Michael Schumacher took part in his final race in Formula 1 13 years ago at the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos.
The Mercedes driver finished the race in seventh to score six points in his last Grand Prix in the sport. At the time, it marked the end of the most successful career in F1 history.
Joining the grid midway through 1991 with Jordan, Schumacher left the team and joined Benetton after one race. From 1992, he established himself as a title contender, finishing in the top three of the championship every season until 2006, bar two.
Schumacher won the title in 1994 and 1995 with Benetton, before joining Ferrari and winning five championships on the bounce between 2000 and 2004. He temporarily retired from F1 in 2006, before returning in 2010 to spend three years with Mercedes.
Unfortunately, the Silver Arrows were not the dominant force that they are now, with Schumacher struggling to score points consistently. Statistically, 2012 was his worst finish across a full season in 13th, but he did record his first and only podium for Mercedes at Valencia that year.
Michael Schumacher was ‘very happy’ for Sebastian Vettel after winning his third title at his final F1 race
At the time of his retirement, Schumacher was the most successful driver in F1 history, with seven championships, 91 wins, 68 pole positions and 155 podiums. Lewis Hamilton would later usurp him, but the German’s legacy is still felt in the sport today.
His final race, the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, saw his fellow compatriot Sebastian Vettel claim his third title over Fernando Alonso. Speaking after the race, he expressed his delight at the German’s victory.
Schumacher said: “Absolutely, yeah. Well I mean, I just said, so I guess you must have listened in too. I think it’s a nice handover to Seb, that I feel very happy for him.”
Discussing his own race, he added: “It’s been a pretty big challenge because obviously having the puncture and being at the back again and sort of thinking: ‘Not again here’. Took some memories back from 2006, happened the same thing to me.
“But then I mean luckily I have the nature of not giving up and always trying to find a solution and it worked out.”
Schumacher also had a tense battle with Kimi Raikkonen during the event: “People are here to have a show so you might as well put it on and give it the go and give it the maximum.
“I was trying and in certain moments it worked, in other moments you have to accept there’s no space for you and you’ve got a defeat but luckily I have a bit of experience on it.”
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Michael Schumacher thanks fans for their ‘incredible’ support in his final three seasons in F1 with Mercedes
Finally, the seven-time champion expressed his thanks to his fans for supporting him over the years: “Well as I said on the way to the grid already, it has been a beautiful time, lots of emotion lots of good moments.
“We shared some tough moments, we had to share but, most incredible in a way is that I felt a lot of support in those last three years, that naturally, they have been the most difficult for me. But the fans that have been always behind me and I love to say thank you to all of them.”
Schumacher was replaced by Hamilton in 2013 after the Brit shockingly decided to leave McLaren. It was a decision that was scoffed at, due to Mercedes’ lack of performance, but it turned out to be a masterstroke.
Come the new technical regulations in 2014, Hamilton had the dominant car on the grid, which he used to win six titles between 2014 and 2020. With these accolades, he has surpassed Schumacher’s win and podium record, but that eighth title still eludes him.
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