Ferrari's seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher retired from the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday.

The German suffered a tyre nightmare at the Circuit de Catalunya, a venue that has favoured him above all others in recent years.

He made an unscheduled stop on the 44th of 66 laps with a deflating rear left tyre while he was in third place.

His front left tyre then failed two laps later, sending him ploughing through the gravel. He cruised lamely back to the pits and drove into the garage.

Schumacher has won the last four Spanish grands prix and another win would have equalled the record of five in a row at a single venue set by the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna at Monaco from 1989-1993.