Formula One: Michael Schumacher, the most successful Formula One driver of all time, won the Italian Grand Prix today and announced he was retiring from the sport.
Schumacher said after the race that he would not be competing next season.
"It has been a really tough decision not to work together at this level but I knew that one day it had to come," Schumacher told a post-race news conference. "All these years in Formula One have been amazing, especially those spent alongside my friends in the Scuderia (Ferrari)," he said.
"Soon my future will belong to my family, while I am happy to be still part of Ferrari. But for now, what matters is this world championship," said the German.
It was not clear what future position Schumacher might take with Ferrari but the team said they would define his role at the end of the year.
Ferrari also announced immediately after Schumacher's admission that Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen would drive for them in the 2007 season.
The win meant that Ferrari also took the lead from Renault in the constructors' championship.
It was Schumacher's 90th career victory, boosting his chances of an unprecedented eighth title before his retirement after defending champion Fernando Alonso's engine blew and forced him from the race.
The Spaniard, who had started the day 12 points clear of Schumacher, pulled over with smoke and flames billowing from the rear of the Renault while he was running in third place with 10 laps to go. Schumacher is just two points behind him now.
"Now I just want to concentrate on the last three wins and finish the season in style, hopefully with the championship. We took a big step today," said Schumacher.
Thousands of Ferrari fans, who had appealed through banners and chants for the German to stay on with the team, poured on to the track at the end of the race, paying an emotional tribute.
"I had always said that the decision to retire would be his alone, but now that decision has been taken I feel a sense of sadness," said Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo.
Ferrari team boss Jean Todt added: "Michael has been the author of a unique chapter in the history of Formula One and of Ferrari in particular.
"It has yet to reach its conclusion and what he has achieved extends over and above the results obtained. He is an exceptional man and will become a legend as a driver," he said.
McLaren's Raikkonen took second place after starting on pole position with Poland's Robert Kubica an impressive third for BMW Sauber in only his third grand prix since replacing former champion Jacques Villeneuve.
Michael Schumacher
Nationality: German
Age: 37
Born: Jan. 3rd, 1969 in Huerth-Hermuelheim, Germany
World champion: 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
- Lives in Switzerland. Married to Corinna, Schumacher has two children -- Gina Maria and Mick. He is the older brother of Toyota driver Ralf.
- Schumacher's first grand prix was with Jordan in Belgium in 1991, as a stand-in for jailed Belgian driver Bertrand Gachot. Despite only completing 500 metres in the race, he made an immediate impression.
- Snapped up by Benetton after that debut, a move that provoked a bitter legal tussle, the German scored points in only his second appearance with fifth place in Italy.
- Mexico provided the first podium of Schumacher's career in 1992, and his first win followed later that year in Belgium. Yet he had to wait until Monaco in 1994 for his first pole position.
- Schumacher is the only driver to win seven championships in Formula One history and he now owns most of the sport's meaningful records.
- The Ferrari driver lives in Switzerland, a country where motor racing is banned.