“I open the door and Michael is there, doing his thing”: Former Mercedes reserve driver recalls his humiliating restroom encounter with Michael Schumacher

Janmeyjay Shukla | 06/05/2022
"I open the door and Michael is there, doing his thing": Former Mercedes reserve driver recalls his humiliating restroom encounter with Michael Schumacher

Formula E driver Sam Bird recounts an embarrassing incident he had with one of the greatest drivers of all time, Michael Schumacher.

At the end of the 2010 season, Sam Bird drove the MGP W-01 at the Yas Marina Circuit. He became a part of Mercedes’ young driver test and acted as a reserve driver for the 2011 season.
There is a saying that ‘first impression is the last impression.’ Well, no one will abide by this more than Bird, who had one of the hilarious first meetings with his hero Michael Schumacher.

First impression with Michael Schumacher

Sam Bird joined the ART Grand Prix team in 2009 and would drive for the next two years. Eventually, he signed up with Mercedes to take part in their young driver test in November 2010.
Just like every other driver, Bird went through an orientation as well. However, this meet-and-greet experience is something that he will never forget.
He said: “When I signed with Mercedes f1 first thing I did was my rookie test. I was essentially new and when you walk in and you recognize all these big names clear and there’s Simon Cole and Nico Rosberg.”
However, a bathroom break is where it all really went embarrassing for Bird. Introducing yourself to the legend Michael Schumacher in the bathroom is one in a million.

The Toilet Loitering man

Sam Bird shared this funny story of meeting the German in the bathroom while utterly dumbfounded. He said: “Pops the toilet, the door is unlocked. I open the door, and Michael [Schumacher] is there, doing his thing.”
He added: “I just walked in and held the door open and it was Schumacher. But I only kept the door [open] because it was my absolute hero, my idol.”
The Jaguar driver explained that he did close the door after a long awkward time. Team engineer Andrew Shovlin introduced Bird most embarrassingly. He said: “Firstly everybody, I would like to just introduce a new member of the team, Sam Bird. You will find him loitering around the toilet.”
Sam Bird felt as disheartened as an intern making a mistake on the first day of his job. He expressed: “It can imagine, for a young driver that I felt crushed. I felt absolutely crushed, well that was embarrassing.”

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
Mercedes Michael Schumacher Sam Bird

About the author

Janmeyjay Shukla

Janmeyjay Shukla is an artist who contributes his expressions through words as an F1 writer and editor at The SportsRush. He is an F1 historian who has been watching the sport since he was a baby. Passed on from generation to generation, he has seen the prime of Michael Schumacher to the rise of Max Verstappen. A Mercedes fan from the days of the Brawn GP era, the sport runs in his blood. Besides Formula One, Janmeyjay is a Marketing Head and a musician who loves to sing and play Rock & Pop songs on guitar. His love for sports will never die as he is a loyal Liverpool Football Club fan as well!

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