The smart fortwo was built for city streets, perfect for parking, extremely efficient, and easily customizable.  We often see the smart fortwo with widebody kits, lowered suspension, bright and sometimes interesting paint jobs, we’ve even seen one with wings.  What we haven’t seen, until now, is a smart fortwo rally car.

However, they all pretty much follow a basic pattern of what can be done, and the extent of their modifications is rather limited. Well, not with this Smart, which has been turned into a Dakar Rally-ready off-roader, which really looks the part. Its builder, Jose Luis Alvarez says he completely reengineered the city bound fortwo with fully independent front and rear suspension with plenty of travel, a wider track in both the front and back, and subtle body modifications.  The modified fortwo rally car is extremely light, tipping the scales at just 750 kg, or 1,653 lbs.

Alvarez’s plan was to enter the Dakar Rally, with two modified smart for two rally cars, plus a Honda CRF-450. Unfortunately, Alvarez does not have the necessary funds at the moment, and has had to put his racing plans on hold.

AMG Customer Teams acting around the globe showed a high level of teamwork in the 2012 motorsports season. With 9 titles and 43 successes, the SLS AMG GT3 scored numerous impressive successes on four continents. One of the highlights is the winning of the driver and team title in the FIA GT3 European Championship for AMG Customer Team HEICO-Gravity Charouz, the winning of the driver and team title in the FIA GT1 World Championship by ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport, the driver and team title in the ADAC GT Masters for kfzteile24 MS RACING Team as well as the championship title for PETRONAS Syntium Team in the Japanese Super Taikyu Series.

This Sunday, BVA Racing won the driver and team title in the Brazilian GT Championship at Autódromo de Interlagos in São Paolo. The driver duo Cleber Faria and Duda Rosa (both BRA) left its competitors behind in a fight that was commiting until the end and finally won with a lead of just one point compared with the second placed team. Their team colleagues Vanuê Faria and Renan Guerra (both BRA) crossed the finish line sixth. The AMG Customer Team A.Mattheis Motorsport with Sérgio Jimenez and Paolo Bonifácio (both BRA) won the third position in the championship.

The further statistics of the 2012 motorsports year for AMG Customer Sports is impressive as well:

• 43 class victories
• 109 podium positions
• 242 top ten positions
• 27 pole positions
• 48 SLS AMG GT3 started in 28 race series on four continents

Ola Källenius, chairman of the board, Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “We have the right to be proud of the successful 2012 AMG Customer Sports season. With 9 titles on the whole, including the winning of the World Championship, the European Championship and 43 successes we even outmatched the pleasing debut year of 2011. My congratulations go to all AMG Customer Teams which achieved these successes with the SLS AMG GT3 in the highly competitive race series on four continents.”

Uli Fritz, head of AMG Customer Sports: “Winning the title in Brazil is an enormously welcome ending of an exceptionally successful season. In the meantime, we have sold more than 50 units of the SLS AMG GT3, which has established itself by a constantly high performance and reliability in the international motorsports scene. I want to thank everyone participating in our AMG Customer Sports Programme. It is everybody’s turn now to concentrate on the 2013 season, because four race version gullwing cars will be starting in the Dubai 24 Hours already in the beginning of January.”

The successes in the individual race series at a glance:

FIA GT1 World Championship: By winning the driver and team rating, ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport crowns the 2012 season in the FIA GT1 World Championship. Marc Basseng and Markus Winkelhock (both GER) won the driver title with a lead of just one point. The sister car with Thomas Jäger (GER) and Nicky Pastorelli (ITA) ended the World Championship season on the sixth position. ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport quickly established itself in the top group of the highly competitive World Championship and scored two titles through a constant team performance.

FIA GT3 European Championship: Maximilian Buhk (GER) and Dominik Baumann (AUT) from HEICO-Gravity Charouz secured the driver title in the penultimate race ahead of time. Their team colleagues Max Nilsson (SWE) and Mika Vähämäki (FIN) ended the FIA GT3 European Championship on the sixth position. Additionally, the AMG Customer Team succeeded in defending the team title it had already won in 2011. The Czech-German team won seven out of twelve races and thus showed a confident performance during the season.

ADAC GT Masters (Germany): With their victory in the commanding final race on Hockenheimring, Sebastian Asch and Maximilian Götz (both GER) won the driver title. The driver duo of kfzteile24 MS RACING Team was the most constant team of the entire season, winning eight podium positions and achieving the pole position two times. At the same time, in the last race of the season, the team achieved the first victory of a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in the highly competitive ADAC GT Masters 2012. The sister car with Daniel Dobitsch and Florian Stoll (both GER) won the 22nd position in the championship.

HEICO Motorsport with Dominik Baumann and Hari Proczyk (both AUT), ended the championship on rank nine. Andreas Simonsen (SWE) and Maximilian Buhk (GER) from HEICO Junior Team finished eleventh. Alexandros Margaritis and Lance David Arnold (both GER) from Schöner Wohnen Polarweiss Team HEICO came 18th. Christiaan Frankenhout and Kenneth Heyer (both GER) from HEICO Motorsport achieved the 25th overall position.

Super Taikyu Series (Japan): Championship title for PETRONAS Syntium Team with the drivers Nobuteru Taniguchi and Dominic Ang (both JPN). Six class and overall successes each, six pole positions and 13 top ten positions confirm the good performance of the Japanese customer team. For the dominant team of the Japanese race series, this year’s winning the title was the fifth in a row.

Australian GT Championship: Winning of the runner-up spot for Peter Hackett (AUS) from Erebus Racing. With three victories and six further podium positions, Hackett was the best driver of a SLS AMG GT3 in the Australian GT Championship. His team colleague James Brock ended the season on the ninth position.

Iberian Supercars Trophy and Portugese GT Championship: Runner-up spot for José Pedro Fontes and Miguel Barbosa (both POR) from Sports & You team.

VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring (Germany): ROWE RACING scored two overall victories in nine races on the Nordschleife (“north loop”), three further podium positions and on the whole ten top ten positions. With these successes, the AMG Customer Team evolved into the best SLS AMG GT3 team of the series. The Black Falcon team achieved a victory in the VLN.

Blancpain Endurance Series: Black Falcon won the ProAM-Cup with the drivers Oliver Morley (GB), Steve Jans (LUX) and Sean Edwards (GB) in the race at Nürburgring and ended the season on rank twelve. KRK Racing won the tenth position in the Blancpain Endurance Series.

British GT-Championship: The twins David and Godfrey Jones (both GB) from the team Preci-Spark achieved five top ten positions.

DMV-TCC (Germany): Land Motorsport scored three class victories and three podium positions with Christian Land and Stefan Eilentropp (both GER). ANTeam with Bruno and Edwin Stucky (both SUI) won seven top ten positions.

Special Touring Car Trophy (Germany): A podium position for Norbert Janz (GER) from Seyffarth Motorsport.

Touring Car and GT-Cup Austria: One overall victory, a class victory and a pole position for Mario Plachutta (AUT) from Lechner Racing.

International GT Open: Kenneth Heyer and Jan Seyffarth (both GER) from Seyffarth Motorsport won the class GTS twice.

Super GT (Japan): Haruki Kurosawa, Hironori Takeuchi (both JPN) from the team GREEN TEC & LEON with Shift ended the races five times among the top ten and once on the second position.

Spanish GT Championship: The Vodafone Team with António Coimbra, Luis Silva, José Pedro Fontes (all ESP) won two top ten positions.

Italian GT Championship: Two top ten positions for Gianluca De Lorenzi and Piero Necchi (both ITA) from GDL Racing.

Endurance Champions Cup Italia, Peroni: A class victory for G-Private Racing with Philip and Manuel Zumstein as well as Jörg Peham (all SUI).

French GT Championship (FFSA): Four podium positions for Sebastién Loeb Racing with Frédéric Gabillon and Gilles Vannelet (both FRA).

Dubai 24 Hours: At the beginning of the 2012 motorsport season, AMG Customer Teams already scored a commanding 1-2-3: In the Dubai 24 Hours, the team Abu Dhabi Black Falcon with Thomas Jäger (GER), Sean Edwards (GB), Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED) and Khaled Al Qubaisi (UAE) achieved the overall victory. The SLS AMG GT3 of HEICO Motorsport (Maximilian Buhk (GER), Christiaan Frankenhout (NED), Max Nilsson (SWE), Andreas Zuber (AUT) and Bernd Schneider (GER) as well as Kenneth Heyer (GER), Andreas Simonsen (SWE), Rodolfo Gonzalez (VEN) and Bernd Schneider (GER) came home second and third.

24 Hours Nürburgring: The gullwing car of HANKOOK Team HEICO Motorsport with the driver quartet Lance David Arnold (GER), Christiaan Frankenhout (NED), Pierre Kaffer (GER) and Andreas Simonsen (SWE), ended the 24-hour classic in the Eifel winning the third rank. The sister car retired from the race 15 minutes prior to end on the third position.

12 Hour race of Bathurst/Australia: The Australian Customer Team Erebus Racing with Peter Hackett (AUS), Tim Slade (AUS), Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED) and Bret Curtis (USA) came home second in the endurance race.

12 Hour race of Sepang: In the12 Hour race of Sepang, the Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race, PETRONAS Syntium Team achieved a double victory with the drivers Nobuteru Taniguchi (JPN), Masataka Yanagida (JPN) and Dominic Ang (MAS) as well as Tatsuya Kataoka (JPN), Farique Hairuman (MAS) and Melvin Moh (MAS).

Mercedes-AMG in Affalterbach honours AMG Customer Teams

AMG Customer Teams’ representatives from all over the world met at the big end of season party of the AMG Customer Sports Programme. Some 150 guests followed the invitation to Affalterbach in order to review the achievements of the 2012 season. After the official salutation by Ola Källenius, chairman of the board of Mercedes-AMG GmbH, the most successful teams of 2012 were honoured: from the award for the “Best Looking Car” (Premium Motorsport Poland) to the awards for the championship titles in various race series. The presenters, among them five-time DTM Champion Bernd Schneider, repeatedly underlined their high respect for the Customer Teams’ achievements. The winners of all nine categories at a glance:

• “FIA GT1World Championship”: ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport
• “FIA GT3-European Championship”: HEICO-Gravity Charouz Team
• “ADAC GT Masters”: kfzteile24 MS RACING Team
• “Best Looking Car”: Premium Motorsports Poland
• “Best Newcomer”: BVA Racing
• “Best Gentleman Performance”: ANTeam
• “Best Endurance Race Performance”: ROWE RACING
• “Best 24h Performance”: Black Falcon

Lance David Arnold now member of AMG driver pool

As already in the 2012 season, AMG Customer Teams can also be strengthened through professional pilots from the AMG driver pool. Apart from Bernd Schneider, Thomas Jäger and Maro Engel, Lance David Arnold is from now on also part of the fast troop of Mercedes-AMG. The 26-year-old is another compassionate racer with gullwing car experience and endurance know-how who will assist the teams on request. The newest success of the driver originating from Duisburg, Germany, was the third rank in this year’s 24 Hours race at Nürburgring for the AMG Customer Team HANKOOK Team HEICO Motorsport. To participators of the AMG Driving Academy, Arnold is furthermore known as instructor.

Lance David Arnold: “Being part of the AMG driver pool is a great honour for me. A group, which one of my big role models in sports is also part of – the five-time DTM champion Bernd Schneider. I am already looking forward to my operations, in which I want to provide the customer teams not only with driving but also with technical knowledge in order to optimally develop the individual SLS AMG GT3 vehicles adjusted to the individual requirements of the respective teams.”

Uli Fritz: “I am very pleased about Lance David Arnold joining the AMG driver pool from now on. I am sure that his great know-how will be very helpful to our AMG Customer Teams. Due to his operations in the AMG Driving Academy, he has been part of the Mercedes-AMG family for quite some time.”

After more than 22 years as Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, Daimler AG Vice President Norbert Haug will conclude his career at the end of 2012. His contract will come to an end by mutual agreement with the Board of Management. Preparations for the forthcoming season continue as planned.

Norbert Haug began in the Motorsport division of Mercedes-Benz on October 1, 1990 with the intent to revive their motorsport credentials. And he did revive their program and so much more.  In Haug’s 22 years, Mercedes-Benz and its partners won six Formula One world championship titles and took 87 Formula One victories. In the DTM, Mercedes teams won a total of 32 titles under Haug’s leadership. Since the first title win in 1992, Mercedes-Benz has won 54% of all DTM races and about 60% of all DTM titles (drivers/manufacturers/teams). During that period of time Mercedes-Benz has competed in 986 races in total (Formula One, Champ Car, GT, Group C, Formula 3) under Haug’s leadership and won 439 of them (45.4%).

“Norbert Haug was the face of the Mercedes-Benz Motorsport programme for more than 20 years. For me, he put his stamp on a whole era and, as a highlight, he was responsible for the successful comeback of the Silver Arrows to Formula One. In the name of the Board of Management and the whole motorsport family, I would like to thank Norbert for his extraordinary commitment to the three-pointed star,” said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars and CEO of Daimler AG.

“I would like to thank the best car company in the world for more than 22 years, which never had a single moment without passion for me. I particularly wish to thank the Board for the trust and freedom they have always given me with all my activities. Since 1991, we had tremendous achievements and wins, for which I want to thank all of my colleagues. Unfortunately, with one victory in 2012 since founding our own Formula One works team in 2010, we couldn’t fulfil our own expectations. However, we have taken the right steps to be successful in the future. Our team and our drivers will do everything to achieve these goals,” said Norbert Haug.

Michael Schumacher was born January 3,1969 and is known to many of us as a German Formula One driver, racing for the Mercedes team. But, did you know Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is considered to be one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time.

Schumacher has set several F1 records throughout his career: most championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, points scored and most races won in a single season (13 in 2004). In 2002 he became the only driver in Formula One history to finish in the top three in every race of a season and then also broke the record for most consecutive podium finishes. According to the official Formula One website he is “statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen”. In a survey of 217 F1 drivers, Schumacher was voted the second greatest driver of the world championship era (which began in 1950), behind the late Ayrton Senna.

After beginning his race career with karting, Schumacher won German drivers’ championships in Formula König and Formula Three before joining Mercedes in the World Sportscar Championship. After one Mercedes-funded race for the Jordan Formula One team Schumacher signed as a driver for the Benetton F1 team in 1991. After winning consecutive championships with Benetton in 1994/1995, Schumacher then moved to Ferrari in 1996 and won another five consecutive drivers’ titles with them from 2000 through 2004. Schumacher retired from Formula One driving in 2006, but stayed on with Ferrari as an advisor. Schumacher agreed to return for Ferrari part-way through 2009, as a substitute for the injured Felipe Massa, but was prevented by a neck injury. He later signed a three-year contract to drive for the new Mercedes GP team starting in 2010.

