Michael Schumacher has donned many hats in his F1 career. From being the champion driver, to part of the team’s strategic think tank; the German was the Scuderia’s man with a midas touch. Although, there was this one time when Schumacher became a pit crew in a promotional activity for one of Ferrari‘s sponsors Shell.
According to a footage on Twitter (now X), Schumacher and his Ferrari pit crew were at a Shell gas station when a car arrived for servicing. The seven-time champion was the first to attend the car, with its driver being showing a surprising expression about what was happening.
The rest of the crew followed Schumacher and they started servicing the car. While, one mechanic got the keys for another to re-fuel the car, the others started checking the tire pressures. Meanwhile, the German champion was changing the engine oil under the hood.
Another mechanic also cleaned up the car in certain places including the rear windshield. Overall, the entire group serviced the car within 30 seconds. At the end Schumacher emulated the pit board lifting style, signaling the driver to go as the servicing of his car was done.
It was certainly a very novel way by Shell to utilize Schumacher’s popularity when Ferrari dominated F1. Although, this was just one of the famous advertisements, the seven-time champion did when he was racing.
Michael Schumacher and his love to do catchy unique ads
After retiring from Ferrari, Michael Schumacher took a few years off F1. When he returned to the sport in 2010, it was with the Mercedes team. In this second stint, the German driver did some of his most famous advertisements with the Silver Arrows.
Schumacher was partnering a young Nico Rosberg, whom many touted to be a rapid driver. By the 2010s, the seven-time champion had lost his peak form, so people expected Rosberg to be much more competitive with him. This was also the sentiment Mercedes-Benz liked to explore in their creative advertisements.
One such ad from 2011 involved a pregnant couple driving off to the hospital, when their car breaks down. Both Rosberg and Schumacher arrive on the scene in their respective Mercedes cars. The couple get startled and then argue about whose car to choose to drive to the hospital.
The husband argues that they choose the seven-time champion, for that very reason. While, the wife argues that Rosberg got twice as many points the previous year (2010). On this, the husband says that its going to rain and hints at how Schumacher in god when it comes to driving in wet weather. The wife also argues that Nico is quicker because he got there first.
Eventually, the ad concludes with a message saying, “Racing is a state of mind” and then the Mercedes-Benz’s tagline – The Best or Nothing. It was such catchy stuff that Schumacher loved to do, besides his masterclass on track.
