On 10 September 2006, after winning the Italian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher announced at the post-race press conference at Monza that he would retire at the end of the season. Looking back 20 years on, that day marked both his fifth victory at Monza and the seven-time world champion’s first public farewell to F1; aged 37 at the time, he was still battling Alonso for that year’s title.
Pitting two laps later put him ahead of Räikkönen
Schumacher qualified 0.002 seconds behind Räikkönen. In the race, Räikkönen made his first pit stop on lap 15, while Schumacher pitted on lap 17, using those two extra laps to move ahead of the McLaren driver. He eventually won by 8.046 seconds, with Kubica third and Ferrari team-mate Massa ninth.
The retirement decision and Massa’s future
In remarks from that year’s press conference compiled by Motorsport.com, Schumacher said he and the team had jointly decided that he would end his racing career at the end of the year, choosing Monza to tell the fans about his future. His future had long been a subject of public discussion, and he felt it was time to announce the decision.
Schumacher also explained that he had long known about Ferrari’s plans for his replacement, while Massa’s future needed to be settled around that year’s Indianapolis weekend. He did not want to take an opportunity away from the young driver by staying with the team, and praised Massa’s talent and character. The decision had already been finalised during the United States Grand Prix weekend spanning late June and early July, but the announcement was held back until Monza.
Ferrari accepted the decision, but the title fight would continue
Montezemolo said at the time that he had hoped Schumacher would race for another year, but the driver was adamant and the team accepted the decision. Ferrari subsequently paired Räikkönen with Massa; in 2007, Räikkönen won the drivers’ championship and Ferrari also won the constructors’ championship.
Ferrari’s official statement that day thanked Schumacher for his contributions since joining in 1996, including five drivers’ titles and six constructors’ titles, and stressed that he would continue to give his all in pursuit of the 2006 championship. When talking about what he would miss most about F1, Schumacher briefly fell silent at the press conference, struggling to compose himself.
He returned to racing after his first farewell
His 2006 retirement did not mean he had raced in F1 for the last time. In 2009, Schumacher planned to stand in after Massa was injured, but a lingering neck injury from an earlier motorcycle accident prevented him from doing so; he returned to race for Mercedes from 2010 to 2012, and finished on the podium again at Valencia in 2012.
That same Monza weekend also stayed with Hamilton. He later recalled that he had just won the GP2 title and was standing in front of Räikkönen’s car when Ron Dennis told him he would give him a chance. Hamilton saw the conversation as an important moment on his path to an F1 seat in 2007.
