BBC Sport - F1 - Michael Schumacher targets eighth Formula 1 title Michael Schumacher targets eighth Formula 1 title Advertisement Watch the full interview with Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher says he intends to crown his Formula 1 comeback by challenging for the 2010 title. The seven-time champion announced his return for 2010 on Wednesday with Mercedes, the renamed Brawn GP team. Despite three years out of the sport, he insists he can threaten the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button - the 2008 and 2009 world champions. "I have won the title seven times and the team won both titles last year, so what do you expect?" said the German. Schumacher, 41 on 3 January, added: "Now Mercedes are team owners you cannot expect anything else other than the world title. That is what we aim for but we have to deliver and that is our job.

Forget about winning races - I have him on my bill for winning the championship Bernie Ecclestone on Schumacher "Honestly, I can't wait until 1 February, when we will officially run the car." Schumacher retired in 2006 after competing in 250 grands prix, 180 of them for Ferrari. He won 91 races, 71 for Ferrari, on his way to his multiple world titles. F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has welcomed Schumacher's return and believes he can even win the title at the age of 41. "Forget about winning races - I have him on my bill for winning the championship," Ecclestone told F1's official website. "It's fantastic for Formula 1 that he turned into a 'comeback kid' but at the same time it's good for Michael.

"Now he has all his strength together and has 100% motivation that will give us many exciting races in 2010." ANDREW BENSON BLOG Schumacher will be more than good enough to win races assuming Mercedes provide him with a competitive car - a Michael Schumacher at 90% of his best is still better than the vast majority of the F1 grid Schumacher almost returned to F1 last summer. He was going to act as a stand-in for injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa but pulled out because of a neck injury sustained in a motorcycle accident last February. Recent medical checks have been positive, though, and he is confident he is back to full fitness. Schumacher will reportedly earn £6.2m after reuniting with Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn, who masterminded all seven of his titles, the first two with Benetton in 1994-5 and the subsequent five with Ferrari from 2000-4. Lucas di Grassi, who will make his debut with Virgin Racing next season, believes Schumacher still possesses the will to win after losing to him in a recent karting event in Brazil.

"He's the most competitive guy that I know," Di Grassi said recently. "Everybody I know goes there [to the karting event] to have a good time and enjoy it and have fun. Michael goes there and spends two hours making a seat one millimetre higher." Report - Schumacher returns to F1 Williams driver Rubens Barrichello, who drove with Schumacher at Ferrari, suggested the German driver's track record was the key to Mercedes' decision to lure him out of retirement. "Experience is all that matters in F1 now," former Brawn driver Barrichello wrote on his Twitter feed. "The team needed me last year and needs Schumi now. I hope for a great fight, but a clean one as well." BBC analyst Martin Brundle believes his former team-mate from his Benetton days will have to work hard on his return to the sport. "Michael says he has charged his batteries on his break, but I think he will need a couple of extra long life ones in his pocket," he said. "The last two championships he contested, Fernando Alonso won both and hasn't slowed down since then.

"There are drivers like Button, Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel on the scene now, and Michael is going to have to pedal very hard to beat those guys. "I wouldn't bet against him winning some races, or even the championship, but he will have his work cut out." Classic F1 - Schumacher's first win Mercedes chief executive Nick Fry believes Schumacher's return has captured the imagination of their team rivals and the sport's fans. "The thing that has been very interesting is that all of F1 wants Michael back," Fry told BBC Radio 5 live. "So many team principals have told us in the last few weeks that they really hoped he would come back. "Its good for the sport and will help us build more and more fans around the world and that's important for all of us." Bookmark with: Michael Schumacher to return to F1 with Mercedes comment BERLIN -- Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher is coming out of retirement to drive for Mercedes in 2010, saying he expects to contend for the title again. The German, who turns 41 on Jan. 3, announced his comeback on Wednesday after three years away from the sport that he dominated for the first half of the decade.

Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher, right, will drive in 2010 for a Mercedes team that helped guide his pre-Formula One career. AP Photo/Oliver Multhaup "Three years of absence gave back all the energy that I'm feeling right now," Schumacher said in a telephone conference. "I feel ready for some serious stuff. "I still feel absolutely on the edge. It's thrilling and exciting. I believe I can be absolutely competitive." Schumacher, who will join Nico Rosberg in an all-German team for the 2010 season, said he and Mercedes are in discussions about a deal through the 2012 season. "We are talking about a three-year deal. It's not a one-off thing," Schumacher said. "We are looking for some continuation." Financial terms were not disclosed, but Germany's Bild daily -- which first broke news of the deal -- reported that Schumacher would earn $10 million under an initial one-year contract. Schumacher competed in 249 F1 races from 1991-2006 with Jordan, Benetton and Ferrari.

He won the F1 driver's championship in 1994 and 1995 and five straight years from 2000-2004. He set records with 91 race wins and several other milestones in the sport which still stand. "Our aim can only be to fight for the championship," Schumacher said. "Yes, there will be strong competition ... but I'm absolutely thrilled to be back in this one." Schumacher had planned a short-term comeback with Ferrari last season to fill in for the injured Felipe Massa , but he had to call that off due to a neck injury from a motorcycle accident. "I made sure myself, and 100 percent with the neck there are no more issues," he said. "There has been enough time now for it to heal completely." Schumacher had been working as a consultant with Ferrari since his retirement, attending some F1 races. He said he had not envisioned a permanent comeback until approached by Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn -- the man who oversaw the German's seven world titles: five with Ferrari and two with Benetton. Brawn said he was convinced Schumacher would be competitive.

"He's the best judge of what he can do and I trust him implicitly, and he told me he can do it so I'm very confident," Brawn said. "He's always been his own best critic." Mercedes took over the Brawn GP team that won the drivers' and constructors' championships in its first season in 2009, taking over the Honda team after the Japanese car maker pulled out of the sport. Jenson Button , who won the drivers' title with Brawn, has since left for McLaren while Rubens Barrichello has gone to Williams. Schumacher's return gives him a chance to pay back Mercedes, which steered his pre-F1 career. "The one reason I seriously thought about my return is its because an old friend asked me," Schumacher said. "Mercedes gave me a chance to enter Formula One and throughout the years we were never able to work together, but now I have that chance. I am happy to give back for what Mercedes gave me in the early days. "I was not thinking I would have an offer," Schumacher said. "I could not have imagined I would have returned.

Due to this special combination, that no one could have planned in advance, I just thought, 'Why not?" Schumacher acknowledged that parting company with Ferrari was "certainly not an easy step." He said he still feels "strong solidarity and loyalty to these guys who have accompanied me and have always built great cars for me." Rosberg said it would be "fantastic" to have Schumacher as his new teammate. "It's a great challenge for me to be up against one of the best drivers of all time," he said. "I'm sure that we will form a very strong partnership as he will have lost none of his speed." BBC Sport - F1 - Michael Schumacher signs up for F1 return with Mercedes Michael Schumacher signs up for F1 return with Mercedes Advertisement Watch the full interview with Michael Schumacher Seven-times Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher has come out of retirement and signed for Mercedes. The German, who will be 41 on 3 January, was unveiled at the Mercedes factory in Brackley, Northamptonshire.

Schumacher will partner compatriot Nico Rosberg in the team that won the drivers' and constructors' titles in 2009 in its former guise as Brawn. "After three years I have the energy back and I'm ready for some serious stuff," said Schumacher. In an exclusive interview with the BBC he added: "I'm very motivated, thrilled and excited. "I want to have fun out there and I feel as fresh as ever. I've recharged myself after a three-year break. "The challenge is what I look for - I want to know it." ANDREW BENSON BLOG As good as ever, or not quite as good as that, probably still amounts to a man capable of winning the championship Schumacher retired at the end of 2006 but will now return to the sport he dominated after signing a three-year deal with Mercedes. He will reportedly earn £6.2m after reuniting with Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn, who masterminded all seven of his titles, the first two with Benetton in 1994-5 and the subsequent five with Ferrari from 2000-4.

