Schumacher: Retirement decision won't affect me.

Michael Schumacher has pledged that he is 100 per cent focused on the rest of the season despite having announced his decision to retire at the end of the year.

Schumacher took the win on Sunday at Monza and in doing so closed the gap to Fernando Alonso in the race for the drivers' title. The German took 10 points, while Alonso failed to finish, something that meant Schumacher cut the gap to just 2 points with three races to go.

"I think it is very easy to say what my mindset is," said Schumacher post-event. "It's not right to say, I'm more focused than ever because I've always been focused on only one thing once I'm in the car, so it is now. It's a championship which started difficult in the beginning, but we returned to it after another difficulty mid-season and now we are two points behind with three races to go, so if I look back to Canada, nobody would have thought we could be in that position.

"Now we are, due to some luck, but if you look at the retirements over the year, it's now equal - and there we are, so 100 percent focused for the Constructors' and Drivers' championships."

As for his Monza win itself, it was an extremely emotional one for Schumacher, who opted to make public his decision to stop racing following the event and his 90th victory: "It's been a very special day and to finish it in this style as we have been doing today, looking at the championship as well, but much more at what's going to happen somehow in future," he continued.

"There's been a lot of discussion for a long time concerning my future and so on and I think all the fans, all the people interested in motor sport, they have a right to have explained to them what's going to happen. I'm sorry it may have taken longer than some of you wanted but you have to savour a moment - and you have to find the right moment and we feel this is the right moment.

"It was obviously pretty emotional after the race. I was talking to my team and informed everybody of my decision and probably this was the most emotional moment along with being on the podium to celebrate and at that moment knowing it's the last opportunity I would have to finish so well with such a crowd with so much they gave to me in terms of their feeling and it just overwhelmed me.

"Monza has always has been very special particularly after the race when all the fans are allowed to celebrate this moment so close to us and with us and due to the nature of the circumstances, it's obviously an unbelievable feeling that I had out there today."