Michael Schumacher had admitted that his second farewell to Formula 1 will be "less emotional".
The German waved goodbye to the sport at the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix, only to return 4 years later. His comeback with Mercedes comes to an end at the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, after a disappointing season.
Lewis Hamilton will replace the seven time world champion at Mercedes, partnering previous go-karting team mate Nico Rosberg.
The two farewells contrast greatly. In 2006, Schumacher was involved in the title fight with Fernando Alonso till the very end. However this season he currently lies 15th in the drivers championship, and has not scored points since Italy.
He said that the approach to his second farewell will be more "relaxed", and he will try and "savour" it more.
"My departure from Formula 1 will probably be less emotional for me this time than in 2006, when we were still fighting for the championship and everything was much more intense," said Schumacher.
"This time round, I will be able to pay more attention to my farewell and hopefully savour it too. I have had fantastic years in Formula 1 and a lot of support from fans around the world, and I wish to particularly thank them for that.
"Of course, I would be happiest if I could say goodbye with a strong race, and I am sure we will be doing everything we can to make it happen."
Ross Brawn also spoke about Schumacher's retirement. Michael's retirement in 2006 was meant to be permanent but an offer from Brawn for the two to reunite, after working together at Benetton and Ferrari, was too good to turn down.
He said "It will be an emotional weekend for everyone in the team, we have both greatly enjoyed and benefited from working with Michael over the past three years, and I would like to pay tribute to his enduring commitment, passion and team spirit.
"The results that we all hoped for over that period have not come to fruition, however the progress that our team has made has been significant, and I am confident that we will see the rewards in seasons to come.
"Having worked with Michael for the majority of the 21 seasons of his career, I feel that he is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Formula 1 driver of all time, and we wish him the very best with his future plans."
Mercedes welcome Hamilton to the team for 2013, after a rather mixed 2012 season. Nico Rosberg took an early win in China and Schumacher scored his only podium of his second stint in Formula 1 at Valencia, but their pace has dropped off as the season has progressed.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Lewis Hamilton will replace the seven time world champion at Mercedes, partnering previous go-karting team mate Nico Rosberg.
The two farewells contrast greatly. In 2006, Schumacher was involved in the title fight with Fernando Alonso till the very end. However this season he currently lies 15th in the drivers championship, and has not scored points since Italy.
He said that the approach to his second farewell will be more "relaxed", and he will try and "savour" it more.
"My departure from Formula 1 will probably be less emotional for me this time than in 2006, when we were still fighting for the championship and everything was much more intense," said Schumacher.
"This time round, I will be able to pay more attention to my farewell and hopefully savour it too. I have had fantastic years in Formula 1 and a lot of support from fans around the world, and I wish to particularly thank them for that.
"Of course, I would be happiest if I could say goodbye with a strong race, and I am sure we will be doing everything we can to make it happen."
Ross Brawn also spoke about Schumacher's retirement. Michael's retirement in 2006 was meant to be permanent but an offer from Brawn for the two to reunite, after working together at Benetton and Ferrari, was too good to turn down.
He said "It will be an emotional weekend for everyone in the team, we have both greatly enjoyed and benefited from working with Michael over the past three years, and I would like to pay tribute to his enduring commitment, passion and team spirit.
"The results that we all hoped for over that period have not come to fruition, however the progress that our team has made has been significant, and I am confident that we will see the rewards in seasons to come.
"Having worked with Michael for the majority of the 21 seasons of his career, I feel that he is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Formula 1 driver of all time, and we wish him the very best with his future plans."
Mercedes welcome Hamilton to the team for 2013, after a rather mixed 2012 season. Nico Rosberg took an early win in China and Schumacher scored his only podium of his second stint in Formula 1 at Valencia, but their pace has dropped off as the season has progressed.
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