Schumacher was forced to call off a planned temporary comeback as a stand-in for injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa in the summer because of a neck injury sustained in a motorcycle accident last February. But Schumacher recently underwent medical checks and is confident he is back to full fitness. "I wouldn't have entered all of this if I wasn't confident," Schumacher explained. "That confidence comes from some serious training with my neck to make sure it can withstand what it couldn't in the summer. "There is no further issue with the neck - 100%." SCHUMACHER STATS & FACTS Grand Prix debut: Belgium, 1991 World championships: 7 (1994, '95, 2000, '01, 02, '03, '04) All-time records: 7 drivers' championships; 248 grand prix starts; 91 race wins; 68 pole positions; 154 podium finishes This summer Schumacher signed a revised contract as a consultant for Ferrari, but the Italian team have had to release him from his contract to enable him to race for the "Silver Arrows".

Schumacher revealed that it was Ferrari's request for him to fill in for Massa that sparked a desire to make a permanent return to the cockpit. "It initiated something that I didn't know was there before," he conceded. "I really didn't feel like it was what I wanted when Ferrari asked me but when I felt the responsibility I thought I ought to do it. "What Ferrari initiated has triggered what you see right now. Mercedes aim for top three in 2010 "I have to say it's been a tough to leave the Ferrari family, which has been a big part of my career." Schumacher revealed he had spoken to Brawn in November about a potential return to F1 and that the return of the Mercedes name to F1 proved the final persuasion. "I got a call from Ross asking me to race again, telling me Mercedes were going to be involved," added Schumacher. "The only reason I came back was because of old friends at Mercedes. I spent years trying to get into F1 with Mercedes but it wasn't possible before.

"I hope I'll be judged by what I've done before but Mercedes is a strong partner and I'm thrilled to be back." Schumacher and Brawn's partnership is set to be revived in 2010 Mercedes have completely changed their driver line-up following world champion Jenson Button's departure to McLaren and Rubens Barrichello's move to Williams. The team are known to want German rising star Sebastian Vettel in the long term, but the 22-year-old is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2012. Rosberg signed for Mercedes shortly after the season and, after weeks of speculation, Schumacher arrives as his high-profile team-mate. "We are incredibly excited by Michael Schumacher," said Brawn. "He is the best judge of what he can do. He told me he can do it so I'm very confident. "I have absolute trust in him. He'll do the job." Brawn added that Button's decision to leave the team led to his pursuit of Schumacher. "Jenson was not pushed," stated Brawn.

"We have loyalty to Jenson but when that became difficult we started talking to Michael." Schumacher's comeback is the most high profile in F1 since Austrian Niki Lauda came out of a two-year retirement for the 1982 season to race for McLaren. Lauda, who was 33 at the time, went on to win a third world title in 1984. He told me he can do it so I'm very confident Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn Juan Manuel Fangio is Formula 1's oldest world champion, the Argentine won a fifth world championship at the age of 46 before retiring. Nigel Mansell won the 1994 Australian Grand Prix at the age of 41, having stepped in as a substitute for Williams for four races following the death of Ayrton Senna. Now, Schumacher has said that he intends to make a glorious comeback by challenging for the 2010 world championship. "I have won the title seven times and the team won both titles last year, so what do you expect," said Schumacher, who has broken almost every major record in the sport.

Schumacher flew into the UK to visit the Mercedes factory "Now Mercedes are team owners you cannot expect anything else other than the world title. "That is what we aim for but we have to deliver and that is our job. "Honestly I can't wait until the 1 February when we will officially run the car." Schumacher's decision brings his career to a neat conclusion - Mercedes, for whom he was racing in sportscars at the time, paid for his F1 debut with Jordan in 1991 but he has never raced for them in F1. Mercedes pulled out of F1 in 1955 after winning back-to-back titles with Juan Manuel Fangio. Bookmark with: Michael Schumacher will make F1 comeback with Mercedes Grand Prix | Autoweek Michael Schumacher will make F1 comeback with Mercedes Grand Prix December 22, 2009 Pinterest Email Michael Schumacher will make a remarkable comeback next season with the Mercedes Grand Prix team, it was confirmed on Wednesday.

