Michael Schumacher will head into retirement at the end of this season as the most successful Grand Prix driver of all time, but whether he will be regarded as the greatest is another matter altogether.

On pure talent and accomplishments alone, Schumacher belongs in the same bracket as the very best in the history of the sport - the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Gilles Villeneuve, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.

Schumacher's talent is widely admired, less so his morals

 

But greatness is about more than ability and trophies. It is also about character and integrity, and that is where Schumacher's claim falls down.

Many of Schumacher's greatest races - breathtaking against-the-odds performances such as his victories at Barcelona 1996, Belgium 1997, Hungary 1998 and Canada 2003 - will go down in the annals of the sport.

Turning Ferrari, with the help of a few key lieutenants, from a legendary name famous mostly for failure into the most efficient winning machine in F1 history is another remarkable achievement.

And many other, less well known, snapshots of his genius have been afforded to those privileged to have watched him from close quarters at Grands Prix.

This writer, for example, still marvels at how he wrestled his pig of a Ferrari onto the front row of the grid in Argentina in 1996.

Schumacher has helped turn Ferrari into a winning machine

 

These are memories that will live forever - of one of the finest drivers in history transcending the limits of his car and the conditions to produce moments of the purest sporting genius.

On a personal level, too, I have no problem with Schumacher. He might be hard to get to one-to-one, but once you pin him down he is always affable, pleasant and helpful.

But with all the wonder of Schumacher's talent, and his down-to-earth private persona, comes a dark side. The two are inseparable. And that is what tarnishes his legacy.

Too often - particularly so for one of his talent - Schumacher has relied on the unfair advantage to win, either created by himself with controversial manoeuvres on the track or in various means by his backers off it.

Sadly, the length of the list of these incidents rivals that of his best drives.

Schumacher has sometimes been in trouble with the authorities

 

Few would have said Damon Hill deserved to be world drivers' champion in 1994 more than Schumacher, but the circumstances in which the German won his first title clouded the achievement.

And there have been few years since then in which Schumacher has not been involved in some row or another.

In the first few seasons of his career, as Schumacher protested his innocence in these incidents, many observers were prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt.

But, as the evidence has stacked up against him, an increasing number have come to accept this as an indelible part of Schumacher's character.

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In moments of extreme pressure - and sometimes not even then - his first reaction is often to protect his position by unsporting means.

For a long time, his elevated status in the sport insulated him from the severest public criticism, which tended to come from the media and other outsiders, and was thus more easily shrugged off.

But in recent years the indulgence with which he is treated has evaporated, which explains why the gamesmanship he employed to stop qualifying in Monaco this year met with such a violent reaction from his fellow drivers.

Spa 1997 was one of Schumacher's greatest victories

 

Tolerance of what many now see as little better than cheating has been at an all-time low this season.

Partly this is out of a sense that time was running out on his career, but just as much it is a case of many of his peers finally feeling that enough was enough.

Few would concur with Jacques Villeneuve's recent claim that Schumacher's questionable ethics mean that "the day he hangs up his helmet people will just forget him" - his 90 Grand Prix wins and seven world titles, plus all his other achievements, will ensure quite the opposite.

But what Villeneuve calls his "lack of class" certainly means Schumacher will not be remembered in quite the way he might have wanted.

He's retiring because he knows he's not the best driver on the circuit any more. If I were him I would want to retire now as well; the fall from grace can be pretty quick sometimes.

He would not of been what he was if Senna had stayed around

 

Senna Would have been the greatest winner of all time.

 

And certainly was a more gifted racer and fare better sportsman.

 

Senna was the greatest racer of all time in my book.

 

A true Racer that the sport really missed.

A great driver but is his record down to the fact hes a great driver or down to the Car? Mind you he won 2 titles in a Benetton so i'd say hes the best driver whos in the best car.

Schumacher is the best driver ever on this planet and he confirmed it a lot.

 

So, I really don't know why Schumacher has so many ennemies. I think jealousy is the main reason for it, that's all, completely all!

Schumi is still the best on the circuit; it's just the margin between him and other leading racers that is narrowing.

 

You gotta admit everyone has his own demerits. But it aint an appropriate time to focus on one's demerits when he is about to end his career. This year we've seen off Zizou, bidden goodbye to Andre Agassi, and now we're losing another great athlete! Zizou and Agassi, they surely have their demerits and blunders, but that doesnt at all prevent them from being great players. People gave them resounding applause when they retired. Schumi aint retired yet ,and he still has three races to do. So, whether you're a fan of Schumi or not, just pay your attention to the rest of the season rather than get entangled in those meaningless "facts"! Come on, put aside your prejudices at least at this moment!

Schumi is still the best on the circuit; it's just the margin between him and other leading racers that is narrowing.

You gotta admit everyone has his own demerits. But it aint an appropriate time to focus on one's demerits when he is about to end his career. This year we've seen off Zizou, bidden goodbye to Andre Agassi, and now we're losing another great athlete! Zizou and Agassi, they surely have their demerits and blunders, but people gave them resounding applause when they retired. Schumi aint retired yet and he still has three races to do. So, whether you're a fan of Schumi or not, just pay your attention to the rest of the season rather than get entangled in those meaningless "facts"! Come on, put aside your prejudices at least at this moment!

 

The difference is that Agassi is a genuine and humble guy, and I don't think Zidane has ever been branded a "cheat" in his career!! The only loser as a result of his headbutt was Zidane himself!!;)

The difference is that Agassi is a genuine and humble guy' date=' and I don't think Zidane has ever been branded a "cheat" in his career!! The only loser as a result of his headbutt was Zidane himself!!;)[/quote']

 

Agassi wasnt humble when he first burst on the tennis scene; and Zizou wasnt always "clean" as you think, besides the headbutt he's committed several other vicious fouls during his career.

Agassi wasnt humble when he first burst on the tennis scene; and Zizou wasnt always "clean" as you think' date=' besides the headbutt he's committed several other vicious fouls during his career.[/quote']

 

All footballers commit fouls at some time or another. It's inevitable. Agassi might have started out brash when he was very young, but he matured.

Schumacher, meanwhile, is as arrogant now as he ever was.;)