Michael Schumacher is retiring.The decision came about a fortnight ago, in the midst of the celebration of a hard-earned home victory. It took a while for the news to really hit me, and an even longer time to really grasp the gravity of his decision. Though I didn’t shed tears like I did when Jordan retired, the sadness there. I didn’t feel my world crumbling, or my heart breaking; what I felt was a deep dull ache, a profound heaviness of being. Like the throb of an old wound that simply refuses to heal, Michael Schumacher’s retirement reminded me of time’s immense power to bring me to my greatest fear: GROWING OLD.
It seemed to me that Michael is bowing gracefully to Time, and wisely recognizing that this is one of the things that we can never defeat. Although Michael by no means is physically hampered by his age, he had recognized and had come to terms that he’s reached the point where he must bow down to time. He knows that his children aren’t growing any slower; the more time he spends away from home, the more of his children’s lives he’ll miss. His allies Jean Todt and Ross Brawn are likewise not immune to time’s power, and I won’t be surprised to find out if they too will call it quits at the end of the season. Some had even gone on to say that Michael’s retirement had been prompted by Jean Todt’s plan to retire.
Michael’s devoted his lifetime to the craft that he now masters, and in the process has broken almost every record there is to break in the sport. He has reached the pinnacle of his career, and there’s nothing more for him to prove. F1 likewise has enjoyed a golden era in the time of Schumacher, beautifully complementing his success with its own. Together, Michael and Formula 1 reached heights neither could have done on his/its own. And I am truly honored to have given the chance to witness this journey.
While it pains me that I will not be able to see him personally race in a scarlet Ferrari Formula 1 car, I respect Michael’s decision to retire, and will not clamor for him to continue driving in F1. Formula 1 will not be the same without Michael, and while there are still drivers left that I will support, I don’t think my passion for the sport will ever be the same.
F1 drivers will come and go, someday, one might actually even surpass and break all of Schumacher's records. But, like Babe Ruth in baseball, Schumacher will forever be a legend in the sport he conquered. Greatness is not measured by how many records you set or break, or how high you've set the bar for others. Legends are made by the passion infused in the strive for excellence, and there is no other man in F1 able to do that as well as Schumacher.
Thanks, Michael, for the memories. You will be missed.