The seven-time Formula One world champion quit Grand Prix racing at the end of the 2006 season after winning an all-time record 91 races (among 154 podium finishes) and 68 pole positions. Since then he has served as a trackside consultant for Ferrari, with which he won five of his titles. Schumacher will partner with Nico Rosberg in an all-German driving squad. Many Formula One insiders had anticipated a one-season deal, but Schumacher's new contract is for three years. Mercedes bought a stake in the former Brawn GP after the season and renamed the team. Schumacher, who will be 41 years old on Jan. 3, 2010, began his professional career as a member of the Mercedes-Benz Junior program in 1990-91, racing Group C sports-racing cars and DTM touring cars. The German automotive brand paid for his F1 debut with Jordan Grand Prix in the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, and his recruitment is the biggest feather so far in the cap of Norbert Haug, the director of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport in Stuttgart.

Haug has wanted Schumacher to join McLaren-Mercedes for many years but the driver always politely rebuffed his advances, seemingly wedded to Ferrari. But Schumacher revealed today that the new Mercedes GP approach came not from Haug, but from Ross Brawn, the engineer who was working alongside him when he won all of his Grands Prix with both Benetton Formula and Ferrari. Schumacher said: “The motivation is pretty straightforward. The call I got from Ross at the end of November concerning the chance to go racing, Mercedes being involved, I felt great. I never left the racetrack. I was tired of Formula One by the end of 2006, but in three years of absence, I got back all the energy that I am feeling right now. I played around with motorbikes, and I feel ready for some serious stuff now.” Last August, Schumacher agreed to stand in for the injured Felipe Massa at Ferrari. But the plan amounted to nothing because he had not fully recovered from a neck injury sustained in a motorcycle accident earlier in the year. Coming so close to a comeback evidently motivated him, and he was clearly disappointed with the outcome.

“Before I gave a final OK, I made sure that I was sure myself, and I can say 100 percent that the neck is no further issue,” he said. “Unfortunately it was too close to the accident in the summer when I tried for Ferrari, but the time now is enough to have healed completely. I can do everything I used to do, no problem. For me, this partnership closes the circle. Mercedes supported me for so many years when I began my career, and now I can hopefully give something back to the brand with the star." Haug commented: “In April 1991, when I had been in charge of the Mercedes-Benz Motorsport program for just six months, Michael was standing beside me on the balcony one evening. Without the slightest doubt, he said in a low voice: ‘It's about time I got into Formula One.' "Michael had just turned 22 years of age and four months later, he made his debut at Spa. Mercedes-Benz helped him to this point and the rest is history: seven world championships, more than any racing driver, 91 Grand Prix wins, more than any racing driver. Michael has more of everything than every other driver.

Our sporting ambition has always been that Michael should drive again where his career had started, and Michael knew that. “We often joked about it after the races and we discussed the prospect seriously several times during the last 14 years in Formula One. It didn't happen in 1995, it didn't happen in 1998 and it didn't happen in 2005. I am delighted that it will now happen in 2010. I am very much looking forward to working with Michael, and everybody at Mercedes-Benz and Daimler extends a very warm welcome to our 'apprentice' of 19 years ago.

That apprentice is now the most successful racing driver of all time.” Brawn observed: “Michael's outstanding record speaks for itself, and I believe we now have the most exciting partnership in Formula One with him and Nico, who provide the perfect mix of talent, experience, speed and youth.” By Quentin Spurring Michael Schumacher forced to defend reputation during Mercedes launch | Sport | The Guardian Michael Schumacher forced to defend reputation during Mercedes launch • German questioned about plans to win the 'right way' • Seven-times world champion unveils new colours Press Association Monday 25 January 2010 06.31 EST First published on Monday 25 January 2010 06.31 EST Close This article is 6 years old Michael Schumacher was today forced to defend his reputation as he faced up to the least attractive aspect of his Formula One comeback. Despite his unprecedented success, there remain stains on the German's character, such as his infamous collisions with Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve as he fought for the world championship in 1994 and 1997 respectively.

There was his victory in the 2002 Austrian grand prix when his then team-mate Rubens Barrichello was ordered to pull over to allow the now 41-year-old by. And there was the deliberate parking of his Ferrari at La Rascasse in qualifying for the Monaco grand prix as he attempted to thwart his then title rival Fernando Alonso. When asked whether his return was an opening to show he could win in the right way, Schumacher's response bristled with indignation. Speaking at the launch of the new Mercedes GP team in Stuttgart, he sarcastically replied: "Ninety-one victories, seven titles, you win only in a bad way. Absolutely. Yeah, you're right, I need to prove [myself] now." When it was put to Schumacher the initial question referred to the manner he won, and not what he won, Schumacher caustically remarked: "Yeah, I know. I did win all this in the manner in which you are trying to ask questions." In a more serious tone, he added: "Let's be sensible and think about the reality, and look forward to what we might all face, learn and enjoy together.

