Since Monza, everybody is talking about one thing only in the Formula 1 paddock - Michael Schumacher´s retirement after the end of season. Everybody is asking if he going to make it to win the 8th Championship during the Chinese F1 Grand Prix.

It was just crazy! Wherever Schumacher appeared there were swarms of photographers, cameramen, journalists and fans in tow. In the paddock, he didn’t venture from his motor home very much so it was difficult to shoot many pictures of him, so I decided to concentrate my efforts on Sunday – the race day.

This race was one of the best I remember. Alonso, the number one rival of Schumacher for the Championship started from pole position followed by his team mate Giancarlo Fisichella. Schumacher was in position six due to wet weather conditions in the qualifying rounds.

After about 25 laps of the race, there was about a 25-second gap between the leader, Alonso and Schumacher – a few positions behind him. Alonso seemed to have the win in the bag. But, as the track dried up, Schumacher came to life and overtook everybody, including Alonso.

There was a special atmosphere in the paddock that day - we were living through an historical moment and every picture taken of Schumacher will have a strong meaning. It was a great feeling to be part of such a momentous occasion, capturing one of the biggest sportsmen of our time. And, it’s definitely one which will certainly be remembered for the rest of my photography career.

Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images
Getty Images Sports Blogger and Photographer Vladimir Rys

Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images
Michael Schumacher of Germany and Ferrari celebrates with his team after winning the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit on October 1, 2006 in Shanghai, China.

Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images
Chinese fans present banners supporting Michael Schumacher of Germany and Ferrari as he steps out of his car prior to the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit on October 1, 2006 in Shanghai, China.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 5th, 2006 at 4:28 pm and is filed under Formula One, photos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.