Michael Schumacher is looking to savour his second and final retirement from Formula One at his final race this weekend.
The seven-time world champion returned to the sport after his original retirement in 2006 and believes this time it will be “less emotional.”
“Interlagos is the right place to round off my career because so much of the fascination of Formula One is rooted there,” said the German.
“My departure from Formula One 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.”
With a less than impressive comeback yielding just 9th place in the standings in 2010, 8th in 2011 and at present 15th, he hopes the less intense career will allow him to enjoy his retirement.
“This time round, I will be able to pay more attention to my farewell and hopefully savour it too,” he added. “I have had fantastic years in Formula One 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.”
Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn says the event will be an emotional one for the entire team.
“With the last race of the season in Brazil also bringing Michael’s second and final retirement from Formula One, it will be an emotional weekend for everyone in the team.
“We have both greatly enjoyed and benefitted 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 One driver of all time, and we wish him the very best with his future plans.”
Discussion about this post