Michael Schumacher won an emotional Italian Grand Prix on Sunday prior to announcing that it would be his last, with Ferrari immediately naming runner-up Kimi Raikkonen as his replacement to team up with Felipe Massa. The Brazilian finished just out of the points, but in the Drivers' championship, Fernando Alonso still leads the series by two points over Michael in spite of suffering engine failure, while Michael's 10 points score over Giancarlo Fisichella's fourth place five points means that Ferrari now lead the Constructors' series by three points.

In front of a crowd of 80,000 enjoying a warm sunny day, the field rushed down to the first corner with Raikkonen taking the lead. Michael was briefly passed by Nick Heidfeld who was third on the grid, but Heidfeld lost momentum and Michael moved back up to second, and Heidfeld was also overtaken by BMW Sauber teammate Robert Kubica, up to third from sixth on the grid. Massa was next, holding on to fourth place, Jenson Button was fifth, while Heidfeld ended up sixth. Alonso picked up three places to finish lap one in seventh while Pedro de la Rosa was eighth. Raikkonen quickly opened up a 1.4s gap to Michael but there it remained for lap after lap. However the pair were pulling away nicely from third placed Kubica, but he was under pressure from Massa, with Button challenging initially but then dropping back a fraction, as Alonso closed on them. There was then a gap to Heidfeld, initially challenged by Pedro de la Rosa, with Fisichella next.

Raikkonen's lead remained at around 1.5s as they approached the 15 lap mark. De la Rosa pitted on lap 14, and teammate Raikkonen came in on lap 15. Michael stayed out for a further two laps before pitting and when he rejoined he was 1.3s ahead of Raikkonen. However, that left Kubica leading only his third Grand Prix and when Massa came in on lap 19 - as did Alonso - and Button came in on lap 20, the BMW drivers were now first and second. But Heidfeld pitted on lap 21 and Kubica a lap later. Unfortunately, Heidfeld exceeded the pit lane speed limit and had to pit again for a drive-through penalty on lap 25. But when Kubica came out, he was in fourth place behind Michael now leading Raikkonen by 2.3s, then Fisichella in third but yet to pit, followed by Kubica in fourth. Barrichello was next, just ahead of compatriot Massa.

Fisichella pitted on lap 26 which dropped him out of the points. Michael now had a 2.4s lead, gradually increasing by a tenth every lap. But then came a big gap to Kubica who was nearly three seconds ahead of Barrichello, who finally came in on lap 30. Alonso was next from Button. Kubica had gradually been caught by Massa and then Alonso and they were running nose to tail as they approached the second round of pit stops. On lap 38, Raikkonen became the first of the leaders to pit, with Michael and Massa pitting on lap 39. Heidfeld pitted on lap 40. Kubica, Alonso and Button all pitted on lap 41.

Michael had emerged with a lead of over three seconds over Raikkonen and after the pit stops, Alonso had emerged in third place, with Kubica now fourth and being pushed by Massa . But on lap 44, Alonso's engine failed at the first chicane, Kubica braked, Massa locked up and flat-spotted a tyre, pitting at the end of the lap for a new set. That took the pressure off Kubica who duly followed Michael and Raikkonen home when the chequered flag came out on lap 53. Raikkonen was second, eight seconds down, with Kubica third. Fisichella was caught by Button at the end, while Barrichello finished sixth from Trulli with Heidfeld close behind and claiming the final point while Massa just failed to score. On the rostrum, an emotional Schumacher acknowledged his fifth Monza win before announcing that it would be his last.

It was the seventh win of the season for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, the sixth courtesy of Michael Schumacher. This was win number 190 from 738 races entered by Ferrari, the seventeenth in the Italian Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher recorded his ninetieth victory from 247 Grand Prix starts and his fifth at this track.

Jean Todt: "I don't know if I should start by talking about my feelings after this fantastic victory or about those that stem from the announcement of Michael's retirement. Of course, I had known for a while that this was his decision, but the news breaking alongside this great win makes today special. It is very gratifying to win here, in front of our Ferrari colleagues who packed out the grandstand at the Parabolica and in front of all our fans.
 

"The car, the Bridgestone tyres and the team were all great. This result sees us move into the lead in the Constructors' classification and it also considerably reduces the gap between Michael and the leader of the Drivers.' I am sorry for Felipe: an unplanned stop prevented him from bringing home a good result in a race where he never really managed to get the most out of the car because of traffic. It's a shame, because all weekend he had been very competitive. Now both championships will be decided over the three races. We are up against very strong opposition but we are very determined and motivated to win both titles. We must remain concentrated and united to make Ferrari even better and to bring to a close in the best possible way this magnificent chapter in our history, which began eleven years ago when Michael arrived."

Michael Schumacher: "A marvellous win in front of our fans. Being on the podium alongside Jean was an indescribable feeling. From up there, we could see a sea of fans and you could feel the love they have for Ferrari. Super! If I had had to talk about my decision at that moment, I would not have managed to get the words out of my mouth. The race was relatively straightforward. We were hoping that Kimi would pit before us and he did. Everything went according to plan with no particular worries. The most emotional moment was the final lap. After the chequered flag I came on the radio and told all my friends in the team what I was about to announce and it was really difficult to keep my emotions under control. This win is very important in terms of both titles. We have taken the lead in the Constructors' and as for the Drivers,' we are no longer dependent on our rivals' performance."

Felipe Massa: "To lead the Constructors' championship is fantastic. I am very happy for the whole team and also for Michael, who deserved this win and it's great that he took this victory on a day that is so special for him. Michael is an amazing guy and I am honoured to have had the opportunity to race alongside him. He is an example to us all. Now we must try and reach the targets that we want so much. Right from yesterday's qualifying it was clear this was not going to be my weekend. Today, I was always in traffic, never able to use all the car's potential on a track which, while very quick is definitely not easy to overtake on. Then, when it seemed like I could bring home a good fourth place, I flat-spotted my right front tyre when I had to brake on the oil from Alonso's Renault. It was too bad to continue and so I was forced to pit to change tyres, losing any chance of a points finish. Now there are three races to go, in which we will do all we can. I can tackle them with the added motivation of helping Michael and the team win both championships. As for me, I am proud to have the opportunity to be racing with this great team for the next two years."

Ross Brawn: "Winning the Italian Grand Prix on the day Michael announces his retirement is the best possible way for this news to be delivered. He drove brilliantly and was always in control of the situation. The car went well, helped by fantastic Bridgestone tyres, not forgetting the valuable support from Shell. We knew that our tyres, while possibly giving a little away in qualifying, would be superb in the race. This win is the result of the great work carried out over the past few months by our partners and our test team. It's a shame for Felipe, who never really had the chance to push as hard as he could, being nearly always stuck in traffic. Now there are three races to go which we will tackle giving our all. We have many new parts coming, including a new aerodynamic package that we will test over the next two weeks. I am confident about this final part of the championship and we will fight right to the end to try and win both titles."

2006 Italian Grand Prix Race Result: Michael Schumacher: 1st 1:14.51.975 53 laps chassis 255; Felipe Massa: 9th +45.955 53 laps chassis 252; Temperatures: air 27 °C, track 41 °C