Schumi Retires For Good

[LabradoRacer 2]

http://en.espnf1.com/mercedes/motorsport/story/90550.html

Sad. But it is the best option available, and it's the correct decision.

Here's hoping that he shows his fans a glimpse or two of his heydays in the remaining 6 races.

[pabloh20 1]

Ah well, correct decision I guess. He has no regrets, that's the way it should be.

Thanks for the memories, Schumi.

[LabradoRacer 2]

His statement "In the end, it is not my ambition to just drive around but to fight for victories; and the pleasure of driving is nourished by competitiveness." says it all.

[Quiet One 15]

"In the past six years I have learned a lot, also about me, and I am thankful for it: for example, that you can open yourself up without losing focus. That losing can be both more difficult and more instructive than winning; something I had lost out of sight sometimes in earlier years. That you have to appreciate to be able to do what you love. That you have to live your convictions. I have opened my horizon, and I am at ease with myself.

Huge respect.

[dribbler 6]

Goodbye Michael.

[LabradoRacer 2]

Huge respect.

+1

[LabradoRacer 2]

Goodbye Michael.

[JHS18 0]

F1 died a little bit for me today.

It sounds stupid to say a driver is as big as the sport that made him the worldwide name he still is, but for me it is true.

Michael was the reason I started following F1. He was the guy who clearly stood out to me, and gave me so much excitement with the way he drove. I will never, ever forget some of the races he won, and even some he didn't. No driver, not even Vettel or Alonso, as good as they both are, have ever rekindled that excitement for me of supporting a driver.

I never got to see Senna race - I was not even one year old when he was killed. But I am very thankful that I got to see another legend of the sport succeed at the very height of his career, and be at an age so I could appreciate what I was watching. Even these last three years have been fun - Montreal '11 was a blast, so close to the podium, at one stage running second. Pole at Monaco, even though it didn't count. I was thrilled when he got a podium at Valencia.

So thank you Michael for all the memories. It would now be good for Mercedes to sort their Sh#t out for the remaining six races so he can go out on a high, like he deserves.

2013 will feel very odd. I'm not sure I'm ready for it.

[Quiet One 15]

2013 will feel very odd. I'm not sure I'm ready for it.

Yeah, so many cars finishing the race without some old guy crashing onto them...

What? Too soon?

[JHS18 0]

Yeah, so many cars finishing the race without some old guy crashing onto them...

No. More like too many prima donna, pay check chasing, winging, over-rated cry babies who think they're Ayrton Senna on the grid.

What? Too soon?

[LabradoRacer 2]

Yeah, so many cars finishing the race without some old guy crashing onto them...

What? Too soon?

Ouch.

[pabloh20 1]

Yeah, so many cars finishing the race without some old guy crashing onto them...

What? Too soon?

That's just vicious

Besides, I don't think Alonso will deteriorate that quickly, he has at least another decent season left in him.............maybe

[Quiet One 15]

That's just vicious

Besides, I don't think Alonso will deteriorate that quickly, he has at least another decent season left in him.............maybe

That's more than we can say of you!

BTW Sorry guys. No actual disrespect. Just mean to cheer you up a little.

[dribbler 6]

F1 died a little bit for me today.

It sounds stupid to say a driver is as big as the sport that made him the worldwide name he still is, but for me it is true.

Michael was the reason I started following F1. He was the guy who clearly stood out to me, and gave me so much excitement with the way he drove. I will never, ever forget some of the races he won, and even some he didn't. No driver, not even Vettel or Alonso, as good as they both are, have ever rekindled that excitement for me of supporting a driver.

I never got to see Senna race - I was not even one year old when he was killed. But I am very thankful that I got to see another legend of the sport succeed at the very height of his career, and be at an age so I could appreciate what I was watching. Even these last three years have been fun - Montreal '11 was a blast, so close to the podium, at one stage running second. Pole at Monaco, even though it didn't count. I was thrilled when he got a podium at Valencia.

So thank you Michael for all the memories. It would now be good for Mercedes to sort their Sh#t out for the remaining six races so he can go out on a high, like he deserves.

2013 will feel very odd. I'm not sure I'm ready for it.

No one is bigger than the sport they indulge themselves in. You might think like this if you had seen Senna race. Michael delivered and has some great stattistics behind him that will stand the test of time for some while yet.

But he didn't have the spiritual passion that Senna had.

Michael was incredibly lucky to have a brilliant support network and some great cars.Michael Schumacher will always be just as much about the Ferrari era he created as the man himself. Combine this with (with the exception of Hakkinen) very little true rivalling talent and you have a scenario many have tried to emulate, but thus far not got close to. Vettel has had a fair crack at doing the same, Alonso is half way through and Lewis is just about to start. Let's see what they can do.

His legacy will be dented by this three year stint at Mercedes and his questionable tactics, but not harmed entirely. He had some great drives. I will remember him and those drives forever.

[Insider 0]

Ditto, Ditto, Ditto

[pabloh20 1]

That's more than we can say of you!