Schumacher’s career has not been without controversy though. He was twice involved in collisions in the final race of a season that would determine the outcome of the world championship. First with Damon Hill in 1994 in Adelaide, and again with Jacques Villeneuve in 1997 in Jerez.

Away from the track, Schumacher is an ambassador for UNESCO and a spokesman for driver safety. He has been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts throughout his life and donated tens of millions of dollars to charity. Michael and his younger brother Ralf Schumacher are the only brothers to win races in Formula One, and they were the first brothers to finish 1st and 2nd in the same race, in Montreal in 2001, and there again (in switched order) in 2003.

Schumacher’s Early Years

Schumacher was born in Hürth, North Rhine-Westphalia, to Rolf Schumacher, a bricklayer, and his wife Elisabeth. When Schumacher was four, his father modified his pedal kart by adding a small motorcycle engine. When Schumacher crashed it into a lamp post in Kerpen, his parents took him to the karting track at Kerpen-Horrem, where he became the youngest member of the karting club. His father soon built him a kart from discarded parts and at the age of six Schumacher won his first club championship. To support his son’s racing, Rolf Schumacher took on a second job renting and repairing karts, while his wife worked at the track’s canteen. Nevertheless, when Schumacher needed a new engine costing 800 DM, his parents were unable to afford it; Michael was able to continue racing with support from local businessmen.

Regulations in Germany require a driver to be at least 14 years old to obtain a kart license. To get around this, Schumacher obtained a license in Luxembourg at the age of 12.

In 1983, he obtained his German license, a year after he won the German Junior Kart Championship. From 1984 on, Schumacher won many German and European kart championships. He joined Eurokart dealer Adolf Neubert in 1985 and by 1987 he was the German and European kart champion, then he quit school and began working as a mechanic. In 1988 he made his first step into single-seat car racing by participating in the German Formula Ford and Formula König series, winning the latter.

In 1989, Schumacher signed with Willi Weber’s WTS Formula Three team. Funded by Weber, he competed in the German Formula 3 series, winning the title in 1990. He won also the Macau Grand Prix. At the end of 1990, along with his Formula 3 rivals Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl Wendlinger, he joined the Mercedes junior racing programme in the World Sports-Prototype Championship. This was unusual for a young driver: most of Schumacher’s contemporaries would compete in Formula 3000 on the way to Formula One. However, Weber advised Schumacher that being exposed to professional press conferences and driving powerful cars in long distance races would help his career.

In the 1990 World Sportscar Championship season, Schumacher won the season finale at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in a Sauber–Mercedes C11, and finished fifth in the drivers’ championship despite only driving in 3 of the 9 races. He continued with the team in the 1991 World Sportscar Championship season, winning again at the final race of the season at Autopolis in Japan with a Sauber–Mercedes-Benz C291, leading to a ninth place finish in the drivers championship. He also competed at Le Mans during that season, finishing 5th in a car shared with Karl Wendlinger and Fritz Kreutzpointner. In 1991, he competed in one race in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship, finishing second.

Formula One Career

Overview

Schumacher was noted throughout his career for his ability to produce fast laps at crucial moments in a race, to push his car to the very limit for sustained periods. Motor sport author Christopher Hilton observed in 2003 that “A measure of a driver’s capabilities is his performance in wet races, because the most delicate car control and sensitivity are needed”, and noted that like other great drivers, Schumacher’s record in wet conditions shows very few mistakes: up to the end of the 2003 season, Schumacher won 17 of the 30 races in wet conditions he contested. Some of Schumacher’s best performances occurred in such conditions, earning him the nicknames “Regenkönig” (rain king) or “Regenmeister” (rain master) even in the non-German-language media. He is known as “the Red Baron”, because of his red Ferrari and in reference to the German Manfred von Richthofen, the famous flying ace of World War I. Schumacher’s nicknames include “Schumi”, “Schuey” and “Schu”. Schumacher is often credited with popularising Formula One in Germany, where it was formerly considered a fringe sport. When Schumacher retired in 2006, three of the top ten drivers were German, more than any other nationality and more than have ever been present in Formula One history. Younger German drivers, such as Sebastian Vettel, felt Schumacher was key in their becoming Formula One drivers. In the latter part of his Formula One career, and as one of the senior drivers, Schumacher was the president of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association. In a 2006 FIA survey, Michael Schumacher was voted the most popular driver of the season among Formula One fans.

Debut

Schumacher made his Formula One debut with the Jordan-Ford team at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, driving car number 32 as a replacement for the imprisoned Bertrand Gachot. Schumacher, still a contracted Mercedes driver, was signed by Eddie Jordan after Mercedes paid Jordan $150,000 for his debut. The week before the race, Schumacher impressed Jordan designer Gary Anderson and team manager Trevor Foster during a test drive at Silverstone. His manager Willi Weber assured Jordan that Schumacher knew the challenging Spa track well, although in fact he had only seen it as a spectator. During the race weekend, team-mate Andrea de Cesaris was meant to show Schumacher the circuit but was held up with contract negotiations. Schumacher then learned the track on his own, by cycling around the track on a fold-up bike he had brought with him. He impressed the paddock by qualifying seventh in this race. This matched the team’s season-best grid position, and out-qualified 11-year veteran de Cesaris. Motorsport journalist Joe Saward reported that after qualifying “clumps of German journalists were talking about ‘the best talent since Stefan Bellof'”.Schumacher retired on the first lap of the race with clutch problems.

Benetton

After his debut, and despite Jordan’s signed agreement in principle with Schumacher’s Mercedes management for the remainder of the season, Schumacher was signed by Benetton-Ford for the following race. Jordan applied for an injunction in the UK courts to prevent Schumacher driving for Benetton, but lost the case as they had not yet signed a contract. Schumacher finished the 1991 season with four points out of six races. His best finish was fifth in his second race, the Italian Grand Prix, in which he finished ahead of his team-mate and three-time World Champion Nelson Piquet.

At the start of the 1992 season the Sauber team, planning their Formula One debut with Mercedes backing for the following year, invoked a clause in Schumacher’s contract which stated that if Mercedes entered Formula One, Schumacher would drive for them. It was eventually agreed that Schumacher would stay with Benetton, Peter Sauber said that “[Schumacher] didn’t want to drive for us. Why would I have forced him?”. The year was dominated by the Williams of Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese, featuring powerful Renault engines, semi-automatic gearboxes and active suspension to control the car’s ride height. In the “conventional” Benetton B192 Schumacher took his place on the podium for the first time, finishing third in the Mexican Grand Prix. He went on to take his first victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, in a wet race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, which by 2003 he would call “far and away my favourite track”.He finished third in the Drivers’ Championship in 1992 with 53 points, three points behind runner-up Patrese.

The Williams of Damon Hill and Alain Prost also dominated the 1993 season. Benetton introduced their own active suspension and traction control early in the season, last of the frontrunning teams to do so. Schumacher won one race, the Portuguese Grand Prix where he beat Prost, and had nine podium finishes, but retired in seven of the other 15 races. He finished the season in fourth, with 52 points.

1994–1995: World Championship years

The 1994 season was Schumacher’s first Drivers’ Championship. The season, however, was marred by the deaths of Ayrton Senna (witnessed by Schumacher, who was directly behind in 2nd position) and Roland Ratzenberger during the San Marino Grand Prix, and by allegations that several teams, but most particularly Schumacher’s Benetton team, broke the sport’s technical regulations.

Schumacher won six of the first seven races and was leading the Spanish Grand Prix, before a gearbox failure left him stuck in fifth gear. Schumacher finished the race in second place. Following the San Marino Grand Prix, the Benetton, Ferrari and McLaren teams were investigated on suspicion of breaking the FIA-imposed ban on electronic aids. Benetton and McLaren initially refused to hand over their source code for investigation. When they did so, the FIA discovered hidden functionality in both teams’ software, but no evidence that it had been used in a race. Both teams were fined $100,000 for their initial refusal to cooperate. However, the McLaren software, which was a gearbox program that allowed automatic shifts, was deemed legal. By contrast, the Benetton software was deemed to be a form of “launch control” that would have allowed Schumacher to make perfect starts, which was explicitly outlawed by the regulations. However, there was no evidence to suggest that this software was actually used.

At the British Grand Prix, Schumacher was penalised for overtaking on the formation lap. He then ignored the penalty and the subsequent black flag, which indicates that the driver must immediately return to the pits, for which he was disqualified and later given a two-race ban. Benetton blamed the incident on a communication error between the stewards and the team. Schumacher was also disqualified after winning the Belgian Grand Prix after his car was found to have illegal wear on its skidblock, a measure used after the accidents at Imola to limit downforce and hence cornering speed. Benetton protested that the skidblock had been damaged when Schumacher spun over a kerb, but the FIA rejected their appeal because of the pattern of wear and damage visible on the block. These incidents helped Damon Hill close the points gap, and Schumacher led by a single point going into the final race in Australia. On lap 36 Schumacher hit the guardrail on the outside of the track while leading. Hill attempted to pass but as Schumacher’s car returned to the track there was a collision on the corner causing them both to retire. As a result Schumacher won a very controversial championship, the first German to do so (Jochen Rindt raced under the Austrian flag).

In 1995 Schumacher successfully defended his title with Benetton. He now had the same Renault engine as Williams. He accumulated 33 more points than second-placed Damon Hill. With team-mate Johnny Herbert, he took Benetton to its first Constructors’ Championship and became the youngest two-time world champion in Formula One history.

The season was marred by several collisions with Hill, in particular an overtaking manoeuvre by Hill took them both out of the British Grand Prix on lap 45 and again on lap 23 of the Italian Grand Prix. Schumacher won nine of the 17 races, and finished on the podium 11 times. Only once did he qualify worse than fourth; at the Belgian Grand Prix, he qualified 16th, but went on to win the race.

Ferrari

In 1996, Schumacher joined Ferrari for a salary of $60 million over 2 years, a team which had last won the Drivers’ Championship with Jody Scheckter in 1979 and which had not won the Constructors’ Cup since 1983 with drivers René Arnoux and Patrick Tambay at the wheel. He left Benetton a year before his contract with them expired; he later cited the team’s damaging actions in 1994 as his reason for opting out of his deal. A year later, ex-Benetton employees Rory Byrne and Ross Brawn, who had been Technical Director at Benetton since 1991, and who was one of the key members behind Schumacher’s title successes with the team in 1994 and 1995, decided to join Schumacher at Ferrari. This increased Schumacher’s motivation to build a more experienced and potentially championship-winning team around him.

Ferrari had previously come close to the championship in 1982 and 1990. The team had suffered a disastrous downturn in the early 1990s, partially as their famous V12 engine was no longer competitive against the smaller, lighter and more fuel efficient V10s of their competitors. Various drivers, notably Alain Prost, had given the vehicles labels such as “truck”, “pig”, and “accident waiting to happen”. The poor performance of the Ferrari pit crews was considered a running joke. At the end of 1995, though the team had improved into a solid competitor, it was still considered inferior to front-running teams such as Benetton and Williams. Schumacher declared the Ferrari 412T good enough to win the Championship.

Schumacher, Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne, and Jean Todt (hired in 1993), have been credited as turning this once struggling team into the most successful team in Formula One history. Three-time World Champion Jackie Stewart believes the transformation of the Ferrari team was Schumacher’s greatest feat. Eddie Irvine also joined the team, moving from Jordan.

1996–1999

Schumacher finished third in the Drivers’ Championship in 1996, and helped Ferrari to second place in the constructors’ championship ahead of his old team Benetton. He won three races, more than the team’s total tally for the period from 1991 to 1995. During the initial part of the 1996 season, the car had had reliability trouble and Schumacher did not finish 6 of the 16 races. He took his first win for Ferrari at the Spanish Grand Prix, where he lapped the entire field up to third place in the wet. In the French Grand Prix Schumacher qualified in pole position, but suffered engine failure on the race’s formation lap. However at Spa-Francorchamps, Schumacher used well-timed pit-stops to fend off the Williams’ Jacques Villeneuve. Following that, at Monza, Schumacher won in front of the tifosi. Schumacher’s ability, combined with the improving reliability of Ferrari, enabled him to end the season, putting up a challenge to eventual race and championship winner Damon Hill at Suzuka.

Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve vied for the title in 1997. Villeneuve, driving the superior Williams FW19, led the championship in the early part of the season. However, by mid-season, Schumacher had taken the Championship lead, winning five races, and entered the season’s final Grand Prix with a one-point advantage. Towards the end of the race, held at Jerez, Schumacher’s Ferrari developed a coolant leak and loss of performance indicating he may not finish the race. As Villeneuve approached to pass his rival, Schumacher attempted to provoke an accident but got the short end of the stick, retiring from the race. Villeneuve went on and scored four points to take the championship. Schumacher was punished for unsportsmanlike conduct for the collision and was disqualified from the Drivers’ Championship.

In 1998, Finnish driver Mika Häkkinen became Schumacher’s main title competition. Häkkinen won the first two races of the season, gaining a 16 point advantage over Schumacher. Schumacher then won in Argentina and, with the Ferrari improving significantly in the second half of the season, Schumacher took six victories and had five other podium finishes. Ferrari took a 1–2 finish at the French Grand Prix, the first Ferrari 1–2 finish since 1990, and the Italian Grand Prix, which tied Schumacher with Häkkinen for the lead of the Drivers’ Championship with 80 points, but Häkkinen won the Championship by winning the final two races. There were two controversies; at the British Grand Prix Schumacher was leading on the last lap when he turned into the pit lane, crossed the start finish line and stopped for a ten second stop go penalty. There was some doubt whether this counted as serving the penalty, but, because he had crossed the finish line when he came into the pit lane, the win was valid. At Spa, Schumacher was leading the race by 40 seconds in heavy spray, but collided with David Coulthard’s McLaren when the Scot, a lap down, slowed in very poor visibility to let Schumacher past. After both cars returned to the pits, Schumacher leaped out of his car and headed to McLaren’s garage in an infuriated manner and accused Coulthard of trying to kill him.

Rumours circulated that Coulthard may be replaced by Schumacher for the 1999 season and beyond and, in a previous edition of the F1 Racing magazine, Ron Dennis revealed that he had approached Schumacher to sign a deal with McLaren. However, peripheral financial issues that tied Schumacher with Ferrari, such as sponsorship agreements and payment, could not be rectified in a move to the rival team and so, no deal came to fruition.

Schumacher’s efforts helped Ferrari win the Constructors title in 1999. He lost his chance to win the Drivers’ Championship at the British Grand Prix at the high-speed Stowe Corner, his car’s rear brake failed, sending him off the track and resulting in a broken leg. During his 98 day absence, he was replaced by Finnish driver Mika Salo. After missing six races, he made his return at the inaugural Malaysian Grand Prix, qualifying in the pole position by almost a second. He then assumed the role of second driver, assisting team mate Eddie Irvine’s bid to win the Drivers’ Championship for Ferrari. In the last race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix, Häkkinen won his second consecutive title. Schumacher would later say that Häkkinen was the opponent he respected the most.

