ON THIS DAY: ALONSO TAKES TITLE, MASSA WINS AT HOME, SCHUMACHER BIDS FERRARI FAREWELL

Brazil 2006 delivered one of F1's great swan songs. Michael Schumacher, racing his final Grand Prix for Ferrari, punctured on lap eight and carved through the field to fourth — brilliant, but not enough. Fernando Alonso kept his cool, finished second behind hometown hero Felipe Massa, and locked up his second consecutive title in his last ride for Renault before the ill-fated McLaren switch. Massa's win at Interlagos gave the Tifosi something to celebrate even as Schumacher's scarlet era closed. Jenson Button rounded out the podium for Honda.

The race crystallized a generational shift. Schumacher's recovery drive — vintage aggression, surgical overtakes — proved he still had it. But Alonso had the points cushion to play it safe, and second was enough to clinch the title. The Spaniard walked away clean, but his McLaren switch would turn toxic within a year.