Michael Schumacher Retires this year, 2006-09-11

As you know I love Formula 1 and my favourite driver is and always was Michael Schumacher.
Yesterday "Schumi" after winning the Monza Grand Prix (Italy) finaly said that he will retire at the end of this season. With 3 more races to go. He also said that he will try to end his career with 3 wins on the 3 races.
We will miss you.



http://www.eurosport.com/formula1/italian-gp/2006/sport_sto961990.shtml

Michael Schumacher’s reign as the top Grand Prix driver of the last 10 years comes to an end in little over a months time, but where does the German rank amongst the greats? eurosport.com readers have been emailing in their suggestions all day.

A man who will be remembered as much for his immense speed and sensational car control as for the numerous controversial incidents that has blighted his career, Schumacher will retire at the end of this season to be replaced at Ferrari by Kimi Raikkonen.

Since making his debut in the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher has put his name on almost every Formula One record, with Fernando Alonso's title as the youngest world champion the only significant stat that eludes him.

Schumacher has started 247 Grands Prix, winning 90. He has also taken 68 pole positions, 75 fastest laps and scored 2,154 points.

As well as that, he has collected seven world titles including five in a row between 2000 and 2004 and dominated every team-mate he's ever had.

But how does he compare to the sport's other great names.?

Would he have beaten Juan Manuel Fangio, Jackie Stewart, Alain Prost or Ayrton Senna in equal machinery while all were at their peak?

We appealed to Formula One fans across Europe and were overwhelmed with the response that saw at least 60 per cent of voters nominating Schumacher as the greatest driver in Formula One history.

Here are some of the top fives we recieved. Go to the bottom of the page to see the drivers ranked.

Ene Alexandru (Bucharest): Michael Schumahcer, Ayrton Senna, Jackie Stewart, Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost.

Oto (Tiblisi): Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Fangio, Niki Lauda.

Ray Cattini (London): Ronnie Peterson, Jim Clark, Alberto Ascari, Fangio, Stewart.

Radu Chirila (Cluj-Napoca): Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Lauda, Fangio.

Stanislav Raykov (Europe): Senna, Fangio, Schumacher, Prost, Mika Hakkinen.

Carl Barenbrug (Edinburgh): Schumacher, Senna, Stewart, Fernando Alonso, Fangio

Alam Alsous (Vojvodina): Schumacher, Senna, Fangio, Prost, Stewart.

Jelic Branislav (Becej): Senna, Fangio, Prost, Schumacher, Stirling Moss.

Stijepo Letunic (Dubrovnik): Nigel Mansell, Senna, Schumacher, Prost, Lauda.

Wouter Nagel (Groningen): Senna, Schumacher, Fangio, Clark, Jos Verstappen.

Manoiu Marius (Constanta): Schumacher, Senna, Lauda, Mansell, Ascari.

Jurgen Kolenda (Frankfurt): Schumacher, Fangio, Prost, Senna, Stewart.

Izuchukwu Ig (Lagos): Schumacher, Prost, Senna, Stewart, Mario Andretti.

Zara (Bucharest): Schumacher, Senna, Fangio, Emerson Fittipaldi, Lauda.

J.Mark (Europe): Kimi Raikkonen, Senna, Hakkinen, Schumacher, Prost.

Linda Jansone (Riga): Schumacher, Senna, Lauda, Fangio, Prost.

Affa Mustaffa (Europe): Schumacher, Schumacher, Schumacher, Senna, Prost.

Rad Victor (Cluj-Napoca): Senna, Fangio, Prost, Stewart, Lauda.

Kulcsar Tamas (Budapest): Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Fangio, Nelson Piquet.

Dana Daneshvari (Basel): Schumacher, Senna, Fangio, Prost, Stewart.

Mauro Onori (Stockholm): Schumacher, Fangio, Senna, Ascari, Prost.

Dany Kattar (Canada): Schumacher, Prost, Fangio, Senna, Stewart.

Zlatko Bocov (Serbia): Schumacher, Senna, Lauda, Hakkinen, Raikkonen.

Kiril Angeloff (Venezuela): Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Lauda, Fangio

Kev Perry (England): Schumacher, Prost, Senna, Lauda, Piquet.

Sergiu Calin (Romania): Senna, Prost, Schumacher, Fangio, Mansell

Bruno Trapan (Pula): Senna, Ascari, Prost, Raikkonen, Schumacher.

Al Mexican (Estonia): Senna, Schumacher, Fangio, Prost, Gilles Villeneuve.

Philip Lamotte (London): Schumacher, Senna, Fangio, Prost, Lauda.

Adis Mulahasic (Jacksonville): Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Fangio, Hakkinen.

Michal Mazur (Poland): Senna, Robert Kubica, Alonso, Prost, Lauda.

Stefan Muresanu (Bucharest): Schumacher, Schumacher, Schumacher, Schumacher, Fangio.

Pavel (Riga): Senna, Prost, Fangio, Stewart, Clark.

Alexandru Druduman (Bucharest): Senna, Schumacher, Lauda, Fangio, Piquet.

Alex Siclovan (Iasi): Schumacher, Lauda, Senna, Hakkinen, Jean Alesi.

Michael (Riga): Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Fangio, Hakkinen.

