penalty, he *was* the fastest on Saturday).

[jens]

I felt it was sort of symbolic, how Schumacher let Vettel through at the end of the race and then right afterwards congratulated him. Like passing over his crown after going to retirement. Felt like "you are already on 3 titles, so if anyone can catch me, it's gonna be you!"

[wedge]

I felt it was sort of symbolic, how Schumacher let Vettel through at the end of the race and then right afterwards congratulated him. Like passing over his crown after going to retirement. Felt like "you are already on 3 titles, so if anyone can catch me, it's gonna be you!"

What's wrong with this picture: Schumi sends Barrichello to the wall in Hungary 2010 let alone crimies committed in his first F1 stint yet he happily gives up a place to Vettel. Shame on you for sportsmanship! :D

[Bagwan]

While I am sad to see Michael go , I was desperately disappointed with that move to let Sebastian past .

As I see it , it was a little bit of final tarnish on a shiny career .

When Vettel was coming upon the shoe , I thought about how nice it would be to see the old guard tussling once more with the new .
I thought a chance was there for Michael to show some clean and careful , but hard defense of position .
And , I thought , as well , that a guy like Sebastian , who has been criticized widely , for not being able to overtake , could show , not only that he was able to do it , but to be able to go toe to toe with Michael to do it .
A tough but fair pass would have made it another reason that Sebastian would have "deserved" it .


I guess it's not a big deal , as really , with the speed differential between the two cars , the pass was rather inevitable , but at least it would have increased the tension in the race , firstly with the risk involved , and then with the time it would have taken to do it possibly bringing other cars into the picture .

I simply felt that Michael moving over robbed us of some excitement , as these two cars , from two different teams , are meant to be saying "Me first !" , not "You first !" .

I get that he was staying out of the way of the contenders , but I am sad that my final memory of Michael is one of him giving up .

[steveaki13]

I agree with Jens on the whole.

It was a final batton pass to Seb, and also can you imagine the choas had Michael squeezed and chop Seb and tangled in those final corners of his career.

It would have forever tarnished his career further to have wiped out a potential 3 times German champion. On the whole it was done as a gesture and saved Michael to much hassle.

What Mercedes themselves thought though may be another matter, but Michael is past caring at this point and felt it was the right thing to do.

[dj_bytedisaster]

While I am sad to see Michael go , I was desperately disappointed with that move to let Sebastian past .


Ok, so you're an F1 driver on his retirement run, knowing that you currently carry a points haul that secures your teams position, even if you lose two or three positions. One of your best mates comes up behind you, which you know needs every point he can get and you know from almost 20 years experience what it is like to be in a last race title fight. You also know that he's quicker than you by miles despite trying to nurse a badly dented car home.
So you would engage him in a token fight that you know you will either lose anyway within a lap or it'll end in a needless crash robbing your friend of a championship title.

With mates like you - who needs enemies ?

[zako85]

I guess Michael did not want to risk binning his car on the final race of his final year in the F1. He has proven enough. Besides, he probably didn't want to spoil anyone else's race in his final GP. Thankfully, Vettel's pass of Schumacher was not championship deciding. Vettel still would have won finishing seventh.

Of course, it's sad that another era of F1 has passed. However, the truth is that that era ended a few years ago. It's only Schumacher and Barrichello who somehow managed to hang on until these days. It must have been a bit eerie feeling for former F1 drivers like Hakkinen and Damon Hill, who started about the same time with Schumacher, had a long successful career, retired like 10 years ago, to see Schumacher still racing in 2012.

[gloomyDAY]

Later ol' timer. There's a young German who's taken your stead.

http://i.imgur.com/KWuqU.jpg?1

[Bagwan]

Ok, so you're an F1 driver on his retirement run, knowing that you currently carry a points haul that secures your teams position, even if you lose two or three positions. One of your best mates comes up behind you, which you know needs every point he can get and you know from almost 20 years experience what it is like to be in a last race title fight. You also know that he's quicker than you by miles despite trying to nurse a badly dented car home.
So you would engage him in a token fight that you know you will either lose anyway within a lap or it'll end in a needless crash robbing your friend of a championship title.

With mates like you - who needs enemies ?