That's what I'm looking for." On a more positive note, Schumacher spoke of his sense of personal renewal having returned to F1. He announced his comeback to the sport just before Christmas and was joined by his team-mate Nico Rosberg, the team principal Ross Brawn, the chief executive Nick Fry and the Mercedes motorsport head Norbert Haug. The new car is poised for its debut on the opening day of the first test in Valencia next Monday, leaving Schumacher, Rosberg et al to stand alongside last season's double championship-winning model. The obvious difference, however, was that the white, yellow and black of the Brawn GP car that carried Jenson Button to the title has now been replaced by Mercedes' traditional silver. The manufacturing giant Mercedes completed a takeover of the Brackley-based team in November, with Brawn then luring Schumacher out of his three-year hiatus following Button's defection to McLaren. Schumacher had planned to return with Ferrari for the European grand prix in Valencia last season only for a neck injury sustained in a motorbike accident last February to scupper those plans. But the enthusiasm he received on that occasion encouraged him to consider a full-time return.

"Being part of this team is a great feeling, a great emotion," said Schumacher just 48 days before the first race of the season in Bahrain. "Finally the 2010 Formula One season is firing up. I am totally committed to this new challenge. This season feels like a restart for me and I am so motivated. "We have a very exciting combination here. We have a world champion team in every sense of the word, and I cannot wait to get into the car for the first time in Valencia. I am convinced the team will be in a very good position to fight for the championships this season and I will definitely give it a go. "Driving for Mercedes-Benz again is like the closing of a circle for me as I started my racing driver career [in sports cars] with the three-pointed star on my helmet. This is another reason why I cannot wait for the competition to get under way." Rosberg was announced as the first German to be signed for Mercedes since 1955 and he said: "It's very special, a dream come true. It's fantastic, and I really look forward to it.

"Working with people like Ross, Nick, Norbert, and especially Michael, is something I'm very much looking forward to." Brawn added: "Working with Michael again is a very special event I didn't know would happen again, so for motivation, it's exciting for me to be involved with him again. "Nico is a wonderful prospect and I'm sure he will enjoy working with Michael and seeing how a seven-time world champion operates. "The final thing is being part of the rebirth of the racing team of such an iconic brand as Mercedes-Benz. I've been very privileged to be involved in many great things in my time, but this is very special indeed." Michael Schumacher - 1994, 1995, 2000-2004 Michael Schumacher Share Since the Formula One World Drivers' Championship began in 1950 the title has been won by 32 different drivers, 15 of whom won more than one championship. Of the multiple champions the most prolific was Juan Manuel Fangio, whose record of five titles stood for five decades until it was eclipsed by the most successful driver in the sport's history.

Seven times a champion, Michael Schumacher also holds nearly every scoring record in the book by a considerable margin. Though his ethics were sometimes questioned, as was his decision to make a comeback after retiring, his sheer dominance when in his prime is beyond doubt... Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 7 Spa, August 1991: Michael Schumacher made his Formula One debut with Jordan at the Belgian Grand Prix. He qualified a sensational seventh, but then went out on lap one with clutch failure. © Sutton © No reproduction without permission. Adelaide, November 1991: After one race with Jordan Michael Schumacher switched to Benetton. He scored points with them on his first appearance. At the Australian Grand Prix he retired after colliding with his team mate. © Schlegelmilch © No reproduction without permission. Montreal, June 1994: After winning the opening four rounds of the season, Michael Schumacher then took his fifth victory in six races at the Canadian Grand Prix at the wheel of the Benetton B194. © Sutton © No reproduction without permission.

