Michael Schumacher, 37, is retiring at the end of this Formula One season. So says Michael in the press room at Monza after he won the end of the today’s F1 event.
Some of you don’t follow motorsport, so let me fill in the blanks. Schumacher is the Babe Ruth, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Russ Howard and Peyton Manning of Formula One racing. Since his first race in the Big Show in 1991 he has won 7 World Driving Championships, 90 wins, 68 pole positions and 153 podium finishes, records all.
Schumacher earns a reputed $80 million US a year from his racing, endorsements and personal appearances.
To say that he is an extraordinary driver is like saying Michelangelo’s La Pieta is a not-too-bad piece of sculpture, Chuck Yeager was an OK pilot and Iggy Pop is a touch odd.
Schumacher is lucky, in that he isn’t dead, as his chosen career does tend to claim a few lives. He is also as skilled as can be imagined in the rain, in the dry and with a less than perfect car. So far, no details on what he’s going to do, aside from lock himself in the basement and count the money.
Formula One is a sport of thousands of a second, thousands of an inch and thousands of wannabes. Schumacher was one of a very few who conquered those thousands of thousands.
RoadDave 