Bahaa (Dubai): Senna, Schumacher, Stewart, Fangio, Prost

Rodger Baker (Kansas): Fangio, Clark, Moss, Senna, Schumacher

Elias Abi Abdallah (Toulouse): Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Fangio, Hakkinen.

Eki Ehizele (Benin City): Schumacher, Senna, Fangio, Prost, Fittipaldi.

Florin Stefanescu (Bucharest): Schumacher, Senna, Lauda, Prost, Fangio.

Zulkarnain Jalil (Aceh): Schumacher, Prost, Fangio, Lauda.

Borislav Mourdzhev (Sofia): Schumacher, Senna, Hakkinen, Prost, Lauda.

Milan Jovanovic and Gornji Milanovac (Europe): Prost, Senna, Alesi, Patrick Depailler, Jacques Villeneuve.

Joseph Ghanime (Lebanon): Schumacher, Schumacher, Schumacher, Schumacher&helliper. Schumacher.

Bakhodir Shavketov (Tashkent): Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Stewart, Hakkinen.

Immer Cardona (Valletta): Senna, Schumacher, Fangio, Prost, Mansell.

Kliton Ikonomi (Unknown): Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Fangio, Lauda.

Elena (Sofia): Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Lauda, Fangio.

Viljem Rome (Ljubljana): Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Fangio, Ascari.

Jeremy Amer (Vienna): Schumacher, Mansell, Lauda, Senna, Stewart.

Florescu Alexandru (Romania): Fangio, Senna, Hakkinen, Raikkonen, Prost.

So here they are, in order, the greatest Formula One drivers of all time according to eurosport.com readers. Unsurprisinly Schumacher comes out on top, although there are some interesting suggestions and some notable absences. We've awarded F1-style points (10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1) to give them an order. Thanks to everyone who took part.

1. Michael Schumacher 430pts

2. Ayrton Senna 399

3. Juan Manuel Fangio 229

4. Alain Prost 223

5. Niki Lauda 96

6. Jackie Stewart 64

7. Mika Hakkinen 48

8. Nigel Mansell 31

9. Jim Clark 25

10. Alberto Ascari/Kimi Raikkonen 19

12. Stiring Moss 18

13. Ronnie Peterson 14

14. Nelson Piquet 12

15. Fernando Alonso 11

16. Emerson Fittipaldi/Jean Alesi 10

18. Robert Kubica 8

19. Patrick Depailler 5

20. Gilles Villeneuve/Jacques Villeneuve/Mario Andretti/Jos Verstappen 4

SCHUMI EQUALS A LEGEND

http://www.eurosport.com/formula1/bahrain-gp/2006/sport_sto848405.shtml

SCHUMI EQUALS A LEGEND



Eurosport - Barry Thomas - 11/03/2006

Michael Schumacher has taken pole position for Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix after an enthralling qualifying session on Ssaturday, equalling Ayrton Senna's record of 65 poles. The German had to pull out a late flyer to beat team-mate Felipe Massa into second with Honda's Jenson Button third.

The new qualifying session can only be described as a huge hit after spectators, drivers and teams were left on a knife edge throughout the one-hour session. "I love it," said Honda sporting director Gil de Ferran. "I spent an hour without breathing. It was on a knife edge throughout."



It didn't take long for the suspense to set in as the leading drivers, for some reason or other, decided to wait until the dying moments of the first session before setting a time, and just as they were about to go out, Kimi Raikkonen brought everything to a halt when the rear suspension collapsed on his McLaren, leaving him last on the grid.

The drivers flooded out on track for a final run as only four laps remaining, causing Ralf Schumacher to miss the passage into the second phase as he qualified 17th. He was joined by Christijan Albers, Tiago Monteiro, Takuma Sato and Yuji Ide with Raikkonen last.

Into the second session, which was this time uninterrupted, but saw Jacques Villeneuve pushed from the safety of tenth to eleventh by team-mate Nick Heidfeld. Nico Rosberg, David Coulthard, Jarno Trulli, Vito Liuzzi and Scott Speed also failed to make it through to the final shootout.

The final twenty minute session is dictated by the introduction of fuel into the lottery. The remaining ten drivers began by burning off fuel before coming into the pits for fresh tyres in order to set a banker, and with just three minutes remaining, come in again for new tyres and a two lap burst.

Ferrari, who either judged the balance perfectly or were running light, gave Michael Schumacher the first chance to go for pole before he was beaten to P1 by team-mate Felipe Massa. Schumacher retaliated with the fastest lap on his second flying run, taking pole by just 0.05 seconds to equal Ayrton Senna's record of 65 poles.



"It's an amazing result. All winter we knew we seemed to have a good package but then you wait for the final confirmation. Here we have the confirmation," Schumacher said. "It's a nice way to be back and a great feeling."

The result was obviously aided by Ferrari's nine-day test at the same circuit last month, with Britain's Jenson Button - who also tested at Sakhir - finished third on the grid, alongside Renault's defending world champion Fernando Alonso.

Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya was fifth for McLaren, ahead of Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, with Mark Webber a fine seventh for Williams. Austrian Christian Klien was eighth for Red Bull, with Giancarlo Fisichella a disappointing ninth after he suffered enigne problems.