Adelaide, November 1994: Michael Schumacher before he controversially collided with championship rival Damon Hill at the season ending Australian Grand Prix. Both drivers retired, handing Schumacher his first world title. © Sutton © No reproduction without permission. Monza, September 1995: Michael Schumacher is restrained by a marshal as he remonstrates with Damon Hill after the Englishman took them both out of the Italian Grand Prix. Hill subsequently received a suspended one-race ban. © Sutton © No reproduction without permission. Adelaide, November 1995: Michael Schumacher crashed out of the Australian Grand Prix on lap 26. It was of little consequence as he had wrapped up his second world championship two races earlier. © Sutton © No reproduction without permission. Monte Carlo, May 1996: Michael Schumacher moved to Ferrari as reigning champion. After starting on pole he would retire from the Monaco Grand Prix. However, his first victory for the team came at the next round in Spain. © Sutton © No reproduction without permission. Info Close The most extraordinary driver's origins were most ordinary.

He was born on 3 January, 1969, near Cologne, Germany, six years before his brother Ralf, who would also become a Formula One driver of note. Their father, a bricklayer, ran the local kart track, at Kerpen, where Mrs Schumacher operated the canteen. As a four-year old Michael enjoyed playing on a pedal kart, though when his father fitted it with a small motorcycle engine the future superstar promptly crashed into a lamppost. But Michael quickly mastered his machine and won his first kart championship at six, following which his far from affluent parents arranged sponsorship from wealthy enthusiasts that enabled Michael to make rapid progress. By 1987 he was German and European kart champion and had left school to work as an apprentice car mechanic, a job that was soon replaced by full-time employment as a race driver. In 1990 he won the German F3 championship and was hired by Mercedes to drive sportscars.

The next year he made a stunning Formula One debut, qualifying an astonishing seventh in a Jordan for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, whereupon he was immediately snapped up by Benetton, with whom in 1992 he won his first F1 race, again at Spa, among the most demanding circuits of them all. Over the next four seasons with Benetton he won a further 18 races and two world championships. His first, in 1994, was somewhat tainted in that Benetton was suspected of technical irregularities and in their championship showdown race in Adelaide Schumacher collided (deliberately, some thought) with the car of his closest challenger, the Williams of Damon Hill. But Germany's first world champion was unquestionably worthy of the 1995 driving title, following which he moved to Ferrari, then a team in disarray and without a champion since Jody Scheckter in 1979.

The Schumacher-Ferrari combination began promisingly with three wins in 1996 and five more in 1997, though that season ended in humiliation when in the final race, at Jerez in Spain, Schumacher tried unsuccessfully to ram the Williams of his title rival Jacques Villeneuve off the road. As punishment for his misdemeanour Schumacher's points and his second place in the championship were stricken from the record books he would thereafter begin to rewrite. After finishing second overall in 1998, Schumacher's 1999 season was interrupted by a broken leg (the only injury in his career) incurred in a crash at the British Grand Prix. From then on there was no stopping 'Schumi' - who in 2000 became Ferrari's first champion in 21 years, then went on to win the driving title for the next four years in succession. In 2002 he won 11 times and finished on the podium in all 17 races. In 2003 he broke Fangio's record by winning his sixth driving title.

In 2004 he won 13 of the 18 races to win his seventh championship by a by a massive margin. Like all the great drivers Schumacher had exceptional ambition, confidence, intelligence, motivation, dedication and determination. What set him apart and helped account for his unprecedented length of time at the top was a pure passion for racing and an endless quest for improvement. Blessed with a supreme natural talent honed to the highest degree, he had a racing brain to match and spare mental capacity that enabled him to make split-second decisions, adapt to changing circumstances and plan ahead while driving on the limit, which with his superb state of fitness (he trained harder than any driver) he could do consistently for lengthy periods of time. The smoothly swift and mechanically-aware driver operated with a keen sensitivity for the limits of his car and himself (he seldom made mistakes) and his feedback to the engineers (led by technical director Ross Brawn who worked with him throughout his career) was invariably astute. Info Close No Ferrari driver worked harder for the team, nor were any of them more appreciated than the German who led the Italian team to six successive Constructors' Championships.

