Chancellor Angela Merkel paid tribute to seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher, calling him one of the ``real greats of German sport.''
Schumacher retired Sunday after finishing fourth in the Brazilian Grand Prix and second in this year's championship.
``Michael Schumacher stands together with the other real greats of German sports: with Max Schmeling and Fritz Walter, Franz Beckenbauer, Boris Becker and Steffi Graf,'' Merkel said in a statement Monday.
Like them, she said, Schumacher was helped by ``what are called `German virtues' in sport: hard work, meticulous preparation and above all the absolute will to make it.''
Merkel said Schumacher ``enriched his sport with a touch of genius.''