As Michael Schumacher prepares to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of his F1 debut, two-time champion Fernando Alonso pays tribute to the German.

The Spaniard, who is just over ten years into his F1 career, paid tribute to the German, with whom he fought a thrilling battle for the title in 2006.

"Tomorrow is the start of what is a very special weekend for one driver who has played his part in the history of Formula 1 and Ferrari in particular: Michael Schumacher," he said. "It's not for me to say he is the greatest of all time as usually, it is the numbers that do the talking: seven world titles, 91 wins, these are incredible records.

"I hold Michael in very high esteem and I feel honoured to have raced alongside him. When I came to Maranello, I realised even more how close are the ties that bind him to Ferrari and that is why I was particularly pleased with what Stefano had to say at the Wrooom Summer event, immediately before this break," he added, referring to the Ferrari team bosses claim that the Spaniard had settled into the team more quickly than the Spaniard..

"I don't know if in 2021 I will still be in Formula 1, it's hard to say," he continued, "and this is a further confirmation of what an extraordinary career Michael has had. For my part, I want to take this opportunity to send him my very best wishes for this incredible landmark: twenty years is really an amazing achievement!"

No doubt there will be many similar tributes over the coming days.