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Celebrate over sixty years of F1 - your memories, experiences and opinions.
#441928
ESPNF1:

Ross Brawn believes Michael Schumacher's legacy is as strong as ever in Formula One five years after his retirement.

Schumacher, F1's most successful driver with 91 race wins and seven world championships, retired in 2012 but Brawn feels his influence is still being felt across the grid. In an interview broadcast three years to the day since the skiing accident which left Schumacher with serious head injuries, Brawn stated that both Ferrari and Mercedes, who have won the last three world championships, owe the German a great deal.

"Michael, for sure, contributed to the organization and structure that has gone on to achieve success at Mercedes," Brawn said in an interview with CNN. "He helped create the success we had at Ferrari and he continued that approach at Mercedes."

Brawn, who oversaw each of the German's title wins as technical director at Benetton and Ferrari, thinks Schumacher's personality and desire to win have created a lasting impact on the grid and at the teams he drove for in his career.

"When you saw a driver as committed as Michael was, and so single minded about success, it dragged you along as well. You knew you couldn't let the side down, and everyone was the same. You knew when you had a driver so focused on achieving success, that motivated other people.

"Michael just being around was a huge motivator for people and to try to emulate that yourself and create the right atmosphere and create the right positive feeling within the team was an important lesson I learned from watching Michael."

"With his knowledge and maturity, sitting with a group of aerodynamicists or vehicle dynamists or tyre people and explaining what was needed was invaluable. He was instrumental in creating the systems that contribute to the success that Mercedes has today."

The Schumacher family has recently launched the 'Keep Fighting' initiative aimed at bringing together fans and those inspired by the legendary driver. Michael's son Mick has signed up for a season of Formula 3 in 2017.
#441929
If anyone knows / understands what Schumi was to F1, it would have to be Brawn!
Great to hear someone speak, not only from the heart; but, also with knowledge! :clap:
#441948
ESPNF1:
Ross Brawn says the contribution seven-time Formula One world champion Micheal Schumacher had upon his arrival to Ferrari distinguishes him from other top drivers.

Having already sealed two drivers' world championships with Benetton in 1994 and 1995, Schumacher made the switch to Ferrari ahead of the 1996 season, and would go on to win a record-breaking five further titles with the Scuderia between 2000 and 2004.

In an exclusive interview with ESPN, Brawn, who worked with Schumacher during his time at Benetton, as technical director at Ferrari, and as team boss at Mercedes during Schumacher's second spell in F1 between 2010 and 2012, says a combination of factors made the German so successful.

"He loved driving racing cars," Brawn explained. "He just adored getting his backside into a racing car at any opportunity he was given. That was a combination that was very difficult for people to beat. He's hugely self-motivated.

"I think he alone raised the standard of fitness for racing drivers by a huge margin when he was racing, and he was a great team player. He was really motivational within the team. So you put all of those elements together and they combine to give you a seven-time world champion."

Following Schumacher's second and final retirement from the sport at the end of the 2012 season, Lewis Hamilton became the next world champion to work under Brawn's leadership having ended his six-year spell at McLaren to join Mercedes in 2013.
#441963
Julien Billiotte wrote:">Top 10 F1 cars driven by Michael Schumacher

As Michael Schumacher celebrates his 48th birthday on this date, let’s look back at the top 10 cars the most successful Formula One driver in history raced during his illustrious career. The order might be chronological but the selection remains subjective....

...Honourable mentions

The 1997-1999 Ferraris were not the fastest in the field but Schumacher still managed to win multiple races in each of the three cars. The German nearly won the title in the first two, twice losing out at the final race.

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He returned from injury in the closing stages of the 1999 season to help Ferrari secure its first Constructors' championship since 1983.

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And while Schumacher's F1 comeback with Mercedes did not produce many highlights, setting the fastest time in qualifying at the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix (he would start from sixth due to a penalty received at the previous round in Spain) with the W03 - the last F1 car he raced competitively - was undeniably impressive.

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