Sunday 8th January 2006

Thirty-seven year old Michael Schumacher gave the first real indication he was about to bow out – for the first time. “If I don’t have the chance to win races and challenge for the title I don’t think I’ll be very keen to extend my career,” he said. “If we [Ferrari] want to progress we need more staff. In F1 you cannot afford to stand still. I want to know where we’re heading.” He quit at the end of the season when his contract finished, but still managed to finish second in the drivers’ championship, only to make a surprising comeback with Mercedes in 2010.