2000–2004: World Championship years

Schumacher driving the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro F2002 at the 2002 French Grand Prix, the race at which he clinched the 2002 Drivers’ Championship, setting the record for the fewest races in locking up the title

During this period Schumacher won more races and championships than any other driver in the history of the sport. Schumacher won his third World Championship in 2000 after a year-long battle with Häkkinen. Schumacher won the first three races of the season and five of the first eight. Mid-way through the year, Schumacher’s chances suffered with three consecutive non-finishes, allowing Häkkinen to close the gap in the standings. Häkkinen then took another two victories, before Schumacher won at the Italian Grand Prix. At the post race press conference, after equalling the number of wins (41) won by his idol, Ayrton Senna, Schumacher broke into tears. The championship fight would come down to the penultimate race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix. Starting from pole position, Schumacher lost the lead to Häkkinen at the start. After his second pit-stop, however, Schumacher came out ahead of Häkkinen and went on to win the race and the championship.

In 2001, Schumacher took his fourth drivers’ title. Four other drivers won races, but none sustained a season-long challenge for the championship. Schumacher scored a record-tying nine wins and clinched the world championship with four races yet to run. He finished the championship with 123 points, 58 ahead of runner-up Coulthard. Season highlights included the Canadian Grand Prix, where Schumacher finished 2nd to his brother Ralf, thus scoring the first ever 1–2 finish by brothers in Formula One; and the Belgian Grand Prix in which Schumacher scored his 52nd career win, breaking Alain Prost’s record for most career wins.

In 2002, Schumacher used the Ferrari F2002 to retain his Drivers’ Championship. There was again some controversy, however, at the Austrian Grand Prix, where his teammate, Rubens Barrichello was leading but in the final metres of the race, under team orders, slowed down to allow Schumacher to win the race. The crowd broke into outraged boos at the result and Schumacher tried to make amends by allowing Barrichello to stand on the top step of the podium. At the United States Grand Prix later that year, Schumacher dominated the race and was set for a close finish with Barrichello. At the end he slowed down to create a formation finish with Barrichello, but slowed too much allowing Barrichello to take the victory. In winning the Drivers’ Championship he equalled the record set by Juan Manuel Fangio of five world championships. Ferrari won 15 out of 17 races, and Schumacher won the title with six races remaining in the season, which is still the earliest point in the season for a driver to be crowned World Champion. Schumacher broke his own record, shared with Nigel Mansell, of nine race wins in a season, by winning eleven times and finishing every race on the podium. He finished with 144 points, a record-breaking 67 points ahead of the runner-up, his teammate Rubens Barrichello. This pair finished 9 of the 17 races in the first two places.

Schumacher broke Juan Manuel Fangio’s record of five World Drivers’ Championships by winning the drivers’ title for the sixth time in 2003, a closely contested season. The biggest competition came once again from the McLaren Mercedes and Williams BMW teams. In the first race, Schumacher ran off track, and in the following two, was involved in collisions. He fell 16 points behind Kimi Räikkönen. Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix and the next two races, and closed within two points of Räikkönen. Aside from Schumacher’s victory in Canada, and Barrichello’s victory in Britain, the mid-season was dominated by Williams drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya, who each claimed two victories. After the Hungarian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher led Montoya and Kimi Räikkönen by only one and two points, respectively. Ahead of the next race, the FIA announced changes to the way tyre widths were to be measured: this forced Michelin, supplier to Williams and McLaren among others, to rapidly redesign their tyres before the Italian Grand Prix. Schumacher, running on Bridgestone tyres, won the next two races. After Montoya was penalised in the United States Grand Prix, only Schumacher and Räikkönen remained in contention for the title. At the final round, the Japanese Grand Prix, Schumacher needed only one point whilst Räikkönen needed to win. By finishing the race in eighth place, Schumacher took one point and assured his sixth World Drivers’ title, ending the season two points ahead of Räikkönen.

In 2004, Schumacher won a record twelve of the first thirteen races of the season, only failing to finish in Monaco after an accident with Juan Pablo Montoya during a safety car period when he briefly locked his car’s brakes. He clinched a record seventh drivers’ title at the Belgian Grand Prix. He finished that season with a record 148 points, 34 points ahead of the runner-up, teammate Rubens Barrichello, and set a new record of 13 race wins out of a possible 18, surpassing his previous best of 11 wins from the 2002 season.

2005–2006

Rule changes for the 2005 season required tyres to last an entire race, tipping the overall advantage to teams using Michelins over teams such as Ferrari that relied on Bridgestone tyres. The rule changes were partly in an effort to dent Ferrari’s dominance and make the series more interesting. The most notable moment of the early season for Schumacher was his battle with Fernando Alonso in San Marino, where he started 13th and finished only 0.2 seconds behind the Spanish driver. Less than half-way through the season, Schumacher said “I don’t think I can count myself in this battle any more. It was like trying to fight with a blunted weapon…. If your weapons are weak you don’t have a chance.” Schumacher’s sole win in 2005 came at the United States Grand Prix. Prior to that race, the Michelin tyres were found to have significant safety issues. When no compromise between the teams and the FIA could be reached, all but the six drivers using Bridgestone tyres dropped out of the race after the formation lap. Schumacher retired in six of the 19 races. He finished the season in third with 62 points, fewer than half the points of world champion Alonso.

2006 became the last season of Schumacher’s Ferrari career. After three races, Schumacher had just 11 points and was already 17 points behind Alonso. He won the following two races. His pole position at San Marino was his 66th, breaking Ayrton Senna’s 12 year old record.

Schumacher was stripped of pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix and started the race at the back of the grid. This was due to him stopping his car and blocking part of the circuit while Alonso was on his qualifying lap; he still managed to work his way up to 5th place on the notoriously cramped Monaco circuit. By the Canadian Grand Prix, the ninth race of the season, Schumacher was 25 points behind Alonso, but he then won the following three races to reduce his disadvantage to 11. His win at Hockenheim was the last home win for a German as of now. After his victories in Italy (in which Alonso had an engine failure) and China, in which Alonso had tyre problems, Schumacher led in the championship standings for the first time during the season. Although he and Alonso had the same point total, Schumacher was in front because he had won more races.

The Japanese Grand Prix was led by Schumacher with only 16 laps to go, when, for the first time since the 2000 French Grand Prix, Schumacher’s car suffered an engine failure. Alonso won the race, giving himself a ten point championship lead. With only one race left in the season, Schumacher could only win the championship if he won the season finale and Alonso scored no points.

Before the Brazilian Grand Prix, Schumacher conceded the title to Alonso. In pre-race ceremonies, football legend Pelé presented a trophy to Schumacher for his years of dedication to Formula One. During the race’s qualifying session, Schumacher had the best time of all drivers through the first two sessions; but a fuel pressure problem prevented him from completing a single lap during the third session, forcing him to start the race in tenth position. Early in the race Schumacher moved up to sixth place. However, in overtaking Alonso’s teammate, Giancarlo Fisichella, Schumacher experienced a tyre puncture caused by the front wing of Fisichella’s car. Schumacher pitted and consequently fell to 19th place, 70 seconds behind teammate and race leader Felipe Massa. Schumacher recovered and overtook both Fisichella and Räikkönen to secure fourth place. His performance was classified in the press as “heroic”, an “utterly breath-taking drive”, and a “performance that … sums up his career”.

2007–2009: First Retirement

While Schumacher was on the podium after winning the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari issued a press release stating that he would retire from racing at the end of the 2006 season. Schumacher confirmed his retirement. The press release stated that Schumacher would continue working for Ferrari. It was revealed on 29 October 2006 that Ferrari wanted Schumacher to act as assistant to the newly appointed CEO Jean Todt. This would involve selecting the team’s future drivers. After Schumacher’s announcement, leading Formula One figures such as Niki Lauda and David Coulthard hailed Schumacher as the greatest all-round racing driver in the history of Formula One. The tifosi and the Italian press, who did not always take to Schumacher’s relatively cold public persona, displayed an affectionate response after he announced his retirement.

2007: Advisor at Ferrari

He attended several Grands Prix during the season. Schumacher drove the Ferrari F2007 for the first time on 24 October at Ferrari’s home track in Fiorano, Italy. He ran no more than five laps and no lap times were recorded. A Ferrari spokesman said the short drive was done for the Fiat board of directors who were holding their meeting in Maranello.

During the 2007 season Schumacher acted as Ferrari’s advisor and Jean Todt’s ‘super assistant’. On 13 November 2007 Schumacher, who had not driven a Formula One car since he had retired a year earlier, undertook a formal test session for the first time aboard the F2007. He returned in December 2007 to continue helping Ferrari with their development program at Jerez circuit. He focused on testing electronics and tyres for the 2008 Formula One season.

2008: Car development

In 2007, former Ferrari top manager Ross Brawn said that Schumacher was very likely and also happy to continue testing in 2008. Michael Schumacher later explained his role further saying that he would “deal with the development of the car inside Gestione Sportiva” and as part of that “I’d like to drive, but not too often.”.

During 2008 Schumacher also competed in motorcycle racing in the IDM Superbike-series, but stated that he had no intention of a second competitive career in this sport. He was quoted as saying that riding a Ducati was the most exhilarating thing he had done in his life, the second most being sky diving.

2009: Planned substitution for injured Massa

In his capacity as racing advisor to Ferrari, Schumacher was present in Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix when Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was seriously injured after being struck by a suspension spring during qualifying. As it became clear that Massa would be unable to compete in the next race at Valencia Schumacher was chosen as a replacement for the Brazilian driver and on 29 July 2009, Ferrari announced that they planned to draft in Schumacher for the European Grand Prix and subsequent Grands Prix until Massa was able to race again. Schumacher tested in a modified F2007 to prepare himself as he had been unable to test the 2009 car due to testing restrictions. Ferrari appealed for special permission for Schumacher to test in a 2009 spec car but Williams, Red Bull and Toro Rosso were against this test. Schumacher was forced to call off his return due to the severity of the neck injury he had received in a motorcycle accident earlier in the year. Massa’s place at Ferrari was instead filled by Luca Badoer and Giancarlo Fisichella.

On 23 December 2009 it was announced Schumacher would be returning to Formula One in the 2010 season alongside fellow German driver Nico Rosberg in the new Mercedes GP team. On 16 November Mercedes had taken over the Brawn GP team which was their first majority involvement in an F1 team since 1955. Schumacher stated that his preparations to replace the injured Massa for Ferrari had initiated a renewed interest in F1 which, combined with the opportunity to fulfil a long-held ambition to drive for Mercedes and to be working again with team principal Ross Brawn, led Schumacher to accept the offer once he was passed fit. After a period of intensive training medical tests, it was confirmed that the neck injury that had prevented him driving for Ferrari the year before had fully healed.

Ross Brawn had contacted Schumacher over a potential return to F1 with Mercedes involvement in November 2009, seeking a substitute for the possibly outgoing driver Jenson Button. On November 2, Rubens Barrichello had left Brawn GP followed by Button on 18 November with Rosberg announced by Mercedes as the first replacement driver on 23 November. The possible return of Schumacher began being reported in the German press on 13 December and, ten days later, Mercedes confirmed Schumacher’s return completing their line-up. Schumacher signed a three year contract, reportedly worth £20m, with Mercedes who were thought to want 22-year-old German driver Sebastian Vettel as a long term replacement afterwards. In March 2010, The Daily Mail reported that Schumacher’s deal was closer to £21m (€24m, $32m) a year.

Schumacher’s surprise re-entry to the sport was compared to Niki Lauda’s return in 1982 aged 33 and Nigel Mansell’s return in 1994 at age 41. Schumacher turned 41 on 3 January 2010 and his prospects with Mercedes were compared with the record set by the oldest F1 champion Juan Manuel Fangio who was 46 when he won his fifth championship.

2010: Return to Formula One

Schumacher’s first drive of the 2010 Mercedes car – the Mercedes MGP W01 – was at the official test on 2 February 2010 in Valencia. He finished sixth in the first race of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix. A fortnight later at the Australian Grand Prix Schumacher, after running as high as third on the opening lap, was caught up in a tangle between Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button at the start and had to pit for a new front wing. He came from the back to finish in the points in tenth position after spending 20 laps behind Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari. In the Malaysian Grand Prix Schumacher retired early in the race with a faulty wheel nut. Schumacher qualified 9th in the Chinese Grand Prix and finished 10th after being passed by several other drivers in the wet conditions towards the end of the race. After the race former driver Stirling Moss suggested that Schumacher, who had finished behind his team-mate in each of the first four qualifying sessions and races, might be “past it.” Many other respected former Formula One drivers thought otherwise, including former rival Damon Hill, who warned “you should never write Schumacher off.” GrandPrix.com identified the inherent understeer of the Mercedes car, exacerbated by the narrower front tyres introduced for the 2010 season, as contributing to Schumacher’s difficulties. Jenson Button shed some more light on Schumacher’s car trouble when he confessed that the Mercedes 2010 car was designed for him, and that his driving style is poles apart from Schumacher.

For the first European race of the season, the Spanish Grand Prix, Mercedes upgraded their car with revised aerodynamics and a longer wheelbase. Schumacher was ahead of Rosberg in qualifying and the race finishing fourth after defending his position from reigning world champion Jenson Button after the pit stops. At the Monaco Grand Prix Schumacher qualified seventh and finished sixth after passing Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso on the final corner of the race when the safety car returned to the pits. However he was penalised 20 seconds after the race by the race stewards dropping him to 12th and thus out of the points. The stewards, advised by former world champion Damon Hill, judged the pass to be in breach of rule 40.13 of the sporting code stating that “If the race ends whilst the safety car is deployed it will enter the pit lane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking.” Mercedes GP had interpreted “the race control messages ‘Safety Car in this lap’ and ‘Track Clear’ and the green flags and lights shown by the marshals after safety car line one” to mean that the race would not finish under the safety car. The FIA subsequently outlined plans to clarify the regulations and Mercedes GP dropped their plans to appeal.

In Turkey, Schumacher had his best qualifying session since his return qualifying fifth ahead of team mate Rosberg in sixth. In the race Schumacher finished fourth which was his best race finish since his return. However 2 races later at the European Grand Prix in Valencia, Schumacher finished a lowly 15th – his lowest recorded finish in his career – after being caught up in a controversial safety-car ruling, which also ruined the race of Fernando Alonso. Schumacher was near the front of the field until he was stuck at the end of the pit lane, following the safety car, while the majority of the field passed him. In Hungary, Schumacher finished outside the points in eleventh, but was found guilty of dangerous driving at 180 mph (290 km/h) while unsuccessfully defending tenth position against Rubens Barrichello. As a result he was demoted ten places on the grid for the following race, the Belgian Grand Prix, where he finished seventh, despite starting 21st after his grid penalty.

