Alonso Key Factor In Schu's Retirement, He Admits!

[cristiano84 0]

Michael Schumacher has admitted that the ascendency of Fernando Alonso was one of the factors that contributed to his retirement. Schumi declared to the Spanish magazine 'Gentleman' that he decided to retire because he felt that his dedication to the sport started to slip. The German said: "And I always said that the day a younger driver went past me would tell me that the moment had arrived to leave."

Schumacher also declared that he sympathises with Fernando Alonso as the Spaniard is going through a rough time with the press. Schumi said: "I have been astonished by the commentaries of certain journalists. This person is the youngest double world champion of all time, but they write that he is arrogant and inaccessible ..."

Source: F1Technical.net

[V12 0]

Schumi always respected fernando even last year at those final few races when schumacher closed in on Fernando, i can't recall to my memory Michael saying a bad thing adout Fernando. And nor can i recall Fernando slurring at michael, I do remember him loosing it at the Renault team after China and at the FIA after Monza but never at Michael.

anyway when Fernando was a young gun Michael did spot him at the start of his formula one career so Michael must have knew he would be racing him one day.

I think that the moment that Michael thought that he was past his best was when Fernando breesed past Michael back at Suzuka 05. I think myself personally, that Michael had his self appraisal and decided to retire. To me anyway

[aussief1 4]

Great show of respect from Michael towards Fernando. And respect showed from Fernando to Michael after he was named the winner of the prestigious Prince of Asturias sports award.

I think it really has dawned on Fernando what it will take for him to be the greatest ever and possibly surpass the achievements of Michael. It will need him to be the undisputed number one driver in the team, like Michael was at Benetton and Ferrari.

[Jem of the Shire 0]

Hardly surprising that this story comes from a Spanish magazine - no doubt the magazine asked him about Alonso, just as ITV would no doubt ask Schuey about his feelings on Hamilton.

My feeling in 2006 was that Schuey was retiring because the media pressure was building and building, and he had nothing else to prove. If he wanted to retire when a young driver had beaten him, he surely would've done it in 2005

[tifosi too! 0]

Stupid headlines, people jumping on them...

Happens all the time!

Anyway his whole " admission" is exactly this :

"And I always said that the day a younger driver went past me would tell me that the moment had arrived to leave."

Since the majority here knows F1 is not all about the driver but the car as well, I would happily BET Schumi knows that as well. Alonso winning in the Renault couldn 't really hurt him psychologically now, right? A driver in a faster car, goes faster. This had been the case in his entire carreer and he also had the best car on occasions (many) so he knows exactly how it goes!

The thing is MS doesn't mention FA here!The real explanation is because he wasn' t talking about him!As I explained above you can only realise you are getting old, if you are a 7 times WDC, if a guy in the same car is faster than you!

So there! MS RETIRED BECAUSE OF FELIPPE MASSA !!!!!!

Ok?Thanks, bye....

[kiko01 0]

Hardly surprising that this story comes from a Spanish magazine - no doubt the magazine asked him about Alonso, just as ITV would no doubt ask Schuey about his feelings on Hamilton.

My feeling in 2006 was that Schuey was retiring because the media pressure was building and building, and he had nothing else to prove. If he wanted to retire when a young driver had beaten him, he surely would've done it in 2005

Jems... even when i can agree with you in your point (MS retired because he had nothing to prove) i hate the way you allways make these stupid comments when the info comes from a Spanish source. Mate, as spanish i'm quite bored of this kind of things and i wanted you to know (why don't you do the same when the source is British? )

[dribbler 6]

Michael always said that as soon as a guy came along who was quicker, he would stop. Fernando came along, inevitable really. I would be fascinated to see how this year would be going for the old man, if he were still driving. I would hazard a guess that Hamilton may not be leading the championship right now because although he wouldn't have been the quickest out there, Michael still would have been the best at maximizing his potential; something Kimi and Felipe haven't done this year, in my view.

All speculative and indulgent rubbish, sorry.

[kiko01 0]

Michael always said that as soon as a guy came along who was quicker, he would stop. Fernando came along, inevitable really. I would be fascinated to see how this year would be going for the old man, if he were still driving. I would hazard a guess that Hamilton may not be leading the championship right now because although he wouldn't have been the quickest out there, Michael still would have been the best at maximizing his potential; something Kimi and Felipe haven't done this year, in my view.

