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Michael Schumacher announced his retirement from the sport in 2012 as a Mercedes driver after a three-year stint with the team.
Schumacher had initially retired from the sport in 2006 when he was with Ferrari, but with Mercedes entering the sport in 2010 and having Ross Brawn at the helm, it was only a matter of time before the German returned.
Schumacher returned after four years. While there were occasional flashes of brilliance, the comeback was not as successful as he would have wanted it to be.
In his three years in the sport from 2010-2012, the German only had one pole position and one podium. In 2012, Schumacher announced his retirement, saying in his farewell message:
"It is probably not a complete surprise to explain a little bit on how my thoughts are on this. Basically I have decided to retire by the end of the year. Although I am still able and capable to compete with the best drivers that are around, at some point, it is good to say goodbye - and that is what I am doing this season. This time, it might even be forever."
He added:
"During the past month, I was not sure if I still had the motivation and energy which is necessary to go on. It is not my style to do something that I am not 100 per cent feeling for. With today's decision, I feel released from those doubts, and in the end my ambition to fight for victories and the pleasure of driving is nourished by competitiveness."
You can open yourself without losing focus - Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher touched on a very important aspect he learned during his second stint in the sport. He talked about how losing could sometimes be more beneficial than winning. He said:
"In the past six years, I have learned a lot about myself. For example, that you can open yourself without losing focus. That losing can be both more difficult and more instructive than winning. Sometimes I lost sight of this in the early years. But you appreciate to be able to do what you love to do. That you should live your convictions, and I was able to do so."
The German retired as the most successful driver in the history of the sort till Lewis Hamilton's dominant run at Mercedes.
