Formula 1 Pays Tribute To Schumi

The F1 fraternity pays tribute to Michael Schumacher, a "legend" and a "great guy", as his F1 career and an era in the sport draw to a close...


Ralf Schumacher: "I am sure he has thought long and hard about his decision and I respect it. I have enjoyed racing with him and I wish him all the best both for the championship and for the future."

David Coulthard: "Irrespective of whether people are believers in Michael's race ethics or not, you have to recognise he's been a great champion and it's the end of an era."

Jarno Trulli: "It's been a pleasure for me to race with him, and obviously he has achieved a lot. It's not up to me to say how much, but the numbers speak for themselves. He's given a lot to Formula One, he's given a lot to Ferrari and it's normal that a lot of people will miss him."

Tonio Liuzzi: "He's the greatest champion of the last ten years for sure and to race with him has always been pretty fair and he has given us some good lessons on TV. He's always been a great guy and a great driver to talk about racing and sports with but for sure, that's life."

Felipe Massa: "I think it's sad because we'll miss the most fantastic driver in Formula One and a fantastic man - I'll really miss him as we have a great relationship."

Jean Todt, Ferrari's managing director: "Michael has been the author of a unique chapter in the history of Formula 1 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. Humanly, he is a great guy. He's very mature, he loved driving, so for us it was fantastic to have him. He is very curious; he wants to know. He wants to understand everything."

Ross Brawn, Ferrari technical director: "Everybody will miss Michael, whoever they are. It is a big event for everyone. I think someone of his ability, someone of his experience, and someone of his involvement will be very badly missed. But F1 goes on, Ferrari goes on."

Rory Byrne, Ferrari's chief designer: "It's the end of Michael's career in Formula One so in that sense, it is the end of an era. When you look at his record, that's going to be difficult to beat."

Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One boss: "People have said to me that F1 is boring because he wins everything. So presumably when he's not here, people will be happy. But we'll miss him, because he is a superstar."

Murray Walker, former television commentator: "He has broken every record in the book, has money in the bank, a loving family and lots of lovely homes but it will be very, very difficult for him to find a replacement in his life for what Formula One has given him."

Niki Lauda, former F1 Champion: "If the best guy in the world retires it is certainly a sad day. You can say whatever you want, he won seven world championships and he might win another one. There is nobody like him in the world, he is unique. It's sad that he retires. But I know you have to retire one day and I respect that."

Norberg Haug, Mercedes Motorsport boss: "For me it is sad to learn that he will retire. With his retirement, an era of Formula One racing ends."

Gerhard Berger, former F1 driver: "It is a pity for Formula One to lose such a great champion. He put on a fantastic performance again today and because of what happened to Alonso, everyone here and all the fans are going to be treated to a great end to the championship."

Fernando Alonso:"Some people in Formula One will be not so happy about this because there will be no-one to follow in the races. I think we lose and we will miss a great champion on the track. He beat all the records so he has the best numbers in Formula One but I think maybe Formula One will focus more on sport after that."