Spectacular Schumacher

As I have always said, Michael Schumacher is always my hero. My Formula One Hero. No matter what.

As it was, he was not so lucky in Suzuka last weekend. Though managed to get second position at the starting grid behind his team-mate and later become raceleader, he had to retire at lap 37, due to what described as "an extremely rare Ferrari engine failure".

This is what we call 'tiada rezeki' dan 'takdir'. Surely there are reasons behind it. Maybe God wants him to work harder and stay focused for the final GP of this season at Interlagos, Brazil. Maybe God does not want Schumi to be in a comfort zone by winning in Suzuka. As human being, we will never know.

And my spectacular hero, retired from Suzuka race with a smile. A philosophical smile, the attribute of a truly, truly professional Formula One driver. Not even the slightest trace of anger in his face. And he went straight to his team, to give them support. No unpleasant facial expression, or body language at all. NONE WHATSOEVER.

The following is his post-race quotes in Suzuka"

Michael Schumacher, Ferrari : “We are a great team. Our guys are the best and I have a great affection for everyone at Ferrari and am always more than satisfied in the way we work. Incidents like today’s can happen and they are part of racing. You win together but you also lose together. Today we did our best, I was leading the race and then my engine broke. That’s the simplest way to sum it up. That is Formula One. We can be proud of what we have achieved since Canada: we were twenty five points behind and no one could have thought we would be back in the fight for the championship, but we did it. Now we are nine points behind in the Constructors’ classification and we will do all we can to win this title in Brazil. As for the Drivers,’ it is lost. I don’t want to head off for a race, hoping that my rival has to retire. That is not the way in which I want to win the title.”

Anyone who knew Michael Schumacher would know that he meant what he said. This is a man whose sincerity can be seen in his face. "I don’t want to head off for a race, hoping that my rival has to retire. That is not the way in which I want to win the title." How honorable, Michael, how beautiful and how respectable. YOU ARE ALYWAYS, ALWAYS MY SPECTACULAR HERO.

To Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa, my prayers are with you for the coming FORMULA 1 Grande Prêmio do Brasil 2006 at Sao Paulo on October 22, 2006. All The Best, Good Luck, Stay Focused, Work Hard, and Win!