Going to endure at least 5 more years of traffic jams when they close the roads in some areas for the drivers, and those engines which can be ears across half the nation.

I was actually thinking about you when I was watching the GP this afternoon nicho... poor fella... Well, look on the bright side here! It also means you'll have 1790 days during the next 5 years that are GP-free! ;)

The only interesting thing about Singapore is that the cars look great under artificial lights.

Agreed! I always thought the same thing about Nascar races during the evenings! Those artificial lights are awesome on the chasis' of those F-1 cars! =)

It must cost a small fortune to light such a circuit.

I was under the impression that there's enough money going around in Singapore to easily light up the racetrack for a few days a year... any 'enlightenment' on that matter nicho? ;)

And then the dreaded news came and shattered Schumi's dream for a second winning streak in his F1 career... =(

Where I can totally understand Mercedes' point of view and the way they have to look towards the future, but somehow they give me the bad feeling of simply tossing Michael out with the garbage after 3 years of actively helping to build the team up to what it is now and taking it to a higher level and that can't be right? =/

[sarcasm]
I've never been, nor will I ever be, a vindictive person, but I wish Lewis and the Mercedes Team a whole lot of luck to get the team forward and up to an even higher level...
[/sarcasm]

An F1 fan should feel sad, because today is a renewed example of how the money won over the humanity... it's a harsh and cold sport played by voltures and hogs in the end!

Thank you for all the great years Schumi! You have been a real assett to this sport and now a truly sad loss... even the people who hated you have to admit that F1 was a little more exciting when you were in it... ;)

What? Did you read this on the F1 site?
They threw schumi with the trash just like Ferrari did?
:O
Now I'm all depressed.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news SSTG, but it's allover the news here in the Netherlands as there are a lot of F1 fans here and they follow it closely...

To conclude... yes, they hired Hamilton for 3 years and will kick Schumi out after the Brasilian GP this season, sad to say... he doesn't deserve this in my humble opinion! =/

But maybe he will get a seat at another team and beat Lewis in his 'silberpfeile'... heheh... >:)

Hold your horses SSTG... there's talk of Sauber being interested in Schumi as their driver Perez will be replacing Hamilton at McLaren, who will be leaving to replace Schumi at Mercedes! So there's still a viable option for him and the car is doing very well at several circuits, so it's not a complete sub-top team he would be getting aboard with...

For the sake of argument, let's assume he joins Sauber and they can keep their promise that they are going to be even better coming season and then Schumi would beat both Rosberg and Hamilton with the Sauber... that would be the ultimate revenge! =D

Allthough, realisticly, I don't know whether Schumi would fit with the Swiss team... hmmm... =/

Even my optimistic feeling and positive thoughts didn't make it in the end, as the sad news I was dreading to hear has been officially announced just now... =(

Michael Schumacher retires permanently from Formula 1 after this season...

The official BBC announcement from 1 hour ago states:

Michael Schumacher has announced that he will retire from Formula 1 at the end of the season.

It is unclear what Schumacher will decide to do after retiring, but Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn has already suggested a position is available for him within the motorsport group. "We would like him to stay involved with Mercedes," Brawn told BBC Sport last week. "There is a lot of things he can contribute - perhaps on the racing car side but certainly on the road car side and I think that is something he would enjoy a great deal.
"I think with a few months reflection he will decide what he wants to do with the next part of his life, and I hope it is still with what we are doing here at Mercedes."

(The 2012 Valencia GP Podium, one of the best ever...)

Schumacher's impressive F1 career:

1991: Makes F1 debut in Belgium for Jordan team
1992: Third in championship for Benetton
1994: Wins first title for Benetton
1995: Second title for Benetton
1996: Joins Ferrari
2000: First title for Ferrari
2001-04: Makes it five titles in a row
2006: Last win in China. Retires at end of the season
2010: Returns to F1 with Mercedes GP
2012: Last Pole position at Monaco GP.
______ Last podium (3rd place) at Valencia GP.
______ Announces retirement at end of the 2012 season

Michael Schumacher in numbers (up till now) :

World championships: 7
Race wins: 91
Seasons in F1: 19
Points scored: 1,560
Points finishes: 220
Podiums: 155

(Source: BBC Sports)

For me it's a dark chapter in the history of Formula 1 as one of the greatest, most succefull and entertaining drivers is going to leave the highest platform in motorsports...
I will keep on watching the seasons and races, but it won't be the same without him in the field doing his thing!

'Vielen dank fuer die schoene jahren Michael und das grosse vergnuegen dir so viele jahren gesehn zu haben im Formel 1. Ich bin einen dankbaren fan.'
[/MrDayCee]

I was dreading but also expecting it yes... he stated that he doesn't have the drive, motivation and energy anymore to keep going. It simply takes too much energy to recharge his battery every time, so... =/

It would be a blast to have him end up one a podium once or twice during the final 5 races! That would really make all the critics shut up for sure! =D

Hint: He had the 5th clocked time during the first practice sessions in Japan... ;)