All speculative and indulgent rubbish, sorry.

Well... even the Schumacher haters like me are missing him

[cristiano84 0]

Stupid headlines, people jumping on them...

Happens all the time!

Anyway his whole " admission" is exactly this :

"And I always said that the day a younger driver went past me would tell me that the moment had arrived to leave."

Since the majority here knows F1 is not all about the driver but the car as well, I would happily BET Schumi knows that as well. Alonso winning in the Renault couldn 't really hurt him psychologically now, right? A driver in a faster car, goes faster. This had been the case in his entire carreer and he also had the best car on occasions (many) so he knows exactly how it goes!

The thing is MS doesn't mention FA here!The real explanation is because he wasn' t talking about him!As I explained above you can only realise you are getting old, if you are a 7 times WDC, if a guy in the same car is faster than you!

So there! MS RETIRED BECAUSE OF FELIPPE MASSA !!!!!!

Ok?Thanks, bye....

Yeah...sure....

[Eric 0]

Stupid headlines, people jumping on them...

Happens all the time!

Anyway his whole " admission" is exactly this :

"And I always said that the day a younger driver went past me would tell me that the moment had arrived to leave."

Since the majority here knows F1 is not all about the driver but the car as well, I would happily BET Schumi knows that as well. Alonso winning in the Renault couldn 't really hurt him psychologically now, right? A driver in a faster car, goes faster. This had been the case in his entire carreer and he also had the best car on occasions (many) so he knows exactly how it goes!

The thing is MS doesn't mention FA here!The real explanation is because he wasn' t talking about him!As I explained above you can only realise you are getting old, if you are a 7 times WDC, if a guy in the same car is faster than you!

So there! MS RETIRED BECAUSE OF FELIPPE MASSA !!!!!!

Ok?Thanks, bye....

Yes, but the Ferrari was the faster car after the mass dampers got banned.

Now, for an unbiased perspective: both should have a lot of respect for eachother because both are superb drivers and both have been at the top of their sport (MS was the best driver in F1 for many years, and Nando is now the best driver in F1), and ALL JEALOUS HATERS SHOULD GROW SOME BALLS (UNLESS THEY'RE GIRLS) AND JUST ADMIT THAT THE OTHER IS A TALENTED DRIVER WHO DESERVES RESPECT.

The end.

[goferrarigo 0]

Stupid headlines, people jumping on them...

Happens all the time!

Anyway his whole " admission" is exactly this :

"And I always said that the day a younger driver went past me would tell me that the moment had arrived to leave."

Since the majority here knows F1 is not all about the driver but the car as well, I would happily BET Schumi knows that as well. Alonso winning in the Renault couldn 't really hurt him psychologically now, right? A driver in a faster car, goes faster. This had been the case in his entire carreer and he also had the best car on occasions (many) so he knows exactly how it goes!

The thing is MS doesn't mention FA here!The real explanation is because he wasn' t talking about him!As I explained above you can only realise you are getting old, if you are a 7 times WDC, if a guy in the same car is faster than you!

So there! MS RETIRED BECAUSE OF FELIPPE MASSA !!!!!!

Ok?Thanks, bye....

I think it is due to Felippe Massa. but not because of the reason you gave....

My views:

Ferrari had signed Kimi earlier than announced, so he had a choice to either stay and race with Kimi or retire. then Massa came along and he could, i feel, see Massa's potiential and knew if he stayed Fm's career would get ruined(FM would have to be a test or go to a lower team) Thus he retired... He said he made the decision to retire after US gp where MSC and FM finished 1-2...

EDIt: hmmm on reading FM's interview he had a two year contract for 2006-2007("the fact I knew that I would be racing for the Reds for at least another year was another plus point and one less thing to worry about."). So Ferrari would have to pay Massa/Kimi to end their contract if Schumi wanted to continue and most drives were filled and confirmed by then so....

[f1reviews 0]

I think schumacher just made a decision that every athlete has to. He retired while being on top (maybe one year late but he needed one more chance after all). He wasn't young he had nothing to prove and he could lose more that what he could earn, given the situation with Kimi and Alonso, by racing for another season. Nobody wants to see a top driver (athlete) being unable to meet expctations. It would be terible to watch him in this situation. It's better for him to be remembered as a total recordman than just a driver who "used to be" and struggles for a place.

