Schumacher leaves on high as Alonso triumphs
Michael Schumacher recovered from a burst tyre to leave F1 with his head held high
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Sunday, 22, Oct 2006 08:23
Fernando Alonso has retained his Formula One drivers' title after finishing behind Felipe Massa in the Brazilian grand prix at Interlagos, as Michael Schumacher's class shone through in his final race despite more car troubles.
The 25-year-old Renault driver needed only a point to defend his crown, and Schumacher's tenth place on pole correctly suggested the overall victory would be a formality.
In his last-ever grand prix after 16 seasons and seven titles, the 37-year-old German finished fourth despite being hit by a puncture on lap nine.
The race got off to an eventful start, with Williams team-mates Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg colliding, prompting the safety car to be introduced on lap six.
Shortly after, Giancarlo Fisichella's Renault appeared to nudge Schumacher's rear left tyre, and by the time he had emerged from the pits the Ferrari driver was in last position.
But Schumacher responded by setting fastest lap after fastest lap times to claw himself back up the leaderboard, and with 30 laps left he was in seventh but 43 seconds behind runaway leader Massa, who became the first Brazilian to win on home turf since the late Ayrton Senna in 1993.
Before the start of the race, Schumacher had been presented with a silver trophy from Brazilian football legend Pele, but he sufficiently managed to not let the moment distract him to daringly overtake Fisichella, Nick Heidfeld and then Kimi Raikkonen to remind F1 fans what they will miss now he has retired.
Britain's Jenson Button got on the podium by coming in third, while Alonso's second placing means that Renault beat Ferrari in the constructor's championship by five points.