Bye bye Schumacher!

[tommcat]

Michael Schumacher will always be a great legend to have ever graced not only Formula 1 but the entire sporting world. He was a champion at all times and left the arena in style competing. He was a great human being and seriously he deserved the 8th driver's title, until fate had its say. But titles alone cant take of the facts of the champion he was both on & off the field.

Surely I will miss him, and dunno next year if I will ever watch F1 with the same interest.

[buzzbug]

yes! Quite a legend... Will sure be among the many to miss him in action!

Hope we get to soon see another Schumacher... Hope is what gets you going... So no harm in hoping for the best! ;)

[apna]

Hey people, its a good idea to remember the last race, the Formula 1 ace was part of.... Here is a recap!

Where he stood
1 F Massa (Ferrari)
2 F Alonso (Renault)
3 J Button (Honda)
4 M Schumacher (Ferrari)
5 K Raikkonen (McLaren)
6 G Fisichella (Renault)
7 R Barrichello (Honda)

Report: BBC Five Live's David Croft

8 P De La Rosa (McLaren)

Lap 71: Massa crosses the finish line to the roar of the huge home crowd at Interlagos but the season's honours go to second-placed Alonso, while Button claims third. At 25, Alonso becomes the youngest driver to claim back-to back world titles and really had to work for it in this nail-biting showdown.

Schumacher might have finished off the podium but the Ferrari driver really showed why he is truly one of Formula One's greatest drivers. Despite mechanical problems in qualifying and a puncture early on in the race the German never gave up, producing a tremendous fightback to claim fourth.

Lap 69: Schumacher is certainly going out in style as he goes wheel-to-wheel with Raikkonen up the hill to turn one. The German just has the pace to take him on the inside and claim fourth. But, with four laps to go, can he clinch a podium place?

"He was ducking and diving because he knows Fisichella is weak in this area and gets past him"
BBC Sport analyst Maurice Hamilton

Lap 63: A mistake by Fisichella could cost Renault the constructors'' title as Schumacher outwits the team's second driver on turn one and slip inside into fifth. The Ferrari driver now has Raikkonen in his sights and he continues his thrilling fight back from the brink.

A win looks out of the question but Schumacher can smell a podium place if he plays his cards right.

"This battle between Fisichella and Schumacher is edging them ever so closer to Raikkonen, reducing the gap by several tenths of a seconds
BBC Sport analyst Maurice Hamilton

Lap 59: Schumacher is really putting the pressure on fifth-placed Fisichella and is less than half a second behind the Italian.

"There's all sorts of battles on as everyone is going for it in the last race of the season"
BBC Sport analyst Maurice Hamilton

Lap 55: Massa remains comfortably in the lead and the brink on a victory on home turf - of course this could all change if Schumacher unbelievably continues his charge. Alonso is 26.7 seconds behind in second after coming out of the pits just ahead of Button, who is held up by one of the Midlands.

Lap 51: Barrichello makes a valiant effort to hold off Schumacher, but falls foul of his former Ferrari team-mate at notorious overtaking spot on turn one. The German is back up to sixth and still giving it his all.

"Fisichella will have to watch out because Michael is just flying"
BBC Sport analyst Maurice Hamilton

Lap 47: Schumacher comes into the pits after taking over sixth from Barrichello, who came in the lap before. He returns to the track in traffic but gets ahead of Pedro de la Rosa in ninth.

Lap 43: Schumacher has Barrichello in his sights and reduced the gap from 12 seconds to eight seconds. Alonso surely must be having a few anxious thoughts right now.

Lap 40: Schumacher is really giving the fans something to remember with a fantastic comeback at Interlagos. The seven-times world champion is racing out of his skin, taking Kubica for seventh place. It's worth remembering this race is far from over.

Lap 36: A long pit stop for De La Rosa sees the Spaniard, on a one-stop strategy, slump from second to 10th as Alonso is up to second behind Massa. Schumacher is still refusing to give up and is clawing his way back into contention. The German has pulled off a series of flying laps and is up to eighth.

"He's just giving it everything because he has nothing to lose - last race this season, last race in F1"
BBC Sport analyst Maurice Hamilton

Lap 33: Massa looks on course for a home victory in stark contrast to Ferrari team-mate Schumacher, who's up to 10th. The Brazilian has a 20-second lead over Pedro de la Rosa, while Alonso is a further 0.6 seconds behind.

Meanwhile Kubica seems to have lost part of his front wing after an earlier skirmish with Toro Rosso's Vitantonio Liuzzi, who tried to pull off a similar move to Button's move on Raikkonen.

Lap 29: A brilliant move by Button on turn one sees the Briton sling past the inside of Raikkonen into fourth. Raikkonen pays the price for not taking his eyes off the prize, failing to spot Button's threat.

Lap 26: Button gets out of the pits ahead of Fisichella and Honda team-mate Barrichello to claim seventh.

Lap 21: Raikkonen, Fisichella and Barrichello make their first pit stops, leaving Alonso to take second place behind Massa.

Lap 18: Pole-sitter Massa is still comfortably in front with a 10-second lead over Kimi Raikkonen, while Alonso remains in third as he moves closer to his second straight world title. Further down the order, Schumacher is in 17th with all the cars behind him retired.

So far the retirements are Nico Rosberg, Mark Webber, Ralf Schumacher, Jarno Trulli and David Coulthard.

Lap 12: Toyota join Williams in the disaster stakes as both cars are out of the race. Ralf Schumacher came into the pits in lap nine while team-mate Trulli also left the race two laps later. However this is good news for BMW Sauber, which is now assured of fifth place in the constructors' championship.

Lap 10: After 11 seconds in the pits replacing the puncture, Schumacher is back on the track way down the order in 20th. Ferrari seem to believe Schumacher's car may not have touched Fisichella's and the puncture could have been caused by debris on the track. This debate could run and run.

Lap nine: Calamity for Schumacher as the German gets past Fisichella at turn one but appears to receive the slightest of touches from the Renault driver and earns a rear puncture. It looks like his slim title hopes are well and truly over as his car slowly limps into the pits.

"It's such a shame as Schumacher made a really good move round the outside of the Fisichella on turn one"
BBC Sport analyst Maurice Hamilton

Lap six: The safety car has come in and it remains to be seen whether Jarno Trulli, Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella can hold off Schumacher's charge. Meanwhile, Massa is still blazing away at the front.

"Schumacher's really all over the back of Fisichella at the moment"
Honda test driver Anthony Davidson

Lap five: It's a still safety-car conditions as stewards clear up the mess from Rosberg's earlier accident. But Williams are left to rue a miserable end to their disappointing season as both cars are already out of the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Lap two: It's a great start for Schumacher - he's already up to seventh after also passing brother Ralf. But the race is over for Williams as Nico Rosberg's car touches the back of team-mate Mark Webber. Rosberg then was heading to the pits but had a big off on the penultimate corner, while Webber is also out.

Lap one: The final race of the season is under way. Felipe Massa gets off to a great start, soaring away from pole. But all eyes are on Schumacher, who already got past Robert Doornbos and Nick Heidfeld.

[gskumar]

Schumacher was really a true champions. His life has been there for others to admire.

However no one can take anything from Alonso, he had given everything to win the championship even though the odds were against him. Keeping in mind the age factor, Alonso might just go on to achieve what Schumacher achieved in term of records, but clearly they both are different generation racers and it will be unfair to compare them.