It just wouldn't be nice (even for me - I can't say I liked him), to be this way.

Anyway bottom line is that a top sportsman should retire while on the top.

All other things is just talking to the reporters...

[tifosi too! 0]

Yeah...sure....

You wouldn't regognise an ironic post even it bit you on the hand, would you?

I tried to point out that your "breaking news" was in fact subjective journalism/reader dependent trash. Most people didn't get it !

Nevermind...

[MontoyaFan-HatesJenson 0]

MontoyaFan-HatesJenson (hereafter MFHJ) has admitted that the obsessive defendance of Jenson Button was one of the factors that contributed to his retirement. MFHJ declared to the Spanish magazine 'Button Sucks, For Sure, No?' that he decided to retire because he felt that his dedication to the sport started to slip. The Englishman said: "And I always said that the day a younger poster defended him would be the day I would leave the forum"

MFHJ also declared that he sympathises with Jenson's fans as the group is going through a rough time and has been for some time. MFHJ said: "I have been astonished by the guts of certain fans of his. This person is the most overrated for least wins driver of all time, but they write that he is unbelieveable and incredible..."

Source: MFHJ.net

[Autumnpuma 0]

Jems... even when i can agree with you in your point (MS retired because he had nothing to prove) i hate the way you allways make these stupid comments when the info comes from a Spanish source. Mate, as spanish i'm quite bored of this kind of things and i wanted you to know (why don't you do the same when the source is British? )

I'm sure Jem can stick up for himself, but I think you took his post wrong. What I got from Jem's post is that Mikey would naturally want to talk well about Alonso to the Spanish media just as he talks well of Hamilton to the British press. I understood from his post that Jem is rather cynical of Mikey's favorable comments towards Alonso because of that. Nothing in the post was anti-Spanish.

That being said, I've noticed a number of Brits simply don't like the Spanish. Still holding a grudge about wars from centuries back perhaps?

[Rainmaster 7]

another needless thread, cristiano84. isn't it a little obvious that when Schumi stopped winning (championships), it was going to be a factor in his retirement.

why do you use the word 'admits' - you make it sound like a confession or something, when it's acually something quite obvious.

you stop winning/dominating>less overall enjoyment>less determination/motivation>retirement

i'm starting to notice an anti schumacher/ferrari theme in your posts/threads, already getting bored by it tbh.

try and respond to this without using the words 'ferrari' or 'schumi'. the first step is admitting you have a problem.

[kiko01 0]

I'm sure Jem can stick up for himself, but I think you took his post wrong. What I got from Jem's post is that Mikey would naturally want to talk well about Alonso to the Spanish media just as he talks well of Hamilton to the British press. I understood from his post that Jem is rather cynical of Mikey's favorable comments towards Alonso because of that. Nothing in the post was anti-Spanish.

That being said, I've noticed a number of Brits simply don't like the Spanish. Still holding a grudge about wars from centuries back perhaps?

I don't think Jems has nothing against Spanish people (i've ben many times in England and i've got quite a lot of English friends actually. I never felt anyone had nothing against me for being spanish, i like british to be honest) but this kind of comments have been made for him several times, this is what annoys me...

Yeah, that battle where the spanish "invincible army" was not that invincible was hard but that was 500 years ago...

[Fed up 0]

I don't think Jems has nothing against Spanish people (i've ben many times in England and i've got quite a lot of English friends actually. I never felt anyone had nothing against me for being spanish, i like british to be honest) but this kind of comments have been made for him several times, this is what annoys me...

Yeah, that battle where the spanish "invincible army" was not that invincible was hard but that was 500 years ago...

The problem I have with 'accents' is their dogged defence of all things Nando regardless of the merits or otherwise of the case in point. I must also stress that the word is not used in a derogatory sense, but simply refers to the majority of posters that originate from Spain & Spanish speaking countries.

In this day and age of the EU I dont think there are any posters that view the Spanish as anything other than European brothers & sisters.

Polarisation on partisan grounds is tedious and will always encourage a lack of objectivity.