BTW Sorry guys. No actual disrespect. Just mean to cheer you up a little.

That's not what you said on Saturday night

So you're idea of cheering us up is to make fun of the sitatuion that has made us sad?? You don't actually wonder why you are single do you??

[Massa 0]

He made the right choice.

I'm sure it's sad for the Schumacher fans, but you're only missing the agony of him not winning. 2007-2009 were just fine without him. It was Schumacher's decision to go out, and to go out honorably. Don't take it out on his team or on the driver who replaced him because I highly, highly doubt Schumacher ever would.

[JHS18 0]

Don't take it out on his team or on the driver who replaced him

Sorry, that won't be happening.

Get ready for lots of Mercedes/Hamilton criticism from me come '13. They deserve all the Sh#t they get. It'll be funny for me to have a team and driver I generally hate, something that has not happened since 2007. A return to the SuperKimi days.

[Massa 0]

Ah, yeah, SuperKimi. Good thing he was bitter toward Schumacher's successor who had left McLaren for higher pay, and toward Schumacher's old team who had essentially forced him out by signing a new lead driver. Wait...

You know, 12 cars will be retiring for good after this year. It's really sad. I bet the McLaren MP4-27 has a few more wins left in it, but the team is forcing it out for the MP4-28 which is surely just in it for the money and fame. F1 will never be the same for me without the Ferrari F2012 and I really just feel like the Caterham CT01 will be thought of as the one that got away. When you think about it, with it being car racing and not driver racing, the real stars, the real things necessary for a race, all retire every year.

Eh, whatever, I'm not going to tell people how to feel about it. I guess I just got used to my favorite drivers either never being successful in the first place, or staying on so far past their welcome I was just begging them to retire.

[dribbler 6]

Sorry, that won't be happening.

Get ready for lots of Mercedes/Hamilton criticism from me come '13. They deserve all the Sh#t they get. It'll be funny for me to have a team and driver I generally hate, something that has not happened since 2007. A return to the SuperKimi days.

Stop being a prick. You inability to separate your feelings toward a driver or a team are almost as annoying as your insistence on constantly referring to an insignificant and uninteresting alter ego.

Maybe I should announce my retirement from here before I get fired. Oh the twisted irony.

[AleHop 0]

Goodbye Schumi. Stay away from bikes. Some DTM, Lemans or rallying would do no harm.

Don't know what emoticon is appropriate for this situation.

[Peeweev 0]

I'm not a Schumacher fan but I respect what he did and achived over his long career. The stats are fantastic and maybe there wasnt the compitition there is now for race wins and what not but still 7 titles is very good. He has achieved things many men dream of but the thing he has done that very very few is decide to retire, twice! some drivers dont ever get to decide that but have no option but to fade away.

I must agree that I'm not sure that the racing will be any poorer for him leaving, although the crashes might not be as good! And clearly his passion (dare I say his ablity) to drive/race has diminished although his passion for cars clearly hasnt as he is happy to eat torro rosso's! yummy!

He will be missed for what he achived during his "first career" but not for his tame and dull second.

I do hope that his legacy will not be tainted by his poor decisions and crashes that have happened far too often during the ast 3 years. He made some serious mistakes and some misjudgements. Pushing rubens into a wall was dangerous and he shouldnt have crashed into the back of several drivers this year. I believe that in ten years time we will mainly remember him for his domination and success not his attempt at showing the old guys still have it, which they clearly dont!

I'm sure there will be some Schumi fans that will disagree with me and that is fine cos I know I'm right

ps I'll upgrade the I previous gave him to a

[LabradoRacer 2]

This time the sadness isn't for his retirement, but for his lack of success. I think most Schumi fans feel relieved and at peace that he's retiring.

[Massa 0]

This time the sadness isn't for his retirement, but for his lack of success. I think most Schumi fans feel relieved and at peace that he's retiring.

Yeah, I can understand that. It's definitely not fun to have the excitement of a new opportunity just degrade into doubts over what he did in the past. Sometimes people forget this isn't pink slip racing...beating Schumacher does not mean he has to forfeit his 7 titles to you! It's hard to make excuses for the last three years, but it's pretty easy to drown them out with the era of pure domination that preceded it. And, while it may seem like longevity wasn't his strength, given this comeback, it's important to remember that Schumacher won his final title ten years after his first. To still be that competitive that long after, that's just impressive.

I would have loved to see him race up there with Alonso one more time...2006 was so much fun for me, then as an Alonso fan, what a great rivalry that was. Some of the best moments that year were Schumacher's. Even I was happy to see him carving through the field at Valencia to get third.

[Rainmaster 7]

It's the right decision. I also thought his comment which QO quoted was really a great thing to say, and that his openness was refreshing throughout his comeback. If all Schumi and some of his critics take from his return is that Schumacher isn't such a hard nosed, closed off, unemotional winning machine, I think that is a success in itself, and is more important for his reputation than his failure to replicate his previous form.