Michael Schumacher key strength revealed in honest reflection

Former Mercedes reserve driver Sam Bird has revealed his biggest takeaways from working with Michael Schumacher, who he insists had a strength that made him "loved".

Bird, best known for racing in Formula E from 2014 to 2025, acted as Mercedes’ official reserve driver in 2011 and also tested for the Silver Arrows in 2012 and 2013.

The Briton even drove in the 2010 post-season rookies’ test for the Brackley-based outfit, having spent three years in the presence of Schumacher.

Schumacher spent three seasons with Mercedes from 2010 to 2012 before officially retiring, having initially stepped away from F1 after leaving Ferrari at the conclusion of the 2006 season.

The seven-time world champion is regarded by many as the greatest driver of all time, but it is his communication skills that seriously impressed Bird.

According to Bird, Schumacher was exceptional at getting a team working together and knowing when to adopt a firmer approach.

He believes this is what made him so loved at Ferrari and was a key skill he brought with him upon his F1 return to Mercedes.

Asked what he learned from Schumacher at Mercedes, Bird said on Lucas Stewart’s YouTube channel: "Gosh, Michael—firstly, what a guy.

"What I learned from Michael wasn’t necessarily how he drove; it was how he worked with people—his ability to get the team around him working together, to be nice, and to be firm when he needed to be.

"I think that’s probably the biggest thing I took away from working with him. He was really, really good at creating a positive team environment, and that’s probably the biggest takeaway from that experience.

"Nico [Rosberg] was his team-mate, and Nico was really good at car setup and understanding the numbers and figures—where he wanted the car.

"Michael was good at that, but also brilliant at the person-to-person side of things. I think you saw that at Ferrari—how much they loved him—and he brought that over to Mercedes."