Horner has said he was considering telling Sebastian to stay where he was , and not risk a tussle with the Shoe , so I wasn't the only one expecting a spiritted defense .

So , you're a driver on his retirement run , and a friend of yours comes up behind you , trying to win the title .
You know he's a good driver , and you trust in yourself , and you realise this is the last time you can defend a position in F1 .
You also know he doesn't need the position , as he is already in place to win .

Sebastian had to have known he didn't need the position as well , so any fighting between them would have been by mutual consent .

In my opinion , having them congratulate each other on a fine and fair fight would have been far preferable to having Seb just saying thanks for the free ride .

At least there were no yellows anywhere nearby .

[dj_bytedisaster]

Vettel was faster than anyone else on the track at the moment, it was raining and Schumacher was way slower than Vettel - and knew it. Why should he have engaged in a useless fight. It was obvious that he didn't want to. He would have done if 6th or seventh would have made a difference, which it didn't.

You said yourself that he would have had to give away that position anyway, but in reality it just looks as if you're bitter that another 'chance' went by for Vettel to make a mistake and retire from the race.

You seem to forget that Schumacher was in Vettel's shoes at least 5 or 6 times - going into the last race with a shot at the championship. He knows what it is like, when you're caught up in needless fights in such a tense situation. And besides, I doubt that he would have made a lapping maneuver unnecessarily difficult for Alonso, had the situation arisen. He was simply staying out of the way in the title decision.

[Firstgear]

If Michael would've put up a fight, there was the potential for Vettel to make a really good move, turning MS inside-out.
Pulling over was a win-win. MS side-steps potentially having Vetel make him look siily, Vettel gets by easily.

[i_max2k2]

I dont think at that point Michael wanted to jeopardize either of their races, a tussle even a small one can go anywhere, when there is so much rain and the collateral damage might have left Vettel without a certain WDC, so honestly as a friend there was no point in doing that. If people would remember in Brazil 06 a few guys did let him go without much fight. I definitely loved the Kimi vs Schumi battle dejavu, both guys exactly at the same place instead kimi took the inside line pretty awesome I think! :)

[Bagwan]

Vettel was faster than anyone else on the track at the moment, it was raining and Schumacher was way slower than Vettel - and knew it. Why should he have engaged in a useless fight. It was obvious that he didn't want to. He would have done if 6th or seventh would have made a difference, which it didn't.

You said yourself that he would have had to give away that position anyway, but in reality it just looks as if you're bitter that another 'chance' went by for Vettel to make a mistake and retire from the race.

You seem to forget that Schumacher was in Vettel's shoes at least 5 or 6 times - going into the last race with a shot at the championship. He knows what it is like, when you're caught up in needless fights in such a tense situation. And besides, I doubt that he would have made a lapping maneuver unnecessarily difficult for Alonso, had the situation arisen. He was simply staying out of the way in the title decision.

Considering that Horner has said he considered saying "Hold position , he had no idea whether the shoe would let him off easy .
And , he considered it because firstly , he didn't need the position , and secondly , because Michael is known to be a formidable opponent .

I am bitter , but not for the reasoning you give .
Bitter because both know how the race without hitting each other , and I was denied the spectacle . We all were .
It was a race for position that didn't happen .
It was Michael's last race for position .

As for whether he would have fought with Alonso , I have no idea , but I would have the same opinion if he didn't .

Staying out of the way in a race affects the outcome .

[mr.Jones]

It was good to see him back, missing the legend! Too bad he couldnt get up there, i guess you can get too old for that... Stuff.
If he wants to come back again thats his choice.. Imo his done, later he would become even more traffic on the grid..the sport needs more fast top drivers that can comoete for the title, like this year.

[The Black Knight]

Anyone can begrudge Schumacher his achievements all you want but when you look back and watch driving like this, it just makes you appreciate how special the man was in his day:

F1 Spa 2002 Qualifying - Michael Schumacher Lap (ITV Commentary) - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDxENRMtASo)

[In The Pits]

He let Vettel pass for two reasons. One, to help stop Alonso winning the WDC, two, to help stop Ferrari having a WDC driver.

BTW, is not about begrudging his achievements, its about acknowledging that he was a terrible arrogant "antisport", parking at rascasse, crashing into hill and JV, all that type of thing- terrible.