Michael Schumacher, the seven-time Formula One world champion, said Friday during practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix that he has abandoned hope of winning an eighth drivers' title in what will be his final race before retirement.
Schumacher finished sixth in the afternoon practice session, ahead of Renault's Fernando Alonso in 10th. He trails Alonso by 10 points and would need to win the race while the Spaniard scores nothing, a scenario he called too unlikely to chase. Instead, he said Ferrari's focus is the constructors' championship, where the team sits eight points behind Renault.
Alonso, on the verge of a second consecutive drivers' title, reported a positive day despite low grip levels, saying the car felt comfortable and that he was confident heading into the rest of the weekend.
Renault engineering chief Pat Symonds described Friday as a routine session, with tire evaluation completed and no incidents.
The BMW Sauber team honored Schumacher by displaying a tribute message on their rear wings during practice. Schumacher said he was moved by the gesture and thanked the team publicly, noting it was the one moment that made the session feel different from any other.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in October 2006, in its own words.