F1’s most successful driver, Michael Schumacher. never drove in the F2 series. The German was considered a generational talent and bypassed the path taken by many F1 drivers in a rather controversial way. However, he was forced to drive a GP2 car before his F1 return in 2010.
The 7x world champion returned to the F1 grid with Mercedes after a 3-year sabbatical. However, Schumi was far from the driver his fans recognized from his Ferrari days.
The driver felt the need to polish his racecraft to prepare ahead of his F1 return. As the GP2/F2 cars are the closest machinery to an F1 car, the German was forced to settle for them.
When Michael Schumacher tested a GP2 car ahead of the 2010 F1 return
Jerez was the venue where Michael Schumacher faced disqualification for turning in on Jacques Villeneuve. Schumi tried to take out the Canadian driver in the season’s last race. The plan backfired as Schumacher was forced to retire, and Villeneuve would win the title by finishing 3rd. But it turned out to be the place that rejuvenated his career more than a decade later.
The German returned to the Spanish track 13 years later to prepare for his F1 return. After announcing retirement in 2006, the former Ferrari driver was going to race for newcomers Mercedes, who returned to F1 as a constructor for the first time since 1955.
The 3-day test was primarily to prepare the German for F1 action. As Mercedes did not have a previous car, he tested a GP2 car. Schumacher converted over 1100 kilometers during the test and came within 4-tenths of the lap record of a GP2 car.
Just 18 days after the test, the 7x world champion was testing the Mercedes W01 in Valencia in F1’s pre-season test. Here, he was reunited with a familiar ally from his Ferrari days, who played a crucial role in his 5-championship rout between 2000 and 2004.
Schumacher’s reunion with Ross Brawn at Mercedes
Michael Schumacher was reunited at Mercedes with his former Ferrari and Benetton engineer Ross Brawn. Brawn was widely regarded as the mastermind behind the German’s success and was Mercedes’s team principal.
Schumacher, Brawn, chief designer Rory Bryne, and team principal Jean Todt were part of Ferrari’s dream team. They secured 6 constructor titles and 5 driver’s titles for the Scuderia between 1999 and 2004.
Schumacher’s arrival at Mercedes was a big statement by the German constructor. At the time, the Brackley-based team was midtable. However, the German automaker had made a major investment in the F1 team.
The Silver Arrows Story: Mercedes W03
Throwing it back to 2012 and the W03 for this week’s Silver Arrow Story. This is the car Nico scored our first F1 win in 50 years with at the Chinese GP 🏆
And @schumacher drove it in the final season of his legendary career! @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/x2lOcbU6oC
— Mercedes-AMG (@MercedesAMG) January 26, 2021
With their expertise in winning, the duo played a crucial role in developing Mercedes into a future championship contender. The Silver Arrows won their first race in 57 years when Nico Rosberg won the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix.
Schumacher left the sport in 2012, leaving a long-lasting legacy. His racing seat was occupied by Lewis Hamilton, who would go on to level the German’s record for 7 championships.
Hamilton would win 6 championships, and Rosberg would win his only title in 2016. The Silver Arrows dominated F1’s hybrid era with 8-straight titles between 2014 and 2021. However, one must not forget Schumacher and Brawn, who laid the groundwork for the team and its drivers’ success.
