Mercedes pay tribute to Schumacher contribution 04 Oct 2012
Michael Schumacher’s fellow Mercedes team members have been quick to express their gratitude to the seven-time world champion after he announced his retirement from Formula One racing at Suzuka on Thursday.
Schumacher began his professional racing career in 1989 as a member of the Mercedes Junior Team in sportcars, and he will conclude it at the end of this season after three years with the German marque’s Formula One team.
“This is a big loss for our sport,” said team mate Nico Rosberg. “Michael did a huge amount to make Formula One so popular in Germany, and lots of fans switched on their TV sets because of him. He achieved so much. It has been and continues to be something special and a great experience for me to drive with him and against him. In the last three years we pushed the team hard together which will help us in the years to come. I wish him all the best for the future.”
Team principal Ross Brawn admitted it was an emotional day for him, having enjoyed so much success with Schumacher during their time together at Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes, and said he felt ‘proud, honoured and privileged’ to have had the opportunity to work so closely with the German.
“In my opinion, he is the greatest Formula One driver, and the records which he holds in our sport speak volumes for his success and commitment,” commented Brawn. “On behalf of everyone at our Silver Arrows team, we wish Michael all the best with his future plans and extend our sincere thanks to him for his commitment, passion and hard work during our three years together.
“We have not achieved the results that we would have wished during this time; however Michael's contribution to our development and the future of our team has been significant. Whatever Michael decides to do next, I am sure that he will be keeping a close eye on our progress in the years to come.”
Norbert Haug, Vice President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, added: “Michael did a fantastic job during the build-up phase of our still-young Silver Arrows works team and, although we have not yet achieved our targets in our third season, Michael's invaluable hard work has established the foundations for future success.
“For this, we give him our thanks and recognition. All of us in the team - and first and foremost Michael - are working hard to have six more races in which we can show a respectable level of performance together. Thank you, Michael, for everything: it was, and is, a pleasure to work with you.”
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