Michael Schumacher was the calmest man in town here on Thursday when he faced his final pre-race news conference before the end of the most successful career in Formula One history.
As a typical media scrum descended on the Hotel Trans-America, close to both the Interlagos race circuit which hosts Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix and the Morumbi graveyard in which Ayrton Senna is buried, the seven-time drivers' World Champion was the embodiment of cool behaviour.
Questions flew, cameras clicked, pens scribbled and microphones twitched towards him, but the 37-year-old German, who is heading into retirement after winning 91 of his 248 Grand Prix and claiming 68 pole positions, and delivering five drivers' titles for Ferrari and two for Benetton, barely moved a muscle.
Schumacher has always been a supreme example of Teutonic reliability, supreme athleticism, great fitness and concentrated effort and a certain 'hauteur' that comes with his knowledge that he is a born winner.
So another room, full of reporters and admirers, in one of Latin America's biggest cities far away from the wet Ardennes circuit at Spa in Belgium where his career began 15 years ago, was no great concern. After all, at this stage of his career, with one race remaining, he knows what he has achieved and what he kind of miracle he needs if he is to defy the odds, and a ten-point deficit, and claim an unprecedented eighth world title.
Asked if he felt emotional now he had arrived on the threshold of the last race of his great career, he said: "I am not thinking so much about it. Occasionally it comes up and you feel a bit strange about it, but in general I am pretty relaxed and it is pretty much business as usual so far."
Pressed further to say that he is treating this Brazilian Grand Prix like any other race, he admitted: "Well, yes, until now. But we will see if it changes!"
Schumacher reiterated that his retirement decision was final and not likely to be followed by a u-turn. "My decision has been taken, so there is no reason to change that decision. What is going to be my life afterwards? I don't know. I have said many times that I don't feel like I should know."
He added: "I am in a fortunate position that I can retire and don't have to have a vision for my life afterwards. I have plenty of time to make my vision, to live a life where something will come up that will interest me."
"First of all, there was a Ferrari without Schumacher and there will be a Ferrari without me," he said.
He is also trying not to think too much about achieving what seems the impossible on Sunday - he needs to win and see rival Fernando Alonso fail to score a point.
"I am not coming here to think too much about my own title (challenge)," he said. "I'm coming here for the constructors' title. I expressed after the Suzuka race that the title fight for the drivers' championship is finished. I don't want to build up my hopes on someone retiring. So I am here to do a good race and try to win the race.
"From our point of view we can only do the maximum job to be one and two at the end of the race and then we have to see what the others do, and if that is enough for us to win the constructors' championship or not."
Finally, Schumacher was asked, what was he going to miss when he leaves Formula One? "You have to see things as a total," he replied. "In general, I have had a good life here, as well as you guys. There is nothing to regret."
Then it was over. No tears, no melodramas. In all probability, Schumacher will give further news conferences on Saturday and Sunday if he is among the top three in qualifying and then the race. But, if not, that may have been the last public statement by the greatest race-winner in the history of Formula One motor racing.
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