[kiko01 0]

The problem I have with 'accents' is their dogged defence of all things Nando regardless of the merits or otherwise of the case in point. I must also stress that the word is not used in a derogatory sense, but simply refers to the majority of posters that originate from Spain & Spanish speaking countries.

In this day and age of the EU I dont think there are any posters that view the Spanish as anything other than European brothers & sisters.

Polarisation on partisan grounds is tedious and will always encourage a lack of objectivity.

This is boring... I have critisized Fernando quite a lot of times but at the same time he's my favorite driver and therefore i'm biassed, i have no problem in admitting it. Fernando has won 2 wdc so far and a lot of people here still doesn't respect him as a racer. I may be an Alonso fan but i have no problem in admit how good is Lewis, if he's able to grab this WDC he will deserve a place in the history of the F1 and i won't be the one to try to take the merit away from him.

"The problem I have with 'accents' is their dogged defence of all things Nando regardless of the merits or otherwise of the case in point" Yeah... The ones that don't have "accent" are absolutelly right and fair in their comments, i see. Biassed = Accent

[pabloh20 1]

I'm sure Jem can stick up for himself, but I think you took his post wrong. What I got from Jem's post is that Mikey would naturally want to talk well about Alonso to the Spanish media just as he talks well of Hamilton to the British press. I understood from his post that Jem is rather cynical of Mikey's favorable comments towards Alonso because of that. Nothing in the post was anti-Spanish.

That being said, I've noticed a number of Brits simply don't like the Spanish. Still holding a grudge about wars from centuries back perhaps?

Errmmm, why would we, Mike?

I am not too sure where you have noticed that Brits don't like Spanish, I would say the opposite is true, to be honest. Spanish people are well received here and certainly their sportsmen are - golf, football, tennis and F1 all have Spanish stars that are admired over here.

Also, Spain is a popular holiday destination for British people!

[kiko01 0]

Errmmm, why would we, Mike?

I am not too sure where you have noticed that Brits don't like Spanish, I would say the opposite is true, to be honest. Spanish people are well received here and certainly their sportsmen are - golf, football, tennis and F1 all have Spanish stars that are admired over here.

Also, Spain is a popular holiday destination for British people!

Joking? British girls are gorgeous!!!! Who couldn't love them?

Yeah, some places of the spanish coast are british colonies, you're invading us!!!

[Rainmaster 7]

Errmmm, why would we, Mike?

I am not too sure where you have noticed that Brits don't like Spanish, I would say the opposite is true, to be honest. Spanish people are well received here and certainly their sportsmen are - golf, football, tennis and F1 all have Spanish stars that are admired over here.

Also, Spain is a popular holiday destination for British people!

i agree, i haven't really noticed anything excessively anti-spanish. not like the british/german,british/french national issues. not even like some of the anti-americhanism in the UK.

i don't think it exists at all really.

[pabloh20 1]

Joking? British girls are gorgeous!!!! Who couldn't love them?

Yeah, some places of the spanish coast are british colonies, you're invading us!!!

Sorry, didn't mean the opposite as in the Spanish don't like us, I meant the opposite in that we like the Spanish. Ooops, me bad

[pabloh20 1]

i agree, i haven't really noticed anything excessively anti-spanish. not like the british/german,british/french national issues. not even like some of the anti-americhanism in the UK.

i don't think it exists at all really.

I think the British/German thing mainly exists in football, to be honest. The British/French thing was probably due mostly to the mad cow disease, or BSE, fiasco.

I can't say I have really experienced anti-Americanism outside of this forum to any great extent. Obviously, Bush gets a bit of criticism, like our own leaders do, the war gets criticism, like any war does, but I wouldn't say it exists towards the people.

[kiko01 0]

I think the British/German thing mainly exists in football, to be honest. The British/French thing was probably due mostly to the mad cow disease, or BSE, fiasco.

I can't say I have really experienced anti-Americanism outside of this forum to any great extent. Obviously, Bush gets a bit of criticism, like our own leaders do, the war gets criticism, like any war does, but I wouldn't say it exists towards the people.

Indeed... Anti Bush and anti-Americanism are two different things. Funny because just a few days ago i was talking about this with a couple of american guys who were telling me that we (the europeans) hate the american people wich is not true at all (we do hate Bush )