Michael Schumacher says he had options to stay in F1 before he decided upon retirement – and adds that he has no firm plans for what he is going to do when he stops racing after the Brazilian GP.
“As I said I have been thinking since quite a while,” said Michael. “Obviously we had a three-year agreement, and already it was hard for me to keep the motivation and keep the energy and always go forward. With all that I have achieved it’s natural that you think about this a little bit more than maybe being young. In a way how things have developed, I’m actually very pleased.
“I’ve always been informed by the team, so I knew what was going on, and quite happy that things have developed in this direction, and I’m now free to join back my freedom that I had before.
“There is if anything relief. If I wanted to stay I had options to stay [in F1], but I didn’t really feel about it, quite honestly.”
Regarding his future, Michael said: “It was very clear what comes next, six races to go, and whatever comes afterwards we’ll see. There’s no point and need to find any decisions right now, and I do it exactly as I did the first time, although at that time I didn’t think there was a second time, but here we are, and it is just to finish and focus 200% on what I do, and then I’ll think about what I’m going to do next after that.
“There’s no more to say about this. I have options obviously, and you know some of the options, but whatever that will be we’ll decide when the time is there.”
Adam Cooper F1 
As Luca Monty Zemolo says, this is Schumacher’s twin brother, of which we do not speak.
Michael is a great driver and a great person, but his time has passed, it is a credit to him that he kept up with much younger drivers, but it couldn’t have been easy.
I’m really shock about this news, never heard about this. Well, I must say that Schumacher is one my favorite F1 driver. I will surely miss him, I just wish him all the best in his new, whatever journey he may choose.