In the Italian Grand Prix, Schumacher missed out on the top ten in qualifying but managed to finish ninth. A fortnight later at the Singapore Grand Prix, Schumacher finished 13th after the Sauber of Nick Heidfeld collided with him on Lap 36, knocking Heidfeld out of the race. At the Japanese Grand Prix, Schumacher finished sixth before a fourth and seventh in the next two races in Korea and Brazil. At the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Schumacher was involved in a major accident on the first lap, which occurred after Schumacher was spun around by his teammate Nico Rosberg. As Schumacher was trying to maneuver his car back around, Vitantonio Liuzzi’s Force India ploughed into his Mercedes head-on, barely missing his head. Nobody was hurt in the crash, but Schumacher said the crash had been “frightening.”

It was the first season since his début season in 1991 that Schumacher finished without a win, pole position, podium or fastest lap. He finished the season 9th with 72 points.

At the 2011 Wroom meeting in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Fernando Alonso, the second most successful Formula One driver still racing, said of Schumacher: “He will be always super class; if the car is right, he will be a contender that we will fear most.”

2011

After an unsuccessful Australian Grand Prix, where he retired due to puncture damage, Schumacher had an average race in Malaysia, finishing in ninth place to score his team’s only points, generally battling it out with the midfield of the pack but ahead of team mate Rosberg, who finished 12th. A problem with his movable rear wing, also known as the drag reduction system resulted in Schumacher qualifying only 14th in China, but he worked his way up to 8th place during the race. He added more points with sixth place in Spain, and at the Canadian Grand Prix, Schumacher had arguably his best performance since returning from retirement. He finished in fourth position, but ran as high as second in a race which was almost entirely contested in wet conditions. Schumacher was passed late in the race by both Jenson Button, who went on to win the race, and Mark Webber, by the use of the DRS.

In Valencia, he crashed into the side of Vitaly Petrov’s Renault while exiting the pit lane, breaking his own front wing, meaning he had to pit again the following lap. This incident left him outside of the points, and eventually finished 17th. In Britain Schumacher locked his front tyres while running behind Kamui Kobayashi, attempted to take avoiding action, and again broke his front wing spinning Kobayashi 180 degrees. As well as pitting to replace the wing, Schumacher served a 10 second stop-go penalty for the incident. Although working his way up to ninth, Schumacher was unhappy with the result and described the Kobayashi incident as his misjudgement. He finished eighth at his home race in Germany, and retired in Hungary with gearbox failure.

Schumacher marked the 20th anniversary of his Formula One début at the Belgian Grand Prix. He set the fastest time in the first free practice session, but after a wheel came loose in qualifying, he had start last on the grid. Despite this, Schumacher put in a very strong performance, ending the race in fifth place and ahead of his team mate Rosberg. Schumacher continued his run of form at the Italian Grand Prix, qualifying eighth and finishing fifth. This race saw a notable duel with Lewis Hamilton for fourth place. Schumacher defended expertly against Hamilton’s faster car, but was also criticised for leaving insufficient overtaking space. After a retirement in Singapore due to contact with Sergio Pérez, Schumacher finished in sixth place at the Japanese Grand Prix, having led three laps during the race, the first time he had led a race since the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix. In doing so, he became the oldest driver to lead a race since Jack Brabham in 1970.

In Korea, Schumacher started the race from twelfth, and was well within the points scoring positions when he was hit from behind by Vitaly Petrov, forcing both drivers to retire. In India, Schumacher struggled in qualifying and qualified twelfth, although he moved up to eleventh after Petrov was given a five-place grid penalty for the incident in Korea; Schumacher blamed his lack of pace on tyre vibrations he experienced on his final run.

After making up three places on the opening lap, Schumacher remained in the top ten for the entire race, eventually finishing fifth, ahead of team-mate Rosberg after overtaking him during the final round of pit-stops. At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Schumacher qualified eighth and had moved up to sixth after a few corners. He was ahead of Rosberg, and the pair battled over the position for the remainder of the first lap. Rosberg’s overtake eventually meant that he finished in sixth and Schumacher in seventh. Schumacher finished the season with a fifteenth place at the season finale at the Brazilian Grand Prix, following a collision early in the race with Bruno Senna which had forced him to pit for repairs. Schumacher finished the season in eighth place in the Drivers’ Championship standings with 76 points; his best result was fourth place at the Canadian Grand Prix.

2012

Schumacher is again driving for Mercedes AMG in the 2012 Formula One season, alongside Nico Rosberg. At the Australian Grand Prix, Schumacher qualified in fourth place. He moved up to third place at the start of the race, which he held until he suffered a terminal gearbox failure on lap 11. At the second race in Malaysia, Schumacher qualified third, but only managed to collect one point after being hit from behind on the first lap of the race by Romain Grosjean in wet conditions.

For the third race of the season in China, Schumacher qualified 3rd but started in 2nd place due to Lewis Hamilton being penalised. This was the first time since 1955 that Mercedes occupied the front row of the grid, since his team-mate Nico Rosberg scored the first pole position of his career. A mechanic’s error during the first pit-stop forced Schumacher to retire after 13 laps due to a loose wheel. The fourth race was in Bahrain. Schumacher suffered with a defective DRS mechanism in qualifying, which was compounded by a grid-penalty for a gearbox replacement. He started 23rd on the grid, and finished in 10th position. Schumacher had his third retirement of the season in Barcelona, receiving a five place penalty for Monaco after causing a collision with Bruno Senna.

Schumacher was fastest in qualifying at Monaco. However, owing to the penalty for his incident with Senna at Barcelona, he started sixth on the grid. At the start of the race, Schumacher was hit by Romain Grosjean as he attempted to move down the outside, dropping to eighth, before retiring from seventh position late in the race due to falling fuel pressure. The strain of bad luck continued in Canada where a miscalculation from the team in qualifying meant that he couldn’t make it over the line early enough to start his second flying lap. He qualified in 9th position as a result and then retired from the race after his second pit stop because of a jammed DRS flap.

Journalists and reporters approached Schumacher after the Canadian race talking about his bad luck. As of the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix, Schumacher had only finished twice out of 7 races, 4 of the non finishes due to mechanical/team failure. He had also been unlucky in qualifying in Bahrain, Monaco and Canada, particularly in Monaco where he qualified on pole but was awarded a 5 place grid penalty and therefore started 6th. Even though he only had 2 points at this stage, Michael had qualified extremely well with a 4th, two 3rds and one pole. He was running 3rd when he went out of the Australian Grand Prix and when he was hit in the Malaysian Grand Prix. He was also in 2nd when he retired from the Chinese Grand Prix.

In the European Grand Prix, things appeared to continue as they were with bad luck striking again in qualifying, only this time in a different way. There were no mechanical/team failures or accidents this time, it was just that he got knocked out in Q2 because there were only 0.280 seconds seperating P1 and P12 were Schumacher ended up. 0.280 seconds could have been enough to finish Q2 in 2nd position under normal circumstances. Things changed in the race where he finally got some luck at his side and was able to climb his way up to P3 and gain his first podium finish since 2006. At an age of 43 years and 173 days, he became the oldest driver to climb the podium since Jack Brabham’s second place finish at the 1970 British Grand Prix.

At the last time Formula One race in the US, McLaren driver, Lewis Hamilton, was victorious. It seems not much has change as Hamilton battled Sebastian Vettel and emerged again victorious in the first United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday.

Hamilton started on the dirty side of the grid and came out of the first corner third behind the Red Bulls, Vettel and Mark Webber. But, after passing by Webber on the fourth lap, after a previous attempt that didn’t go as planned, he got to work catching up to Vettel.

Vettel, however, proved a far tougher nut to crack, and after getting the gap down to less than a second, Hamilton began to lose ground just prior to his pit stop on the 20th lap. After a switch to harder Pirelli tire, he managed to close in again, and finally made a move that stuck, using his DRS to pass Vettel down the back straight on the 42nd lap, the Red Bull having been delayed slightly by traffic in the esses earlier in the lap. The German tried all he could to stick with him, but just didn’t quite have the McLaren’s pace, and as Hamilton had discovered, following was a whole lot harder than leading.

Behind them, and after a bit of tactical trickery by Ferrari, another superb drive from Alonso kept the Spaniard in play for the world championship.

Before the start much was made about the state of the track on the left-hand side of the grid, particularly by Hamilton who qualified second. Ferrari were so concerned, with Alonso due to start eighth, that they deliberately broke a seal on Felipe Massa’s gearbox so that he would get a five-place grid penalty that would move Alonso to seventh, on the clean side.

The ploy worked to perfection. Alonso jumped up to fourth behind the Red Bulls and Hamilton, closing out Michael Schumacher in Turn One, and thus immediately put himself in the lowest position he needed, assuming that Vettel won, to keep the title battle open. He rose to third when Webber’s car stopped after 16 laps with alternator failure, and stayed there to the flag, secure in the knowledge that Massa had climbed back up to fourth after his enforced grid penalty and thus had his back. It was a noteworthy run by the Brazilian.

Behind them, Jenson Button hauled his McLaren to fifth after starting on the harder tire and running until the 32nd lap before changing to the mediums. He conquered the Lotuses of Kimi Raikkkonen and Romain Grosjean, both of whom looked strong at one time. The Finn seemed a possible podium contender for a while, while the Frenchman recovered from an early spin and pit stop.

Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg ran fifth for some time before the Lotuses hit their stride, and stayed in the points to take eighth despite attack from both Williams. Pastor Maldonado rubbed wheels in the first corner with team mate Bruno Senna on the 52nd lap as he squeezed through on the inside for ninth, and they were the final points’ scorers.

It was a poor day for Sauber, as a disappointed Sergio Perez didn’t have the car beneath him to deliver better than 11th place to the thousands of Mexicans who made the trek to Texas, while Toro Rosso’s Daniel Ricciardo, who ran strongly in fifth place at one stage while running out of sequence in the pit stops, was 12th. Nico Rosberg brought his Mercedes home an uncompetitive 13th ahead of Kamui Kobayashi’s Sauber, while Force India’s Paul di Resta clung on after an unhappy race to beat Schumacher home.

Vitaly Petrov led the newbies home in his Caterham, as Heikki Kovalainen very narrowly fended off Timo Glock’s Marussia for 18th and Charles Pic brought his MR01 home next. Both HRTs finished, with Pedro de la Rosa leading Narain Karthikeyan throughout.

Besides Webber, the only non-finisher was Vergne after damaging his Toro Rosso’s front suspension again during a fight with the Mercedes.

Vettel now leads Alonso with 273 to 260 points, and 25 is up for grabs in Brazil. And though Red Bull lost the race, Vettel’s second place was sufficient to clinch them the constructors’ championship for a third successive year.

So, what did the Mercedes AMG Petronas team have to say about the U.S. race?

Nico Rosberg

It was a difficult weekend for us and unfortunately we weren’t able to score any points today. However we have learned some important lessons for next year and that’s what counts at the moment. I hope we can be more successful next year here in Austin as I have enjoyed our visit. The track, the people and the city are absolutely fantastic. So I look forward to coming back here in 2013 and we will work hard next weekend to finish the season on a positive note.

Michael Schumacher

I can’t find any words other than ironic ones for the race today – there was a lot of action around me but unfortunately in the wrong direction. To say that the race was a real struggle would be an understatement. I couldn’t get any grip from my first set of tires, and there must have been some kind of damage for them to perform so badly. We had to change our strategy to two stops which then compromised our race even further. All in all, it was much worse than expected today, especially considering that things did not look that bad yesterday and Friday.

Michael Schumacher at the Circuit of the Americas

Ross Brawn

After a good qualifying result, Michael’s first set of tires performed very badly today and we decided to convert his strategy to a two-stop race. Once we got onto another set, the lap times came back up to what we expected but having such a poor first stint made it very difficult for him. Nico started a long way back and conserved his tires well as we knew that we wanted to make a one-stop strategy work. He actually had a pretty good race with respectable lap times, and if we had managed to qualify better, he would have been in a reasonable place. Whilst it is disappointing not to score any points, we have learnt a lot about the car and tires this weekend which will be useful for the future. Despite our result, this has been a great weekend for Formula One in the United States, and it was very pleasing to see so many fans here for the first race in Austin. Our thanks for the organisers for putting on such a good show.

Norbert Haug

Nico’s speed was not too bad but from 17th on the grid, he could not improve further. His one-stop strategy worked as planned which was not the case for Michael who, after a respectable place on the grid, did not have the speed in his car to defend his position after the start of the race. The team brought him in early and switched to a two-stop strategy. Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes for winning the inaugural Grand Prix here at this great race track, after having won the last United States Grand Prix in 2007. Thank you to the organisers for making this race happen here in Austin. We will come back stronger next year. Congratulations to Red Bull Racing for securing the Constructors’ World Championship today.

It fits like a second skin, it resists temperatures of up to 1.000 degrees Celsius and it’s mandatory in Formula one. In the new video from Mercedes AMG Petronas, Nico and his chief strategist unveil the importance of the Nomex race overalls currently worn today.

In this second video, Nico takes a look back in time to when Formula One drivers only wore leather caps. Safety improvements over the past few decades have been huge. Today’s helmets are full of state-of-the-art technology protecting driver’s in any situation.

In the third video, what seems to be a simple strap is in fact the number one life saver. Not only in Formula One but on the road as well. What is a high tech device today did not even exist in the early days of Formula One. Nico and Aldo Costa give detailled information about the demands on a Formula One safety harness.

Finishing just outside the points, Michael Schumacher had a dramatic race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday finishing in 11th place. Team-mate Nico Rosberg retired following an incident with Romain and then a collision with Narain.

The winner of the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was former McLaren Mercedes driver, Kimi Raikkonen, driving for Lotus. He held Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso at bay in a to score Lotus’s long overdue first 2012 victory in great style. But a blend of great driving, superb strategic work and pure luck with safety-car interventions saw Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel retain his championship lead with a strong third place after starting on medium tyres from the pit lane.

For the first 19 laps it seemed like Lewis Hamilton’s race, even after an early safety car between Laps Nine and 14 after Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg flew spectacularly over the rear of Narain Karthikeyan’s HRT on Lap Nine as the Indian was slowing with hydraulic problems. Hamilton soon pulled away again at the restart, and was 3.4s ahead of fast-starting Raikkonen when his McLaren lost power and he pulled off at Turn 14 on the 20th lap.

The first safety car helped Vettel to recover from his pit-lane start and a brush with Williams’ Bruno Senna which damaged his front wing. There was an unusual moment when Daniel Ricciardo seemed to brake suddenly whilst behind the safety car and in avoiding his Red Bull stable mate, Vettel further damaged his wing on a DRS marker board by the side of the track. A subsequent early pit stop for used soft tyres and a new nose and wing on the 13th lap dropped him back again.

