F1 Feature - Schumacher's Last Race
27/10/2006
Michael Schumacher's final weekend as a grand prix driver was more
intense than ever, with the media interest at an all-time high. Here,
Bridgestone Motorsport - with which Schumacher won 58 of his 91 GPs - guides
you through his final weekend behind the wheel.
Tuesday 17 October
- Flies from Geneva to Sao Paulo in his Falcon 2000, making one re-fuelling stop en route.
- He arrives on Tuesday evening and is transferred by car to the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
Wednesday 18 October
- Michael and his wife Corinna visit Felipe Massa's house in Morumbi for lunch. It's a private gathering, no other Ferrari people attend.
- Dinner in the evening at the Grand Hyatt with friends.
Thursday 19 October
- Press conference at the TransAmerica Hotel in the morning. At the end, Michael gathers the Italian and German media together to say goodbye, and to thank them for their co-operation during the last 16 years.
- He heads to the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace by car in the afternoon and has the usual Thursday afternoon technical briefings.
- The Ferrari mechanics give Michael a huge framed photograph, upon which they have each written a few words. Michael thanks them, but doesn’t read their messages. "That is for later," he says. "Now we have a job to do."
- He leaves the track and heads to a local football pitch, where he captains his mechanics in a match against Massa and his mechanics. Ferrari's technical director Ross Brawn is the referee. Afterwards, everyone has a churrascaria-style dinner in the clubhouse.
Friday 20 October
- Takes a helicopter to the track, where he walks straight into a briefing.
- Practice 1: he doesn't turn a lap, preferring to let the Friday drivers clean up the track surface. He has lunch and then a massage from his physio Michael Harner.
- Practice 2: 6th fastest, 15 laps, followed by briefing and media interviews.
- Drivers' briefing. FIA race director Charlie Whiting thanks Michael for his input over the years and asks the other drivers to give him a round of applause.
- More technical meetings.
- Back to the Grand Hyatt, where he makes an appearance at a sponsor dinner.
- Dinner with friends.
Saturday 21 October
- Helicopter to the track, followed by a technical briefing on arrival and a massage.
- Practice 3: 2nd fastest, 15 laps, behind Massa. Then a technical briefing and lunch.
- He lies down in his room at the back of the pit garage for 30 minutes. He then has a massage prior to getting in the car.
- Qualifying: Q1 second fastest to Massa with a time of 1:11.565s; Q2 fastest with a 1:10.313s; Q3 he is the first car out of the pitlane, but completes no timed laps due to a fuel pump failure.
- Interviews, and a technical briefing come next, followed by an appearance at a sponsor's cocktail party.
- Team dinner at the track, then he takes a car back to the Grand Hyatt.
Sunday 22 October
- Helicopter to the track, followed by the usual technical briefing.
- Paddock Club appearance mid-morning, followed by lunch.
- Group photograph of the drivers on the start-finish line, followed by the drivers' parade.
- Pre-race: a lie-down in his room at the back of the pits, then has a massage before heading to the pit garage.
- Pitlane opens: he drives his car slowly to the grid.
- Trophy presentation by footballing legend Pele on the grid.
- Race start. Michael finishes fourth, 4.7s behind Jenson, and sets the fastest lap of the race on lap 70 of 71 (1:12.162s).
- Post-race: he attends a post-race technical briefing, and then faces the media for the final time. It's then back to the Grand Hyatt for a quiet dinner with friends.
Game over. Job done. Time to start a new life.