Title 'stitch-up' row as Schumacher quits

14 April 2012

Michael Schumacher announced his retirement from Formula One after a controversial victory at the Italian Grand Prix.

The Ferrari legend, 37, will quit following the season finale in Brazil on October 22. He said: "It has been tough making this decision but now I want to go out on top."

The victory brought Schumacher within two points of title leader Fernando Alonso, prompting Renault team boss Flavio Briatore to allege a conspiracy to hand the German an eighth world championship.

Alonso was dropped five places to 10th on the grid for allegedly impeding Ferrari's second driver, Felipe Massa, in qualifying and Briatore said: "This championship has already been decided around a table. They have decided to give it to Schumacher." The FIA will investigate his remarks.

The news of Schumacher's retirement came on one closely-typed page of Ferrari's headed notepaper, which hit the Press room at 3.25 yesterday afternoon. The opening line read:

'Michael Schumacher will retire from racing at the end of the 2006 world championship.'

It was a simple line and conveyed the worst-kept secret in sport. But its import was not lost on one gnarled old hack, whose eyes filled up. After all, it's not every day that arguably the greatest driver ever to grace world motorsport says his farewells.

And what more emotional way to do it than having just won the Italian Grand Prix at the Scuderia's home track? Is there a scene anywhere to beat the passion of the red-flag waving tifosi who flooded the track at the race's end?

They chanted Schumacher's name, they lit red flares, they sounded klaxons. They always do when Ferrari win here, but they were savouring a unique occasion. They knew their champion would not be back. Not in the shiny, red car in which he expressed his genius.

Europe has seen the last of Schumacher the driver. He will compete further afield in the final three races of the season as he strives for the perfect send-off: an eighth world title, which came a little nearer by dint of yesterday's processional victory.

Naturally, the man himself was "overwhelmed" as he crossed the line and informed the team over the in-car radio of his decision to quit — made as long ago as the American Grand Prix on July 2 — but he did not crack as he explained why he is going.

The Mona Lisa smile was in place and the voice creaked but the tears were kept at b a y. A t o n e p o i n t h e scratched his eyebrow and a hundred camera bulbs flashed. He knew what they wanted: an iconic frame of a tear being wiped away. He smiled and winked.

The paddock had been jumping with rumour and counter-rumour all weekend. Surely, many argued, this Teutonic automaton, the most ruthless and rapacious competitor, could not give up racing for a pipe and slippers at home on the banks of Lake Geneva at the age of just 37.

Perhaps, though, the family man came out ahead of the driver. Maybe the lure and love of wife Corinna and the life he enjoys with his nine year-old daughter Gina-Maria and son Mick, 6, was irresistible. One suspects so.

He said: "I will never race at Monza again. I have had a brilliant time. What motor sport has given me for the last 30 years has made my life so special. I'd like to thank my dad and my late mother, my wife and kids. They have supported me and the team at Ferrari have been amazing.

"It has been a tough decision but I knew that one day it had to come. Soon my future will belong to my family. Now I just want to concentrate on the last three wins and finish in style, hopefully with the championship."

Typical. Even as he departs he is still looking to add one final glorious chapter to the story. Who would wager against it?

His prowess shows no discernible signs of waning. He was consummate in pushing his successor, Kimi Raikkonen, into second place after starting behind him on pole.

But don't people say he was scared of going head-to-head with the Finn? That he might be shown up when he has a team-mate who is treated on equal terms, rather than one acting as his stooge? Nonsense. There is no reason to believe Raikkonen would be faster.

"I was really pleased to hear he would be the person,' said Schumacher kindly as they sat together in the Press conference, having taken another bite out of defending champion Fernando Alonso's lead. From 25 points, the gap now stands at a tantalising two."

History's definitive judgment must wait but the critics will waste no time in pointing to Schumacher's black spots. Some will claim he is flawed; others that he is unsporting.

They will point to his shenanigans on the way to his first world crown in 1994 when he shunted into title rival Damon Hill . They will cite his attempted collision with Jacques Villeneuve three years later, which saw him thrown out of the championship.

Then there was his blatant bid to sabotage Alonso's final qualifying lap at Monaco this year, when former champion Keke Rosberg labelled him a "cheap cheat".

He has never said sorry for his misdemeanours but his ruthlessness was an essential element of his success. As another Ferrari immortal, Niki Lauda, said yesterday: "That's all part of being a great champion. Unfortunately for Michael, he has been scrutinised by TV's beady eye."

Appropriately, controversy was close at hand yesterday, with Alonso angry at being dropped to 10th on the grid on the dubious pretext that he had impeded Felipe Massa in qualifying. Talk of a stitch-up filled the air.

The Spaniard, who retired with an engine failure, said: "I don't consider Formula One to be a sport any longer." On another day, that would have been some story.

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