At that stage the focus was on the way Raikkonen pulled away as Alonso put increasing pressure on Williams’ Pastor Maldonado for second place as Red Bull’s Mark Webber and McLaren’s Jenson Button gave chase. Vettel was 12th.

Maldonado succumbed to Alonso on Lap 21, but on the 23rd lap Webber was involved in an incident when trying to pass Maldonado which saw the Red Bull half spin and lose places to Button, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Sauber’s Sergio Perez. Three laps later Webber had an incident with Massa, which saw the Brazilian spin.

By the time the pit stops had been made, from the 27th to the 31st laps, Raikkonen was only 1.4s clear of Vettel, and it had now became a matter of whether he could get through the remaining 23 laps on the same rubber as Alonso and Button battled in his wake.

The answer was that he couldn’t, but a superbly timed stop on the 37th lap saw him take a set of fresh softs and drop only to fourth, crucially keeping ahead of a frenetic battle between Grosjean (who had been hit early on by Rosberg), Paul di Resta (who had been involved in a first-corner collision with Force India team mate Nico Hulkenberg and Senna), a recovering Perez and Webber.

Di Resta and Grosjean had both had to pit on the first lap, and now the Scot found a way by the Frenchman on the 38th lap, but as Perez attempted to pass both of them he hit Grosjean and spun, and Webber was left with nowhere to go. The safety car was deployed again from Laps 38 to 42 as the wreckage of Grosjean’s and Webber’s cars was cleared away, and Perez was subsequently given a 10s stop and go penalty.

In the closing laps Raikkonen controlled things perfectly, as Alonso launched a massive challenge for the victory with a flurry of fastest laps which reduced the gap from 3.2s on the 46th lap to 0.8s by the finish. Vettel went from being 29.8s down on Raikkonen to just 3.3s thanks to the second safety car deployment, after which he hounded Button until he was able to slip by on the 52nd lap before slashing the deficit to his two title rivals.

Button took a lonely fourth, with Maldonado surviving all his dramas to bring home 10 crucial points for Williams as Kamui Kobayashi made the best of a relatively quiet race to take sixth for Sauber. Massa was seventh, chased hard by Senna and Di Resta, as Ricciardo took the final point for Toro Rosso after overhauling team mate Jean-Eric Vergne. The Frenchman was also overtaken by Mercedes’ Michael Schumacher, whose chance of points was ended late on by a right-rear puncture.

Heikki Kovalainen had a strong run for Caterham to 13th ahead of Marussia’s Timo Glock, who just fended off Perez by two-tenths of a second by the flag, with Vitaly Petrov taking 16th for Caterham ahead of HRT survivor Pedro de la Rosa.

The result leaves Vettel 10 points ahead of Alonso, 255 to 245, with Raikkonen retaining third with 198. In the constructors’ stakes, Red Bull have 422 points from Ferrari on 340, McLaren on 318 and Lotus on 288.

Michael Schumacher

Unfortunately we have to say that again we suffered bad luck today. Due to the puncture I had to do another pit stop very late in the race which lost me a points scoring position. Of course this is part of the game and you cannot do anything about it but it was a real pity as we had reasonable pace and could have taken some points. Towards the end of the race I was hoping to close the gap to the top ten, and we were making good progress, but it just didn’t work out.

Nico Rosberg

My car felt competitive today so it’s a real shame not to have finished the race and scored some points. Unfortunately that chance was gone after the first lap incident with Romain, after which I had to come into the pits for a new nose. Then there was the accident which put me out of the race. Narain told me that his steering broke and he needed to brake which I didn’t expect in that high-speed corner. There was no time for me to react, and I’m very thankful that we are both fine. I went to the medical centre for a precautionary check but everything is good. I will look forward now and hope for a better two races to end the season.

Ross Brawn

We had a reasonable car today so it’s disappointing not to have picked up any points. Nico’s front wing was damaged on the first lap which meant an early stop but he was going well after that. His accident on lap seven was fairly dramatic and we obviously need to have a look at what happened. Karthikeyan reported a problem with his car and certainly it looked very unusual. Thankfully both drivers were fine afterwards. Michael drove a strong race and we had a good strategy but unfortunately he picked up a puncture in the debris left from the various accidents which made the end of his race very difficult. The dice just aren’t falling for us at the moment but the positive is that the car was better this weekend so we just need to keep working hard.

Norbert Haug

Nico’s race lasted only seven laps today, and thankfully his accident ended without any serious consequences. Before that, his front wing change on the first lap after a collision with another car put him back to the back of the field. Michael was in seventh position when he picked up debris, and subsequently a puncture, during the safety car period which dropped him back to 11th place after his additional pit stop which is where he finished.

American racing driver John Cooper Fitch has died at the age of 95. Fitch passed away on October 31, 2012 at his home near Lime Rock Park, Connecticut/USA. Mercedes-Benz here pays its respects to his life – a life spent devoted to the automobile and to motorsport. The immediate points of contact between Fitch and Mercedes-Benz over the course of his career were comparatively brief – but highly significant.

Fitch’s first race for Mercedes-Benz was in 1952, driving the legendary 300 SL racing sports car (W 194) in the gruelling Carrera Panamericana race across Mexico. At the time, Fitch was considered one of the best in his field: “Auto” magazine of April 1952 named him as “One of the small handful of top drivers in the US”. And Fitch certainly lived up to these expectations, crossing the finishing line in his 300 SL racing sports car with roadster body among the race leaders. He was subsequently disqualified for returning to the garage after the start of the penultimate stage of the race to adjust the wheel alignment of his car.

Class victory in the 1955 Mille Miglia

Fitch achieved his great triumph for the brand in the legendary road race through Italy, the Mille Miglia, in 1955: then 37, he took the class victory as well as fifth place in the overall classification in his black Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (W 198) with the starting number 417. With this result, the American put the seal on Mercedes-Benz’s overwhelming success in this particular Mille Miglia. For the Stuttgart team were able to celebrate two double victories at once: the overall classification was dominated by Stirling Moss (with Denis Jenkinson as co-driver) and second-placed Juan Manuel Fangio, each in a 300 SLR (W 196 S), while the GT class over 1.3 litres displacement was won by Fitch (with Kurt Gesel as co-driver) followed by Olivier Gendebien (with Jacques Washer in the co-driver’s seat, overall placement 7).

Following the Mille Miglia, the Mercedes-Benz race team manager Alfred Neubauer invited Fitch to take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the wheel of a 300 SLR. He shared the car with Pierre Levegh, who died in a tragic accident at the race. Also in 1955, Moss and Fitch crossed the finishing line as the winners of the Tourist Trophy at Dundrod/Ireland. The American’s last race for Mercedes-Benz was in Sicily, in the Targa Florio of 1955, which ended with a double victory for Mercedes-Benz and the 300 SLR (Stirling Moss/Peter Collins followed by Juan Manuel Fangio/Karl Kling). Fitch and Desmond Titterington crossed the finishing line in fourth place.

A life dedicated to the automobile

John Cooper Fitch was born on 4 August 1917 in Indianapolis/USA. His stepfather George Spindler, a senior executive with the Stutz Motor Company, inspired the boy with a fascination for the automobile at an early age and even took him round the Indianapolis circuit as his co-driver. Fitch trained as an engineer, establishing initial contact with the European motor racing scene before the outbreak of the Second World War. He saw service in the war as a pilot with the US Air Force. In 1948 he opened a dealership selling sports cars in White Plains, New York. It was during this period that he also began to participate more actively in motor racing: he entered his first sports car race in an MG TC in 1949 in Bridgehampton, finishing in fifth place.

Further races and victories for a variety of marques followed, in North and South America as well as Europe. His last competitive race as a professional was at Sebring in 1966. From then on he worked in automotive engineering design, for Chevrolet amongst others. He also dedicated himself to vehicle safety, inventing the eponymous “Fitch Barrier” – an impact-absorbing element made up of plastic containers filled with sand or water, which mitigates the effect of accidents at motorway exits.

A keen automobile enthusiast all his life, the American always retained fond memories of his races for Mercedes-Benz. The series-production sports car 300 SL (W 198) was a particular favourite: “It was one of the most successful, indestructible sports cars ever built. It had […] a character, a charisma and a charm which I think will last as long as men […] respond to the magic and romance of great automobiles.”

Nico Rosberg finished the Indian Grand Prix in 11th place today with team-mate Michael Schumacher classified in P22. The race was dominated by Red Bull Racing-Renault and McLaren Mercedes with both team-members finishing in the top five.  Sebastian Vettel came in first followed closely by Fernando Alonso, trailing by 9.4 seconds.  Third place was takien by Mark WEbber, Lewis Hamilton fourth and Jenson Button in fifth.

• Nico completed a one-stop strategy, running soft then hard tires, and made his pit stop on lap 27

• Michael suffered a first lap right-rear puncture after contact with another car at the first corner

• He made two stops on laps one and 33, starting the race on the hard tyre, then running two sets of soft tires

Nico Rosberg

Finishing just outside of the points is always tough, and it was a hard afternoon for us out there. Starting with new tires, I hoped to be able to make up a couple of places but we just didn’t have the pace so I had to keep fighting off the cars coming from behind me. It’s a difficult time for us but we are learning for next year so that’s one positive thing.

Michael Schumacher

That was a pretty unsatisfactory race today. It was effectively over just after the start; I lost so much time getting back to the pits with the puncture that any hope of scoring points was gone. In the meantime, the pace was pretty good but I was too far behind to make up more than a few positions. In the end, we had to retire the car for technical reasons.

Ross Brawn

We are racing in a closely-matched field this season, where a few tenths of a second in lap time make a significant difference to your position. At the moment, we are on the wrong end of those precious tenths and that once again left us outside the points this afternoon. Nico made his one-stop strategy work well, looking after his tires so that he still had reasonable speed at the end of both stints, but otherwise he had a relatively quiet race. As for Michael, the contact at the first corner made it an uphill battle for him from turn two onwards, and left him at the back of the field. However, by running two stints on the option tyre, he was able to show respectable speed at some points of the race. We brought his car in before the end of the race as a precaution after we became aware of some gearbox concerns.

Norbert Haug

Michael suffered contact on the opening lap, which caused a puncture and put him to the back of the field after his pit stop. He retired the car with a gearbox issue five laps before the finish. As for Nico, his car didn’t have the speed to score points after starting from 10th position. We have a lot of work to do and everybody in the team is well aware of it.

Gary Paffett, driver of the THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, came in second in the DTM grand finale at Hockenheim. Finishing the 2012 season as championship runner-up, four points behind Bruno Spengler (BMW). The newly crowned champion won the last race of the year by a 2.2-second margin.

Gary Paffett led the championship table from the first race of the year right through to the last, scoring points in nine out of the ten races on the calendar. Going into the closing race weekend of the season, the Englishman held a three-point lead over Bruno Spengler. The newly crowned champion of 2012 began his DTM career with Mercedes-Benz in 2005, subsequently winning nine races in an AMG Mercedes C-Class.

Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) crossed the finish line fourth today. The Englishman is the only DTM driver to have scored points in all ten races this season and ends the championship campaign in third position.

THOMAS SABO / Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG were second and Mercedes AMG were placed third in the DTM team championship. With 168 wins, ten drivers’, thirteen team and nine manufacturers’ titles, Mercedes-Benz is the most successful manufacturer in the DTM.

Since the first works entry in 1988, Mercedes-Benz drivers have secured a total of 489 podium finishes, including nine this season, in 353 races.

Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) and Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé) both finished in the points – ninth and tenth respectively – in this home race for Mercedes-Benz at Hockenheim. Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) bowed out in her 74th and final DTM race with a P13 finish. Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) came home in 15th place. David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) and Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) both had to retire in the closing race of the season. Coulthard was likewise competing in the DTM for the last time.

On lap 29, Gary Paffett secured a 1:35.402, the fastest of the 42 laps. This was Paffett’s ninth fastest lap in his DTM career and his second at Hockenheim. This season, Mercedes-Benz drivers have posted fastest race lap six times in total. Since 1988, Mercedes-Benz drivers have achieved the fastest lap time in 168 races.

A total of 128,000 spectators attended the DTM finale weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun) at Hockenheim.

Race summary

The start: Gary Paffett finishes the first lap in third place. Jamie Green moves up four positions to sixth. Christian Vietoris goes up three positions to eleventh. Ralf Schumacher races up through the field from 17th on the grid to twelfth.

Lap 5: Paffett in third place, Green sixth. Schumacher, David Coulthard and Vietoris in P11, 12 and 13 respectively.

Lap 8: Schumacher overtakes Martin Tomczyk (BMW) and is now tenth.

Lap 10: Green finds a way past Joey Hand (BMW) in a scrap for fifth place.

Lap 11: The pit stop window is open and Paffett comes in for his first mandatory pit stop. As he exits the pits, he overtakes Augusto Farfus (BMW) and moves into second place.

Lap 12: First change of tyres for Green and Vietoris.

Lap 13: Schumacher and Coulthard pit.

Lap 14: First pit stop for Susie Wolff.

Lap 18: Paffett in second place, 3.5 seconds down on Bruno Spengler (BMW).

Lap 20: Paffett in second place, Green fourth, Schumacher ninth and Vietoris tenth. Robert Wickens retires in the pits.

Lap 22: Schumacher comes in for second pit stop.

Lap 23: Coulthard put into a spin by Timo Scheider (Audi) and retired. Second mandatory pit stop for Vietoris.

Lap 24: Paffett in P2 pits for second time.

Lap 25: Final mandatory pit stop for Green.

Lap 30 : Paffett reduces deficit on Spengler to two seconds since pit stop.

Lap 32: Ten laps to go, and the gap is now only 1.3 seconds.

Final lap (Lap 42): After 42 laps and a total race distance of 192.108km, Gary Paffett finishes the last race of the season in second place. Jamie Green is fourth.

Comments after the race:

Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Second:

“My team has done brilliantly well this season in terms of performance and it is very unfortunate that we missed winning the championship title in the last race by four points. So in the immediate aftermath of the race, disappointment sits deep, of course, because from my point of view we deserved to win the championship title just as much as Bruno Spengler and BMW. Congratulations to Bruno on his first DTM title! We will go on the attack again next year to take the championship.”

Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Fourth:

“Third place in the Drivers’ Championship, my best result so far, proves that I had a strong season in 2012. I had a chance of winning the title in the finale at Hockenheim this weekend, but nevertheless, I am satisfied with my year. Congratulations to Bruno Spengler and BMW. Bad luck for Gary, he deserved the title win.”

Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Ninth:

“It’s good to have scored two points in the grand finale at Hockenheim. That’s a nice way to sign off at the end of a long and exciting season. I’m sorry for Gary that he missed out on the title by such a slender margin. He put in a fantastic performance today which unfortunately wasn’t rewarded with the championship crown. Congratulations to BMW and to Bruno Spengler who was a member of the Mercedes-Benz family for so many years.”

Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé), Tenth:

“Tenth place was unfortunately the best result possible for me today. The start went well, but I was stuck behind Martin Tomczyk’s BMW for quite a long spell. That cost me a lot of time and had a negative effect on my race. Otherwise, I think that a place higher up the field would have been a distinct possibility. But a points-scoring finish is nevertheless a good way to end the season ”

Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 13th:

“I’m leaving the DTM with mixed emotions – I want to laugh and cry at the same time. I would have liked to have secured a better result than P13 for my fans, but I’m looking forward to starting a new chapter in my life. My thanks go to Mercedes-Benz for their continued support.”

Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 15th:

“Congratulations to Bruno Spengler and BMW on winning the title. Gary and Bruno staged a thrilling chase right through to the final lap. My own race was a bit chaotic. I would’ve liked to finish my rookie season with a championship point or two, but unfortunately, that wasn’t to be. What a pity.”

David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), retired:

“Competing in my last race here at Hockenheim in front of so many DTM fans has been a great honour. I had obviously intended securing a better result on the occasion of bowing out from the DTM. However, you can’t pick and choose in the DTM, this is racing at the highest level. I have had an absolutely brilliant time during the past three years in the DTM and will always look back with fondness to this period in my life. Many thanks to Mercedes-Benz and to all our fans everywhere.”

Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), retired:

“My goal was to go into the winter break with a decent result under my belt. Unfortunately, it has not been possible, and so at the moment I am quite disappointed, but overall I’m pleased with my debut season in the DTM. I’ve learned a lot and have secured my first points in a top class field. I intend building on that achievement in the future.”

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:

“Today marks the end of the first DTM season contested under the new regulations. Gary Paffett has played a strong role throughout, particularly in this final race in which he staged a thrilling chase that ultimately fell short of victory.

Congratulations to Bruno, BMW and Team Schnitzer on winning the title. We end this magnificent season with our heads held high, and in this closing race, we showed once again that we have the necessary speed to compete for the win.

Bruno’s victory is well deserved. In 2012, he has achieved what was denied him previously in five attempts when he drove for us, and so we offer him our congratulations.

I want to thank Gary and Jamie Green, who finished third in the championship, plus all of our drivers and our teams for their hard work. I wish we could have secured the title to reward all our hard-working colleagues – but a four-point deficit is no reason to be sad.

As one season ends, another begins, and we will start 2013 even stronger than before.”

Race: Top Ten

Drivers’ Championship: Top Three

Teams’ Championship: Top Three

Manufacturers’ Championship

After a promising free practice on Friday, Mercedes AMG Petronas driver, Michael Schumacher, finished the Korean Grand Prix in 13th place Sunday after starting 10th on the grid. Team-mate Nico Rosberg was forced to retire on lap two after being hit in an incident between Jenson Button’s McLaren and Kamui Kobayashi.

• Michael completed a two-stop strategy of used option/new prime/new prime, stopping on laps 13 and 32
• Nico’s car was hit from behind by Kamui Kobayashi on lap one, under braking for turn three
• Nico was forced to retire the car because of the resulting damage on the second lap of the race

Weather	Cool
Temperatures	Air: 21-22°C	Track: 23-27°C

Michael Schumacher

There are some races where nothing comes together and which you simply have to move on from straight away. This was one of them. We didn’t manage to get the tyres working properly over the race distance, which made for inconsistent lap times, and accounted for our step back in performance. So we will write this one off, look forward and hope that we will be able to get back on the front foot again in the upcoming races.

2012 Korean Grand Prix Results Michael Schumacher

Nico Rosberg

Unfortunately this has been the second poor weekend in a row for me, and it’s very frustrating to be taken out twice in the first corners of the race. Kobayashi hit me from behind today and that was my race over. The one small positive to be taken from the weekend is our qualifying performance which was a small step forward. Now I’ll look forward to India and hope for a bit more luck there.

2012 Korean Grand Prix Results Nico Rosberg Driving

Ross Brawn

It was a difficult race for us today. Nico was hit by Kobayashi on the first lap for the second race in succession, and to lose him again through the error of another driver was extremely disappointing. Michael did all that he could today but we struggled to keep the tyres up to temperature. There were parts of the race where the tyres were working properly and we were more competitive, but too many periods where we struggled. We need to look at how we can improve that situation, and we will keep working hard to make progress at the final four races.

Norbert Haug

Nico was once again the victim of a crash on lap one when a competitor drove into his car. This damaged the radiator which put an end to his race and, as in Japan, it was through no fault of his own. At no stage did Michael’s car produce the grip we had anticipated. We need to quickly put this race behind us but not before a thorough analysis, with an understanding of why we got it wrong today.

The Korean Grand Prix weekend got underway Friday at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam. Overall results were as expected. Red Bull looked strong, both Vettel and Webber are at the top of the time sheet. But, it won’t have escaped the attention of Sebastian Vettel that championship leader Fernando Alonso and hisFerrari were in the top three in both Yeongam sessions. After two sessions, Schumacher stayed close to teh leaders landing him in fifth position with teeammate not far behind in position 7.

Here is a rundown of the free practice team by team.

Red Bull

• Sebastian Vettel, 1m 40.088s, P5/1m 38.832s, P1
• Mark Webber, 1m 39.575s, P3/1m 38.864s, P2

Both drivers were very happy with the performance of their cars as they battled for fastest time in the afternoon. It seems that the rear-end changes introduced in Singapore have put the Red Bull RB8 on top again.

Ferrari

• Fernando Alonso, 1m 39.450s, P2/1m 39.160s, P3
• Felipe Massa, 1m 39.854s, P4/1m 39.422s, P6

Alonso said that Ferrari just got on with their programme all day without worrying what anyone else was up to. This included the usual Friday work and evaluation of some small update parts. Massa had a KERS problem after setting the initial pace in FP2, but generally sounded optimistic after his day’s work.

McLaren

• Jenson Button, 1m 40.480s, P10/1m 39.219s, P4
• Lewis Hamilton, 1m 39.148s, P1/1m 39.717s, P8

Hamilton was very happy with his car in FP1 when he was fastest, but said he suffered from too much understeer in the afternoon as he struggled to go faster on the super-soft option Pirelli. Button said he feared that Red Bull’s four-tenths advantage was likely to stay for qualifying. There’s some set-up refinement work to be done overnight here.

Mercedes

• Michael Schumacher, 1m 40.221s, P6/1m 39.330s, P5
• Nico Rosberg, 1m 40.396s, P7/1m 39.584s, P7

Overall, a decent day for both drivers on a circuit to which the MGP W03 seems better suited.

Force India

• Nico Hulkenberg (pm only), 1m 39.739s, P9
• Paul di Resta, 1m 40.440s, P9/1m 40.112s, P13
• Jules Bianchi (am only), 1m 41.140s, P13

All three drivers said they were reasonably happy with what they achieved during the day, though Di Resta insisted that his laps weren’t fully representative as he met traffic on both fast runs.

Lotus

• Kimi Raikkonen, 1m 40.929s, P11/1m 39.839s, P10
• Romain Grosjean, 1m 40.422s, P8/1m 39.957s, P11

Both drivers said their E20s were a handful, but the data indicated that the new aero package complete with Coanda-effect exhausts was behaving as expected so it will be retained for tomorrow.

Williams

• Bruno Senna (pm only), 1m 40.089s, P12
• Pastor Maldonado, 1m 41.048s, P12/1m 41.200s, P18
• Valtteri Bottas (am only), 1m 42.027s, P18

Senna’s was a good performance considering that he had to hand his car to Bottas in FP1, but Maldonado was hampered by an undisclosed car problem throughout FP2, so overall it wasn’t a particularly representative day for Williams.

Sauber

• Kamui Kobayashi, 1m 41.220s, P14/1m 40.445s, P14
• Sergio Perez 1m 41.514s, P15/1m 40.745s, P15

Sauber didn’t look as strong as they were in Suzuka, as Kobayashi struggled with poor balance on low fuel loads and Perez’s car coasted to a halt in FP2 with an engine management problem. The car was later retrieved, but the team weren’t able to get the Mexican back out before the session ended.

Toro Rosso

• Jean-Eric Vergne, 1m 42.021s, P17/1m 40.789s, P16

Daniel Ricciardo, 1m 41.596s, P16/1m 40.997s, P17

Not too bad a first day for either driver, as Vergne celebrated his first anniversary as he started running the Friday morning sessions here last year, but Ricciardo said he met traffic on his two best laps on the super softs.

Caterham

• Heikki Kovalainen, 1m 42.104s, P19/1m 41.602s, P19
• Vitaly Petrov (pm only), 1m 43.067s, P22
• Giedo van der Garde (am only), 1m 42.820s, P22

Kovalainen said he was very happy initially with his CT01’s balance, but in the afternoon he went off track and dislodged a couple of bolts in the cockpit which obliged the team to make a temporary fix to the seat so they could complete the program. Petrov inevitably struggled a bit after losing this morning session, when Van der Garde again ran and did a decent job to end up within seven-tenths of Kovalainen. The Russian’s programme was also interrupted when he sustained a puncture on his first set of super softs.

Marussia

• Timo Glock, 1m 42.175s, P20/1m 42.596s, P20
• Charles Pic, 1m 42.706s, P21/1m 43.066s, P21

After the upturn in speed in Suzuka, Glock was disappointed to find that his car’s rear-end nervousness had returned, making it a tough day in the office. Pic had similar problems, and will also incur a 10-place grid penalty for an engine change.

HRT

• Narain Karthikeyan (pm only), 1m 43.869s, P23
• Pedro de la Rosa, 1m 44.517s, P23/1m 44.533s, P24
• Dani Clos (am only) 1m 45.735s, P24

Nothing major to report here, in what De la Rosa described as a ‘classic Friday’ as he learned the track. Karthikeyan lost the morning as Clos took his seat. The young Spaniard had a spin but otherwise again did a decent job.

A more in-depth look at the Mercedes AMG Petronas Team

Mercedes driver, Michael Schumacher, finished the Japanese Grand Prix in 11th place this afternoon, having started from 23rd on the grid. Team-mate Nico Rosberg was forced to retire on the first lap after being hit by another car.

• Michael ran a two-stop prime/option/option strategy, stopping on laps 17 and 36
• His strategy made full use of his two available new sets of option tyres to gain 12 positions
• In the final stint, he caught the cars ahead of him at over a second a lap but was unable to pass for P10
• Nico was eliminated by a collision in turn two when he was hit from behind by Bruno Senna’s Williams

Michael Schumacher

I have mixed feelings after the race here in Japan, because it’s obviously unfortunate to come so close to scoring points and not manage it, after a race which went better than we expected. In the final laps, I had a nice and interesting battle with Ricciardo, but in the end I couldn’t get past him because the Toro Rosso was so quick on the straights. That’s why we have to say we couldn’t have got much more out of it today. Now let’s see how things go in Korea.

Nico Rosberg

I had a good start to the race but unfortunately it ended fairly quickly today. In the first corner Grosjean spun into Webber and that also led to my accident. I began to brake but Senna crashed into me from behind which destroyed my rear tyre and meant that I had to retire. It’s a shame as I felt very comfortable with my car on the installation lap, and I was confident that we could score some decent points. I’ll now hope for a better weekend in Korea.

Ross Brawn

From where he started today, Michael drove a strong race, and it’s a shame that he didn’t get some points for his efforts. However starting from 23rd on the grid made that just too much of a challenge, despite a very good strategy and encouraging pace from the car in the lower temperatures. The accident which caused Nico’s retirement was a great shame as the car was in good shape and he could have scored decent points if he hadn’t been taken out. There were some encouraging signs in the race and we will take heart from that as we continue to work on improving the car.

Norbert Haug

A good performance and a good drive from Michael during the race, which saw us posting good lap times for the first time this weekend – and Michael setting the sixth fastest lap time around three-quarters of the way through the race. After starting P23 following his ten-place grid penalty, Michael came home in P11, chasing the car ahead during the last seven laps. He caught him quickly, setting better lap times in the final stint, but in the end he unfortunately could not overtake to score the last available point. Nico was eliminated during the first corner crash through no fault of his own, so no points today for him or our team. We are now looking forward to the race next weekend in Korea.

Seven-time Formula One world champion Michel Schumacher has announced that he will be retiring from the sport at the end of the 2012 season during a press conference at the Suzuka circuit in Japan.  For a look back at Michael Schumacher’s illustrious career, click here.

Michael Schumacher

I have decided to retire from Formula One at the end of the season, although I am still able to compete with the best drivers of the world. This is something that makes me proud, and this is part of why I never regretted my comeback. I can be happy with my performance and the fact that I was continuously raising my game during the last three years. But then, at some point it is time to say goodbye.

Already during the past weeks and months I was not sure if I would still have the motivation and energy which is necessary to go on; and it is not my style to do anything which I am not 100% convinced about. With today’s decision I feel released from those doubts. In the end, it is not my ambition to just drive around but to fight for victories; and the pleasure of driving is nourished by competitiveness.

I said at the end of 2009 that I want to be measured by my success, and this is why I had a lot of criticism in the past three years which partly was justified. It is without doubt that we did not achieve our goal to develop a world championship fighting car within those years. It is also without doubt that I cannot provide a long-term perspective to anyone. But then it is also clear that I can still be very happy about my overall achievements in Formula One.

In the past six years I have learned a lot, also about me, and I am thankful for it; for example, that you can open yourself up without losing focus. That losing can be both more difficult and more instructive than winning; something I had lost out of sight sometimes in earlier years. That you have to appreciate to be able to do what you love. That you have to live your convictions. I have opened my horizon, and I am at ease with myself.

I would like to thank Daimler, Mercedes-Benz and the team for their trust. But I also would like to thank all my friends, partners and companions, who over many good years in motorsport supported me. But most of all I would like to thank my family for standing always by my side, giving me the freedom to live my convictions and sharing my joy.

Nico Rosberg

This is a big loss for our sport. 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.

Ross Brawn, Team Principal – MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS

Having worked with Michael for so many years, it is an emotional day today as he announces his retirement from Formula One for the second, and final, time. We have enjoyed so many experiences together during our time at Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes, and I feel very proud, honoured and privileged to have had the opportunity to work with Michael so closely. 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. 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 – Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

Our team, Mercedes-Benz and Daimler would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to Michael for all his work, his exemplary commitment and his loyalty. For our brand, he was and remains not just a first-class racing driver and, through his record until 2006, the most successful of all time; but also a global idol and, last but not least, a great company ambassador who is admired across the world. Michael began his professional racing career in 1989 as a member of the Mercedes Junior Team in Group C Prototypes, and he will conclude it at the end of this season with our MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Silver Arrows works team, as he informed first us and then the international media today. 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.

