[nitrous]

Originally Posted by anachronix

This thing sucks!

Dint someone give him something and said, "You MUST read this"

http://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=kD0iQ...&feature=share

He's very intelligent.
He's showing the whole world that he's made to read out of a script provided to him.
Guess, we'll see him at the German/European superbike championship in 2013.

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by nitrous

He's very intelligent.
He's showing the whole world that he's made to read out of a script provided to him.

Not necessarily. Lot of people read from prepared scripts. This is to avoid forgetting any critical point especially in a press conference and risk being misquoted or misunderstood.

He read what he has posted on his site too.

[anachronix]

May be you should watch one of Michael's interview. Thats not how his interviews are... For example, when he announced his first retirement at post race press conference. He dint carry a note.

I agree some people carry notes!

Originally Posted by nileshch

Not necessarily. Lot of people read from prepared scripts. This is to avoid forgetting any critical point especially in a press conference and risk being misquoted or misunderstood.

He read what he has posted on his site too.

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by anachronix

May be you should watch one of Michael's interview. Thats not how his interviews are... For example, when he announced his first retirement at post race press conference. He dint carry a note.

I agree some people carry notes!

No point in reading between the lines, I believe he was infact looking at a seat at Ferrari before retiring one final time, But the moment Luca De'montzemelo burted out ""SCHUMI A THREAT TO ALONSO'S WDC FOR 2013"" we got to hear Schumi's retirement.

Not a great news for we fans, as there is none in the grid who can match up to the persona the Great Michael Schumacher was.

Vettel with the 3rd WDC can come close to him, if he's still as competitive as he is now, else i doubt any other F1 driver coming close to Schumi.

[vb-saan]

I have never been a fan of Schumacher, but each of his battles/antics during his prime days were pure entertainment for the spectators. And one trait I highly respect/admire (about his second stint) is the courage to shrug off the probability of damaging his legendary status, and pursue what he enjoy the most i.e.; being in a race car.

He has achieved so much, and I guess it’s the right decision to retire now. His records will anyway remain intact for a while (probably forever).

[PuntoMania]

Apparently the news I'm reading is Michael did not inform either Ross Brawn or Nobert Haug about his decision to retire till 5 minutes before his press conference.

On the other hand, Jean Todt already knew about Schumacher's decision a few days before he announced it. (I'm guessing even before the Hamilton Mercedes announcement)

Funny stuff around Schumacher these days. To me it looks like he's had some differences with Haug / Brawn or both. Maybe the way the whole announcement of Hamilton was handled, i.e. without allowing Schumacher to announce first, or using the negative press about MS after Singapore as an opportunity, might have irked him. We'll know for sure if he completely cuts off from the Mercedes F1 team after 2012.

Who knows, there might be a role in the FIA for him once he hangs up his boots. With the kind of experience he has in this sport, he will be a massive benefit to any team or in any capacity in F1.

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by PuntoMania

Apparently the news I'm reading is Michael did not inform either Ross Brawn or Nobert Haug about his decision to retire till 5 minutes before his press conference.

On the other hand, Jean Todt already knew about Schumacher's decision a few days before he announced it. (I'm guessing even before the Hamilton Mercedes announcement)

...

Who knows, there might be a role in the FIA for him once he hangs up his boots. With the kind of experience he has in this sport, he will be a massive benefit to any team or in any capacity in F1.

I somehow have a feeling that everyone knew about everything since the last few months. Take a look at this news from 13th September --

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/for...anagement.html

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn feels Michael Schumacher could take on a management role come the day he retires from driving for good.
Schumacher's future continues to be the subject of speculation, with his three-year contract at Mercedes expiring at the end of the season.

The seven-time champion insists he is in no hurry to decide whether he will carry on, and is likely to give the German manufacturer an answer some time next month.

Waiting in the wings is McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, whose management team have already held talks with Mercedes over a potential multi-million pound deal from next year.

In retrospect, it seems that the timing was pre-planned anyway. I doubt anyone in FIA or F1 likes surprises.

[PuntoMania]

Originally Posted by nileshch

I somehow have a feeling that everyone knew about everything since the last few months. Take a look at this news from 13th September --

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/for...anagement.html



In retrospect, it seems that the timing was pre-planned anyway. I doubt anyone in FIA or F1 likes surprises.

Schumacher was offered a 1 year contract in the summer, this is almost certain and confirmed by everyone involved. He did not sign it immediately, because he was waiting to see if he thought Mercedes could provide him with a car that was capable of winning.

This is why he was spotted at the young driver test recently where Sam Bird was testing the new updates on the Mercedes. He was still not convinced, and must have had second thoughts thinking about driving another year in a rank midfield car.

Mercedes, on the other hand, was contacted by Lewis' management team, and since they were not sure of whether Schumacher was going to re-sign anyway, took the chance and started serious negotiations with another driver, a very good one at that. Nothing surprising. Mercedes could not afford to wait around if Schumacher decided late in the day to retire.

I think the major source of friction was that at some point, the decision was not MS's alone and started also depending on whether Hamilton signed up for Mercedes (which is quite understandable given Schumacher's age + the fact that he was undecided + the fact that Lewis is well regarded as a massive talent on the paddock).

