Thrown back to last place by a blowout caused by debris on the track, Schumacher still managed to finish fourth in the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo, the final race of his career.

"Michael Schumacher is yet another in a series of great names in German sports that includes towering figures such as Max Schmeling, Fritz Walter, Franz Beckenbauer, Boris Becker and Steffi Graf. Like them, he rose to the top on a combination of great talent, hard work, thorough preparation and a determination to win," Merkel said in a government statement on Monday.

"Even though someone like myself may not be aware of everything there is to know about Formula One, I think I can safely say that Michael Schumacher added an element of genius to his sport. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for having been such a great competitor," she added.

The 37-year-old, whose will to win turned him from the unknown son of a bricklayer into the world’s greatest Ferrari racing star, has received tributes since September, when he announced his intention to retire at season’s end.

Schumacher, a seven-time world champion whose younger brother Ralf is also a Formula One driver, said after his final race that his best memory was his title win in 2000. "We had a lot of hard work and setbacks so when we finally won it, it was the most beautiful championship," he said as reported by Deutsche Welle.

"In his brilliant career, the man from the flatlands of Kerpen in northern Germany had become a Teutonic machine, a human delivery system of speed and points and glory in a sport unused to such high standards of regularity, human reliability and sheer professionalism" - this is how Deutsche Welle summed up "Schumi", who is admired by fans across the globe.