Six titles during three championships in one week: The success rate of AMG Customer Teams with the SLS AMG GT3 is very impressive. After Maximilian Buhk (GER) and Dominik Baumann (AUT) from the AMG Customer Team HEICO-Gravity Charouz won the driver and the team title in the FIA GT3 European Championship one week ago, kfzteile24 MS RACING Team won the driver and team title in the ADAC GT Masters. In the FIA GT1 Championship, ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport also managed to win the driver and the team title.

Ola Källenius, Managing Director Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “Congratulations to the AMG Customer Teams that managed to accomplish a hat trick with the SLS AMG GT3 within one week. All of these excellent results are a perfect confirmation for our Customer Sports Programme.”

Victory, driver and team title in the ADAC GT Masters final

With their victory in the final race in the ADAC GT Masters on Hockenheimring, Sebastian Asch and Maximilian Götz (both GER) received the driver title. The driver duo of kfzteile24 MS RACING Team promisingly ranked on the third position in the first race on Saturday, when a tyre failure made them give up ten minutes prior to the end of the race. In the second race on Sunday, they started from the second position and took over the lead in lap 24. In the thrilling course of the race they managed to maintain their top position ahead of all competitors of the championship.

Driver and team title in the ADAC GT Masters for Sebastian Asch and Maximilian Götz from kfzteile24 MS RACING Team

Asch / Götz was the most constant team of the entire season, they won podium positions eight times and achieved the pole position two times. At the same time, they achieved the first victory with a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in the ADAC GT Masters 2012. In the last race, Asch / Götz managed to convert a backlog of seven points in the championship ranking into a lead of 15 points. kfzteile24 MS RACING Team also came first in the team ranking. The sister car with Daniel Dobitsch and Florian Stoll (both GER), finished third on Saturday and had to retire from the race after a collision and a resulting tyre failure. At the end of the season, they rank on the 22nd championship position.

The good results in the ADAC GT Masters were rounded up by the second position for Dominik Baumann and Hari Proczyk (both AUT), who won the second place in the final race and the fourth place in the race on Saturday in the gullwing car of HEICO Motorsport. The Austrian driver duo ended the championship with the ninth position. Andreas Simonsen (SWE) and Maximilian Buhk (GER) ended the championship with the SLS AMG GT3 of the HEICO Junior Team on rank eleven, after positions 24 on Saturday and seven on Sunday. Alexandros Margaritis and Lance David Arnold (both GER) from the Schöner Wohnen Polarweiss Team HEICO achieved two fifth positions and end the ADAC GT Masters on rank 18. Christiaan Frankenhout and Kenneth Heyer (both GER) from HEICO Motorsport achieved places twelve and 13 in Hockenheim and come 25th in the overall ranking.

Driver and team title in the ADAC GT Masters for Sebastian Asch and Maximilian Götz from kfzteile24 MS RACING Team

Sebastian Asch: “It is unbelievable! Yesterday, we were still very disappointed, ranking third after the failure. But again, it has become apparent that one must never give up and has to take all possible chances. Thanks to the entire team for their tireless efforts.”

Maximilian Götz: “I have tears in my eyes – we have won through our own strength. The winning of the title makes me very happy. I want to thank the entire team for their great work during the whole season!”

Harald Böttner, Team Manager kfzteile24 MS RACING Team: “A dream has come true by winning the driver and team title in the second season in the ADAC GT Masters. Sebastian and Maximilian were the most constant drivers of the entire season – and that they can even crown their title with a confident victory here in the final race in Hockenheim, adds to that joy. I want to thank all team members!”

Team and driver title in the FIA GT1 World Championship

With the victory in the team ranking, ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport crowns the 2012 season in the FIA GT1 World Championship : After the last race in Donington Park (Great Britain), the team from Friedersdorf in Saxony confidently ranks on the first position with 245 points. Marc Basseng and Markus Winkelhock (both GER) won the driver title with a lead of only one point.

Driver and team title in the FIA GT1 World Championship for Marc Basseng and Markus Winkelhock from ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport

Marc Basseng and Markus Winkelhock came to the final of the FIA GT1 World Championship as leader of the standings with a lead of one point in the driver ranking. Basseng / Winkelhock ended the Qualifying Race on Saturday on the fifth position. The Championship Race on Sunday had a dramatic course: Shortly after the driver change from Marc Basseng to Markus Winkelhock, an accident between the SLS AMG GT3 and the BMW Z4 of Yelmer Buurman (NED) occurred while fighting on the track. After a consequent safety car phase, the race was ended ahead of time. Basseng and Winkelhock were deprived of the points from the Championship Race according to the decision of the Race Management – nevertheless, they won the FIA GT1 World Champion Title with a lead of one point.

The sister car with Thomas Jäger (GER) and Nicky Pastorelli (ITA) both ended the Championship Race and the Qualifying Race on the sixth position. In the driver ranking, the German-Italian driver duo also come sixth.

Markus Winkelhock, driver ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport: “In the direct fight with Yelmer Buurman we accidentally collided, which produced the accident. For me and my team colleagues, it is of major importance that Yelmer is fine, considering the circumstances. We all wish him a soon recovery.”

Marc Basseng, driver and Team Manager ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport: “I am really pleased about winning the driver and the team title. We have shown a very constant team performance during the entire season. It is a pity how the decision came up today. I am very glad that Yelmer Buurman is about to recover and I want to wish him well in the name of the entire team.”

Victory for Black Falcon with Schneider / Bleekemolen in the VLN

The penultimate race of the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring, the ROWE 250 Miles Race, was accompanied by sunny late summer weather. Bernd Schneider (GER) and Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED) managed to win in the SLS AMG GT3 of the AMG Customer Team Black Falcon. For AMG brand ambassador Bernd Schneider, who started for Black Falcon as part of the AMG Driver Support, this victory was a special one: “The first position here on the Nürburgring is something exceptional for me, as it is my first victory ever with the SLS AMG GT3. In addition, I am very happy to have achieved my second overall win in the VLN after 1990! I want to thank the entire Black Falcon Team.”

Victory for Bernd Schneider and Jeroen Bleekemolen from Black Falcon in the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring

The AMG Customer Team ROWE RACING with Marko Hartung, Nico Bastian (both GER) and Mark Bullit (USA) came home third. Consequently, two out of three race edition gullwing cars in starting positions have reached podium positions in the Eifel. The sister car of ROWE RACING with Roland Rehfeld, Jan Seyffarth, Maro Engel (all GER) had to end the race ahead of time due to an accident which was not self-inflicted. Maro Engel, who started for the first time for ROWE RACING in the VLN as part of the AMG Driver Support, could unfortunately not build up on the successful last race weekend of the Australian GT Championship. One week ago, the AMG brand ambassador won positions one and two in the SLS AMG GT3 of Erebus Racing.

Uli Fritz, Head of AMG Customer Sports: “Six titles in one week, the victory in the World and the European Championship as well as the ADAC GT Masters – the situation could hardly be better for AMG Customer Teams. The victory for Black Falcon in the ninth VLN race with Bernd Schneider and Jeroen Bleekemolen as drivers also shows the competitiveness of our race gullwing car.”

DTM championship leader Gary Paffett, driver of the THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, took second place in the eighth race of the DTM season at Oschersleben. Paffett’s podium finished marked the 30th time he’s landed on the podium during his DTM career and his third at Oschersleben. His team-mate Jamie Green, driver of aMercedes AMG C-Coupé, finished in third place and secured his 20th podium in the DTM. The race was won by BMW’s Bruno Spengler.

Overall, this was the 488th podium for Mercedes-Benz in 351 races since 1988 and the eighth podium of the 2012 season.

Gary Paffett leads the DTM drivers’ standings with 127 points and is eleven points ahead of Bruno Spengler (BMW / 116 points). Jamie Green is in third place on 108 points. Team THOMAS SABO / Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG leads the team standings with 151 points. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, Mercedes-Benz heads the rankings with 295 points.

Canadian driver Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) in seventh position produced his best DTM result so far since the previous race at Zandvoort. Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé), Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) and Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) finished the race in positions twelve, thirteen and fourteen respectively. Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Coupé) and David Coulthard (DHL Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) did not finish.

Roberto Merhi posted a 1:22.752, the fastest of the 51 laps. It was the first fastest lap of the Spanish driver’s DTM career. Since 1988, Mercedes-Benz drivers have achieved fastest laps in a total of 167 races, including six at Oschersleben.

The eighth race of the season at Oschersleben was the 140th race of the ‘new’ DTM since 2000. During these twelve and a half years, Mercedes-Benz has secured 81 wins, 62 pole positions and 83 fastest race laps.

A total of 71,000 fans attended the DTM race weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun) at Oschersleben.

Race summary

The start: Jamie Green and Gary Paffett are second and third at the start of the race. Robert Wickens moves up six places to seventh, Christian Vietoris goes up the field from P16 to P12.

Lap 2: David Coulthard retires in the pits.

Lap 10: Paffett is in second place, two seconds down on leader Bruno Spengler (BMW). Green is third, Wickens seventh and Vietoris tenth.

Lap 13: The pit stop window is now open. Green and Susie Wolff come in for their first change of tyres.

Lap 14: First pit stop for Ralf Schumacher.

Lap 15: Paffett in second place comes in for first pit stop.

Lap 16: Wickens comes into the pits for the first time.

Lap 17: Roberto Merhi also makes his first pit stop and comes away with fresh rubber.

Lap 21: Vietoris makes first mandatory pit stop.

Lap 27: Second change of tyres for Green.

Lap 28: Wickens comes in for second time.

Lap 29: Paffett in the lead makes final mandatory pit stop.

Lap 31: Second pit stop for Vietoris.

Lap 32 : Final mandatory pit stop for Ralf Schumacher.

Lap 34: Second set of fresh tyres for Merhi.

Lap 35: Paffett, Green and Wickens are in positions two, three and seven respectively after the two mandatory pit stops.

Final lap (lap 51): After 51 laps and a total race distance of 188.496km, Gary Paffett and Jamie Green crossed the finish line in second and third place. Robert Wickens was seventh.

Comments after the race:

Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Second:

“My C-Coupé was, as expected, very fast in the race today and we had a shot at victory. Bruno Spengler, however, also drove well and with no mistakes. I would, of course, like to have won in Oschersleben, nevertheless I have defended my lead in the championship with second place. Quite apart from that, it’s nice to be on the podium for the 30th time in my 90th DTM race. I’m currently eleven points ahead of Bruno with the last two races of the season in Valencia and Hockenheim still to come and am optimistic for the next race in Spain.”

Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Third:

“This is my 20th podium in the DTM and I am very proud of that fact. The race was not easy for me. My pace was not quite good enough to scrap with front-runners Bruno Spengler and Gary for the win. But during the race, my car’s speed kept coming and I achieved my third podium finish of the season.”

Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Seventh:

“After my best-ever DTM result in Zandvoort, I also anticipated a finish in the points at the Oschersleben weekend, so I’m very happy with seventh place. I had a very good start and was able to move up six places in the first corner. It was like a dream come true. My stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé was very fast. I hope to achieve a similarly good result during my next race in Valencia.”

Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé), Twelfth:

“I hoped for a good finish in the points today after a great start from P16 on the grid. Overtaking at Oschersleben is difficult though, and, despite all efforts, I could move no further forward than twelfth. Now I’m looking forward to Valencia and hope to achieve a better result there.”

Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 13th:

“My race went wrong in the first turn. After that, I tried to make up as many places as possible in the race, but my pace was not fast enough. It could be that my car was damaged at the start and that’s why I couldn’t post faster lap times. I will now have a look at the data with the team’s engineers.”

Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 14th:

“I found the race very tricky. I got off to a bad start and then pushed hard to gain some places, but, unfortunately, I didn’t have enough grip with my first set of tyres. The second set of rubber was much better and I was able to demonstrate my car’s good pace towards the end of the race. My first fastest lap in a DTM race shows that I could have achieved a better result with my Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé and has given me extra motivation for my upcoming home race in Valencia.”

Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), retired:

“That was a very tough weekend for me, unfortunately. After a disappointing qualifying session, things did not get much better in the race. I had trouble with the suspension after making contact with another car, and so my race was over. There are two races still to come, and I would like to finish the season with two decent results.”

David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), retired:

“Unfortunately, my race was over before it had really begun. Another car hit my off-side rear wheel at the start – after that it was undriveable. This is obviously a disappointment, but now I must put this weekend in Oschersleben behind me and look forward to Valencia, where I was very quick last year.”

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:

“Today’s race was one or two laps too short for Gary and so the championship remains a thriller to the very end – exciting and open-ended. At the start of the season, neither Gary nor I could have imagined a more gripping scenario with Gary taking an eleven-point lead into the last two races of the year. His lead is not huge, but it is better than a deficit of similar size.

There are two races yet to be run and of the three drivers who still have title chances, two drive for Mercedes. We continue to lead in all three championship categories as we have done since the first race in Hockenheim and we will all work hard as a team to defend the status quo until after the last race at Hockenheim.”

Drivers’ Championship: Top Three

Teams’ Championship: Top Three

Manufacturers’ Championship

A week ago at Spa, Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso were all taken out at Turn One. This time around, at Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, all three were on the podium after a thrilling Formula 1 Gran Premio Santander d’Italia 2012.

As for the Mercedes AMG Petronas team, Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg opted for a two stop strategy and finished respectively in sixth and seventh places.

• Michael completed a two-stop strategy, running option/prime/prime, and stopping on laps 15 and 37
• Nico also stopped twice today, running option/prime/prime, and stopping on laps 14 and 38
• Fastest lap for Nico, on the final lap, was the fourth of his career and second of the season
• Sixth win in 13 races for Mercedes-Benz power, and third in a row, with four engines in the top ten

Michael Schumacher

It was a fun race today – although I must admit that, following our performance on Friday, I had secretly hoped we would be able to move up the field. But we had a tricky first stint. After that, everything went really well, we were on the pace and I think we showed a clear upwards trend today. I kind of ran out of laps this afternoon and, if the race had been a bit longer, I’d have been able to battle even further forward. Overall, though, we got everything out of it today. Now we need to keep this trend going – and everybody in the team is working hard on it.

Nico Rosberg

Seventh place is an improvement on my recent finishes so I’m satisfied with that today, although there may have been potential for more. I had no grip on my option tyres in the first stint, which were the same set that gave me problems in Q3. After the first stop, I had very good pace and was able to set a few fastest race laps and move up the field with some nice overtakes. It’s nice to have had a better finish to a race weekend and I’m looking forward to more of the same in Singapore in a couple of weeks.