I'm not sure who is in the right or wrong in this whole scenario, since it was Mclaren that first broke the news of the signing of Perez, which all but confirmed that Lewis is replacing Schumacher.

But one thing is for sure, even in 2012 it took one of the hottest properties in the driver market to replace Michael which is commendable.

[sa_kiran]

Schumacher did approach Ferrari and Sauber to extend his career.
http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/story-207140.html

[Fullrevs]

Im sure it hurts the schumi fans to see him leave again. I am a huge fan. But as many have pointed out, its best he leaves. He never did approach Sauber or Ferrari. The link with the scuderia ended when he left to Mercedes and while he still has lots of friends and many of his mechanics still work with the team, he has not approached them for a drive. Peter Sauber himself has refuted claims that he was contacted for a drive. Somewhere inside though I did hope he and Alonso could be driving for Ferrari in 2013. However, Massa has upped his game it seems like and Ferrari are known to be a one-man team. Nando prefers massa to anyone as it gives him a clear path to be the lead driver.

Mercedes decision to hire Hamilton was shared with Schumacher according to the press and the top bosses like Brawn and Haug. So he wasnt abandoned or ditched there i think. I did sense a little foul play but I doubt Brawn would do that to schumi.

If you ask me, the crash in singapore (into the back of vergne)made him really sit and think about it. He knew it was a rookie mistake and he could very much sense his reaction time and alertness slowly fade away. Reason he didnt want to stay back at Mercedes as a ambassador or a mentor is probably because they have hired Niki Lauda as a board chairman. I dont think he would want to play second fiddle to the austrian or take instructions from him.

Im with most in hoping that he can get a win before he leaves. It was great to see him sip champagne at Valencia but a win would be the real deal.

Thank you MS once again!

[sridhar24]

Schumi will be missed by us fans all over. I seriously doubt if any other driver can even come close to his records and world championships, the level of intelligence & commitment in the car and the capability to build a team around him.
I never really compared him to the current younger generation drivers, because i believe he is completely from a different era, probably the best one. Among the youngsters i feel Alonso is the only complete driver out there.
But i feel it was best decision for him to retire at this stage rather than continuing with some other smaller teams like say Sauber, about which there was a strong rumor. He has got nothing to prove to the people who say "he's lost it" and trash.
You are the best Schumi!

[9thsphinx]

I don't understand his reasoning for joining back F1 in the first place. He was in his prime, a legend, a hero - when he retired from F1 and Ferrari. And then he comes back, joins a new team (with little to no wins) and looses all respect following all races he participated in till date. This time, he must retire for good and never think of coming back!

[sa_kiran]

Originally Posted by 9thsphinx

This time, he must retire for good and never think of coming back!

Dude, he is 43! Do you think he can make a comeback?

[PuntoMania]

Originally Posted by 9thsphinx

I don't understand his reasoning for joining back F1 in the first place.

Precisely, and you probably never will. Many of the world's greatest athletes have made comebacks over the years. Just a few examples :

1. Bjorn Borg, one of the greatest tennis players of all time came back in the 90s to try and recreate some of his genius on the tennis court - He failed.

2. Michael Jordan, who retired as the undisputed greatest basketball player of all time, returned for a few seasons with the Wizards where he was nowhere near his best.

3. Lance Armstrong, who dominated cycling like no other, returned to his sport after years, and saw that father time had caught up with him.

4. Muhammed Ali, who retired from boxing in 1979, returned after a 1 year hiatus and was dropped by boxers whom he would have had for breakfast in his prime.

The above are 4 of the greatest athletes of all time, why did these men come back after having achieved everything in their sport and more ? There is something that separates good athletes from the true geniuses, the greats from the legends, and that something is passion. Their passion and self belief for their respective sport blinds everything else, even perhaps the noticeable decline in their abilities with age. And, as you may often observe, even if they do realize they aren’t as good as before, they still enjoy what they're doing, probably more than some of the 19 year olds that get their first taste of competition. His love for the sport and the thrill of racing is unparalleled, and F1 will be poorer after his retirment.

Michael Schumacher came back, not for you or me, but for Michael Schumacher. He has racing in his blood and was clearly being pursued by top teams for years after his first retirement, because he was that good.

Originally Posted by 9thsphinx

He was in his prime, a legend, a hero - when he retired from F1 and Ferrari. And then he comes back, joins a new team (with little to no wins) and looses all respect following all races he participated in till date. This time, he must retire for good and never think of coming back!

He may have lost respect in your eyes, but not too many others !

Schumacher showed, especially in late 2011 and the whole of this year,that he still has enough of his talent to compete at the very highest level of motorsport which is a testimony to his huge reserves of speed.

No one can wipe off the records he has set, and the glory he has attained by being a major part of Ferrari’s most successful run ever. No one can wipe of the memory of the countless races he has outperformed his car, or the fear he instilled in his competitors every time he set foot in a Formula 1 car, or the magical performances he put in whenever there was rain on a racing track.

[jraj]

Complete off topic

Motorsport has posted lots of pics of MS home in Gland,Swiss.
Look at this pic.Is that a GrandePunto in the driveway