Schumacher announces second retirement

Michael Schumacher has surprised nobody by announcing he will retire from Formula 1 at the end of the current season. Of course, his hand was forced somewhat after Mercedes AMG decided he would have to relinquish his seat for Lewis Hamilton in 2013.

There were brief suggestions that he could continue in F1 next year. A dream reunification with Ferrari had even been mooted. But ultimately, and thankfully, sanity has prevailed.

In a team press release Michael explained his reasoning:

“I have decided to retire from Formula One at the end of the season, although I am still able to compete with the best drivers of the world. This is something that makes me proud, and this is part of why I never regretted my comeback.

“I can be happy with my performance and the fact that I was continuously raising my game during the last three years. But then, at some point it is time to say goodbye.

“I said at the end of 2009 that I want to be measured by my success, and this is why I had a lot of criticism in the past three years which partly was justified. It is without doubt that we did not achieve our goal to develop a world championship fighting car within those years.

“It is also without doubt that I cannot provide a long-term perspective to anyone. But then it is also clear that I can still be very happy about my overall achievements in Formula One.”

You can read the full statement HERE.