91st, Iconic Farewell: Schumacher's Final Charge and Massa's Win in the 2006 Brazilian GP

2006 Brazilian GP
October 22, Interlagos

It was, however, team-mate Michael Schumacher – iconic symbol of the team’s recent past – who stole the headlines.

Did Schumacher really want to retire? His announcement at Monza in September had been emotional but not entirely convincing. Ferrari, planning ahead, had placed him between a rock and a hard place: Kimi Räikkönen confirmed for 2007 at the expense of friendly Felipe – if Michael wanted to stay, that is. This was no way for Ferrari to treat the most successful driver in its history, and there was a distasteful hint of Enzo-like disdain in boss Luca di Montezemolo’s handling of the situation.

Schumacher won in Italy, and also in China, to draw level with Renault’s reigning world champion Fernando Alonso at the top of the points with two rounds remaining. But an engine failure while leading in Japan made the German the rank outsider at the finale: Alonso needed just a single point in Brazil.

The Bridgestone-shod Ferraris were the quickest at Interlagos, but a sudden drop in fuel pressure at the start of Q3 forced Schumacher to start from 10th. Worse, he dropped to last on lap eight when he clipped the front wing of Giancarlo Fisichella’s Renault and picked up a rear puncture. His subsequent charge to fourth, which included putting an aggressive Räikkönen firmly in his place – both men were attuned to the significance of the moment – served to emphasise that Schumacher had plenty more to give. If his second retirement came perhaps a year too late in 2012, his first had definitely come at least two, and possibly three, too early. PF

1st Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
2nd Fernando Alonso (Renault)
3rd Jenson Button (Honda)
Winner’s time & speed 1hr 31min 53.751sec, 124.139mph
Pole position Massa (Ferrari), 1min 10.680sec, 136.350mph