He led by example, frequently visiting the factory at Maranello, talking to the personnel, thanking them, encouraging them, never criticising and inspiring everyone with his optimism, high energy level and huge work ethic. The team was devoted to the driver who often said he loved the Ferrari 'family.' Life with his own family - wife Corinna and their children Gina-Maria and Mick - was deliberately kept as normal as possible (they seldom came to the races) by the essentially shy and private man who became one of the most famous sportsmen in the world. Rich beyond his wildest dreams (he reportedly earned as much as $100 million a year), he generously supported charities, especially those for underprivileged children, and to help victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami disaster he made a personal donation of $10 million. After finishing second in the 2006 championship, the aging superstar was still at the peak of his powers, having won seven races to bring his total to 91 (40 more than his nearest rival, Alain Prost.) No champion had been so superior for so long, but Schumi had grown tired of the effort required to continue to excel and decided to hang up his helmet.

Yet his retirement proved to be only temporary. In 2010, after a three-year hiatus as a consultant to Ferrari, 41-year-old Michael Schumacher succumbed to the lure of driving for the new Mercedes team headed by Ross Brawn. Critics questioned the multiple champion's decision to risk his reputation in the sport that was once his personal playground. He gave his best but made it to the podium only once during his three-year comeback. In his final season of 2012 his opponents included five other world champions - all of them at least a decade younger. "I enjoyed most of it," Michael Schumacher said of the second part of his career. "It wasn't as successful as before but I still learned a lot for life. I found that losing can be both more difficult and more instructive than winning. Now is a good time to go." In the cruelest of ironies, after surviving so many seasons in his dangerous profession, Michael Schumacher’s first year in permanent retirement ended with him suffering a very serious head injury incurred when he fell while on a family skiing holiday. Following the accident that left him in a coma for several months his family brought him home where he faced a lengthy period of rehabilitation.

If the power of public opinion could help his recovery it came in the form of a tremendous outpouring of messages of hope, support and encouragement for the sport’s most successful driver. Text - Gerald Donaldson Schumacher hangs up his racing gloves once again - Photo | Red Bull Motorsports Schumacher hangs up his racing gloves once again Michael Schumacher has announced he will retire from Formula One at the end of the 2012 season. Schumacher in the picture © Mercedes Motorsport By Tom Bellingham on 4 October 2012 The seven-time Formula One champion returned with Mercedes in 2010, after his initial retirement in 2006. Now in his third year with the German team, Schumacher has decided to call it a day once again. Just under a week since it was revealed Lewis Hamilton would be replacing the German at Mercedes, Schumacher held a press conference ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. “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,” said Schumacher.

“This is something that makes me proud, and this is part of why I never regretted my comeback. 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.” Winning title number seven © Ferrari The 43 year-old certainly hasn’t matched his previous success since his comeback, scoring just one podium at this year’s European Grand Prix and failing to add to his record tally of 91 wins and 68 pole positions. I can still be very happy about my overall achievements in Formula One. “I said at the end of 2009 that I want to be measured by my success,” he added. “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.

© Ferrari Nico Rosberg, who will be staying with the Mercedes team next year, shared his experience of working alongside the seven-time champion. It has been and continues to be something special and a great experience for me to drive with him and against him. “This is a big loss for our sport. Michael did a huge amount to make Formula One so popular in Germany, and lots of fans switched on their TV sets because of him,” he said. “He achieved so much. It has been and continues to be something special and a great experience for me to drive with him and against him. In the last three years we pushed the team hard together which will help us in the years to come. I wish him all the best for the future.” Comeback podium in Valencia © Courtesy of Mercedes It was an emotional day for Mercedes Team Principal, Ross Brawn, who has worked with Schumacher since they were both with the Benetton team back in 1991. “Having worked with Michael for so many years, it is an emotional day today as he announces his retirement from Formula One for the second, and final, time,” said Brawn.

“We have enjoyed so many experiences together during our time at Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes, and I feel very proud, honoured and privileged to have had the opportunity to work with Michael so closely. In my opinion, he is the greatest Formula One driver. “In my opinion, he is the greatest Formula One driver,” he added. “The records which he holds in our sport speak volumes for his success and commitment. On behalf of everyone at our Silver Arrows team, we wish Michael all the best with his future plans and extend our sincere thanks to him for his commitment, passion and hard work during our three years together. We have not achieved the results that we would have wished during this time; however Michael’s contribution to our development and the future of our team has been significant.” Celebrating 300 Grand Prix in Belgium © Daimler Global Media

Question: Michale Schumacher announced his Formula One 2010 comeback would be with what team?
Answer: Mercedes