Ross Brawn

Both our drivers put in strong, aggressive and controlled performances today. We knew that a one-stop strategy was not feasible for us this afternoon, so we went into the race planning to make two stops and knew the drivers would have to race hard to make it work against other cars who were one-stopping. The disappointment today was that both drivers really struggled on their first set of tyres – perhaps because of how we used them in qualifying, running more than one timed lap in Q3, or perhaps another factor, which is something we will have to analyse. We lost all our time in this phase of the race but, thereafter, the performance of both cars looked good. Nico’s fastest lap shows that our level of performance today was reasonable and both he and Michael were consistently among the fastest in the second half of the race. Sixth and seventh places are far from perfect but we can be positive about an exciting race, running the right strategy for our current situation and two great drives from Michael and Nico.

Norbert Haug

Fighting drives from Michael and Nico this afternoon with lots of nice overtaking moves. We didn’t have great pace in the opening stint, running the option tyres we had used in qualifying like everybody in the top ten, but it looked much better after the first stops. Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton and McLaren Mercedes on three wins in a row – two for Lewis, one for Jenson Button. Our Mercedes engine has taken six wins from 13 races this season, including one for our Silver Arrows team in China. After scoring the most points of any engine in 2009, 2010 and 2011, this confirms the Mercedes V8 as the most successful power plant so far in 2012 as well.

Round 12 of the 2012 Formula One World Championship, and the first race after the sport’s summer break is set to take place at the historic Spa-Francorchamps Circuit in Belgium this weekend. The Belgian Grand Prix will be a special weekend for the team, specifically Michael Schumacher, as it marks the 300th Grand Prix for Schumacher and the circuit where he made his debut in 1991.

For those of you unfamiliar with the track, Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps circuit is among the most historic on the Formula One calendar, having hosted a (non-championship) Grand Prix as long ago as 1924, and remains one of the most popular venues with drivers and fans alike.

Run on narrow public roads, the original Spa layout was an amazing 14.9 kilometres long and notoriously dangerous. The lap distance was reduced slightly over the years, with some corners eased, but when the ‘old’ circuit staged its final Grand Prix in 1970 it still measured just over 14 kilometres and remained staggeringly quick – Chris Amon set that year’s fastest lap at an average speed of just under 245 km/h.

Spa did not return to the calendar until 1983 and then in drastically revised form, with lap distance cut to 4.3 miles.

Track Facts:

• The first and third sectors include straights where the cars exceed 315 kph, the second features ten of the 19 corners

• The full throttle period from T1 to T5, including Eau Rouge, is the longest of the season and lasts over 23 seconds

• Four of the last ten races at Spa have been won from pole position and a total of seven of ten from the front row

• The Safety Car has been deployed at least once in the past three Belgian Grands Prix and in six of the last ten races

Jordan's Bertrand Cachot's replacement driver Michael Schumacher, qualified 7th for his first race at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa on August 25, 1991

Michael Schumacher

Spa is like my living room; for me, it´s clearly the number one race track in the world. It´s uncanny how I always seem to have special moments there – my debut, my first win, a world championship victory and many great races. The fact that I will also take part in my 300th Grand Prix at Spa was somehow almost inevitable and we will have to celebrate it in the right way. I´m proud to be just the second driver in the history of the sport to reach this milestone and there´s no question that we are looking to have a particularly nice weekend. We delivered a good performance in Spa last year; I´ll be doing everything possible to drive a strong race.

Nico Rosberg
I always look forward to racing at Spa; it’s one of the highlights of the season and definitely one of my favourite tracks. The circuit itself is outstanding, with of course the most exciting corner of the calendar in Eau Rouge. It’s been nice to have a break over the last month and for everyone at the team to have some time to relax with their families, but we’re all looking forward to the action starting again in the second half of the season. There’s a lot of hard work ahead to make sure we are competing where we want to be and challenging towards the front of the field.

Ross Brawn
The summer break has given everyone at our factories in Brackley and Brixworth some time to relax and recharge the batteries before the intense second half of the season begins. Although there have only been a few working days to make improvements around the shutdown period, we have been working hard towards our aim of an improved performance in the second half of the season. Spa is one of the real classic circuits which is much loved by drivers, engineers and the fans. It’s a great circuit to watch the cars, and you’re almost guaranteed an exciting weekend with varied weather thrown into the mix. For the second year in succession, Spa will be a special occasion for Michael and the team as we follow his 20th anniversary last year by celebrating his 300th Grand Prix this time around. It is a fantastic achievement which has so far only been matched by one other driver, and we look forward to celebrating with him, and hopefully a strong weekend.

Norbert Haug
Spa is a traditional circuit that sets the drivers and teams big challenges, and demands a complete range of performance from both the chassis and the engine. On a qualifying lap, the engines spend 23 seconds and nearly two kilometres at full throttle between La Source hairpin and turn five at Les Combes – the highest value of the season. On the other hand, the second sector contains ten of the circuit´s 19 corners, so good levels of medium and high-speed downforce are required. Experience shows that the typical Ardennes weather almost inevitably plays a role during the weekend and, when it does, the circuit usually ranges from damp to very wet. Around the two-week summer shutdown that every team observed, our team has been hard at work since the last race in Hungary in order to prepare as well as possible for Spa. Spa 2012 is also a special race for our team because Michael will take part in his 300th Grand Prix weekend. In 1991, Michael started his first race in Spa; in 1992, he won the first of 91 victories so far in Spa; and last year, on the 20th anniversary of his first start, he finished in fifth position after starting last on the grid. Everybody in our team will be working in a focused way to help Nico and Michael score the best possible results next weekend.

Jamie Green, drive of a Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, finished the seventh race of the DTM Season at Zandvoort in fourth place and improved his position to second place championship standings The Zandvoort race was won by Edoardo Mortara fromAudi.

Overall championship leader Gary Paffett, driver of a THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, finished the race in seventh place after a tough race. He was in grid position eight for the start of the race and had reached fourth place when, at the start of lap 27, Martin Tomczyk (BMW) caused him to spin and drop back down to eleventh place. During the remaining 16 laps, championship leader Paffett again moved up the field four positions to finish seventh.

Paffett heads the DTM drivers’ championship, having secured 109 points, and has a 16-point lead on team-mate Green in second position with 93 points. THOMAS SABO / Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG lead the team standings with 133 points. Mercedes AMG are second on 101 points. Mercedes-Benz on 256 points holds the top spot in the Manufacturers’ Championship.

Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) finished the seventh race at Zandvoort in tenth position. Roberto Mehri (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) and Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) came home in P11 and 12 respectively. David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé) and Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) did not finish.

Paffett posted a 1:34.054, the fastest time of the 43 laps. For the championship leader, this was the eighth fastest race lap in his DTM career and his second at Zandvoort. Since 1988, Mercedes-Benz drivers have secured a total of 166 fastest race laps, including six at Zandvoort and four this season.

The race at Zandvoort was the 350th DTM race for Mercedes-Benz. Since the first works entry in 1988, Mercedes-Benz drivers have achieved 168 victories, 111 pole positions and 166 fastest laps. With ten drivers’, thirteen team titles and nine manufacturers’ titles, Mercedes-Benz is the most successful manufacturer in DTM history.

A total of 37,000 spectators attended the DTM race weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun) at Zandvoort, an increase of 27.5% on the previous year (2011: 29,000).

Race summary

The start: Gary Paffett moves up the field at the start from P8 to P5, Jamie Green sixth. The safety car is out after an accident on the first lap. Robert Wickens und Christian Vietoris retire after colliding. David Coulthard goes up from 22nd to P13.

Lap 4: The safety car turns off into the pits. Green overtakes Paffett on the re-start in a scrap for fifth place.

Lap 5: Green overtakes Filipe Albuquerque (Audi).

Lap 6: Timo Scheider (Audi) loses his bonnet on the start/finish straight. The safety car is back out on the track and leads the field into the pit lane to allow the track to be cleaned.

Lap 10 : After the second re-start: Green in fourth place, Paffett sixth.

Lap 11: The pit stop window is open. Paffett is the first C-Coupé driver to come in for a change of tyres.

Lap 12: First pit stop for Green.

Lap 13: Ralf Schumacher completes his first mandatory pit stop.

Lap 14: Paffett overtakes Mattias Ekström (Audi) in the battle for sixth place.

Lap 17: First pit stop for Coulthard.

Lap 20: After the first round of pit stops: Paffett in third place, Green seventh. Schumacher pits from tenth place to change tyres.

Lap 22: Second mandatory pit stop for Green.

Lap 23: Paffett in the lead comes in for second time. Coulthard retires in the pits.

Lap 26: Roberto Merhi completes second pit stop. It’s begun to drizzle with rain.

Lap 27: Paffett is put into a spin on turn one and drops down to P11.

Lap 28: Green overtakes Bruno Spengler (BMW) to move into fifth place.

Lap 29: Green overtakes Adrien Tambay (Audi) and moves into fourth place.

Lap 38: Paffett overtakes Dirk Werner (BMW) in the battle for ninth place.

Lap 39: Championship leader Paffett overtakes Augusto Farfus (BMW), moving into eighth place behind Schumacher.

Lap 40: Paffett moves up one position and is seventh.

Final lap (lap 43) : Jamie Green is fourth after 43 laps and a total distance of 185.201km. Gary Paffett finishes the 350th DTM race for Mercedes-Benz in seventh place.

Comments after the race:

Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Fourth:

“It was an eventful afternoon, which got better for me as rain began to fall during the race. Unfortunately, I was stuck in traffic after my two stops, otherwise I might have done more than fourth place. It’s time now to focus on the remaining races. We are in the top positions, P1 and 2, in the championship so Gary and I have a very good platform for the last three races of the season.”

Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Seventh:

“Seventh place is not the outcome I had planned for this weekend at Zandvoort. I was extremely disappointed after the contact with Martin Tomczyk and the subsequent incident when I spun, but at least we did a little catching up in the closing stages to limit the damage. Finishing ahead of Jamie in the drivers’ standings was one of the weekend’s more positive aspects, as was our good race pace.”

Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Tenth:

“The conditions were very difficult today. Anyone who avoided making a mistake in these conditions has done a great job. I was able to secure a point with tenth place, so I’m happy, even though I ended up losing a few places in the end.”

Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Eleventh:

“Sunday was a disappointment for me. I gave it my all over 43 laps, and it was a close call, but unfortunately, it was not enough in the end to secure my first points-scoring finish. Still, eleventh is my best DTM result so far. That really gives me a boost to make sure I am in the points for the first time in the next race at Oschersleben.”

Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Twelve:

“I started well and began to feel hopeful for a good race thanks to the changing weather conditions. The steering on my C-Coupé was damaged after contact with another car. I gave it my all right up to the very end of the race, but the damage prevented me from doing more.”

David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), retired:

“Today’s race was certainly action-packed thanks to the conditions. Using my many years of racing experience, I moved up the field at the start into P13. I lost a few places at the re-start, sure, but was still optimistic. After contact with another car, an Audi rear-ended my C-Coupé, bringing my race to an end.”

Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé), retired:

“Of course, I’m really disappointed with having to retire early, because a good result from grid position nine would have been possible, given the conditions. I got away well at the start, but the rear axle broke in the collision on turn three, and so my race was over all too soon.”

Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), retired:

“I had intended doing a lot today, but my race was soon over, unfortunately. I don’t know exactly what happened. I had a good start, but was rear-ended on the third turn. The impact was so great that it broke one of the wheels.”

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:

“Gary was on course for a podium and faster than the drivers in front of him when he was pushed into a spin, which should never happen, of course, but it cost him points to the tune of double figures compared to his rivals.

His subsequent charge showed Gary’s class and his speed. He secured the best possible result under the worst of circumstances.

The same applies to Jamie. He had the speed to do more than fourth place but lost time in the pits.

After seven of ten races, Gary and Jamie are ranked first and second in the championship table, which is a good basis for the final three races of the season.

Congratulations on their victory and podium to Edoardo Mortara, Audi Sport and their teams.”

Drivers’ Championship: Top Three

Teams’ Championship: Top Three

Manufacturers’ Championship

One of the most ambitious projects in the Pirelli World Challenge Series will race for the first time at the Cadillac Sonoma Grand Prix, the season finale of the 2012 Pirelli World Challenge Championship.

With sports car veteran Craig Stanton at the wheel, the no. 24 MBBS – Evosport Engineering AMG CLK63 Black Series will compete for the first time in the Pirelli World Challenge’s headlining GT class. Doing battle with race-prepared Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Audi R8 LMS, Cadillac CTS-V, Chevrolet Corvettes, and Nissan GT-R’s that race in the GT class, the no. 24 MBBS-Evosport CLK63 Black Series will be the only Mercedes-Benz to be raced professionally in North America. The team will compete full-time in Pirelli World Challenge in the 2013 season.

The car, which began life as an Evosport-tuned AMG CLK63 Black Series street car, is the culmination of a years’ worth of development, fabrication, testing, and refinement by Evosport Engineering. The bespoke components created and developed by Evosport Engineering for the Pirelli World Challenge race car will be available to customers for a variety of Mercedes Benz/AMG street car models, adding to an already long list of leading performance parts Evosport has sold since 1999.

Stanton, from Long Beach, Calif., has one World Challenge start – and one victory – on his resume, winning at Long Beach in 2009. He is known as one of the fittest and fastest sports car drivers in North America. A former champion in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and the Rolex Sports Car Series, he is a multi-time class winner in the American Le Mans Series including a win at Petit Le Mans.

“It has been a long road to get here, but I am very excited that we get to finally take our AMG CLK63 Black Series racing,” said Stanton. “The car is absolutely gorgeous and I can’t wait for the racing world to see what the guys at Evosport Engineering have been working on this year. It is a work of art, and in my experience, cars that look fast ARE fast. I’m so proud of our build team. They have taken a true street car – a car that that was registered, insured, everything – and turned into a World Challenge race car. I can’t wait to show everyone what it can do. World Challenge is very exciting – sprint races, standing starts, and lots of action with multiple classes. I can’t wait!”

Team crew chief Chris Willis, who previously engineered ACS Express Racing to a World Challenge GT championship, is equally enthused about the debut of the no. 24 MBBS – Evosport Engineering AMG CLK63 Black Series.

“We have done a number of things that haven’t been done before, including the development of a stand-alone ECU for the AMG M156 engine,” said Willis. “Functionality in concert with exceptional fit & finish were key in this development. We are approaching Sonoma with eyes wide open, as the car is still under development. From my experience in this series, the competition in the Pirelli World Challenge GT class is incredibly tough, and we are coming to it with a new build. Our goals are modest; to finish out the weekend in solid fashion and to show the reliability and potential of the car. We certainly have the right guy in the car.”

The Cadillac Sonoma Grand Prix will be streamed live online at www.world-challengetv.com on Saturday, August 25, at 3:00 PM ET and Sunday, August 26, at 3:00 PM ET. The television broadcast on NBC Sports will be shown on Sunday, September 9th at 3:30 PM ET.