Ross Brawn sees the young Schumacher in Rosberg

In an interview with the German newspaper, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Ross Brawn, Team Principal of Mercedes Grand Prix, reveals that regarding Nico Rosberg, he sometimes sees the young Michael Schumacher in front of him.

Yet, the former Williams driver, who was not given much of a chance against the German giant upon the latter’s return, has since proven himself, reminding everyone of the extent of his talent by dominating his illustrious senior. “He does his work with incredible intensity, he has no emotional weakness and is extremely talented,” Brawn explains. “Perhaps the situation would be a bit easier for Michael if he didn’t have an incredibly solid teammate like Nico. But both can learn from each other and each is ready to rise to the challenge.”

The Briton, who followed the Red Baron for almost his entire career and was even one of its architects, asserts that the two German drivers share many common traits. When Michael arrived in Formula One, he set new standards in terms of physical preparation. For him, it was simply not acceptable to finish the race and collapse, so he trained hard and was nearly as sharp at the finish as he was at the start.

« The second thing Schumacher brought is his determination. There is rarely a weekend where he doesn’t leave the track at nine or ten in the evening because he always wants to talk with the engineers to find ways to make the car faster. Nico does the same. I don’t know if it’s something he does on his own or because he saw Michael do it. In any case, Nico is on the same level in these areas. »

The relationship hasn’t always been the most cordial, however, and the young German driver couldn’t hide certain signs of annoyance about the management of the 2010 season, even going so far as to publicly remind that he had beaten the seven-time world champion. Ross Brawn admits that making these two talents coexist is one of their greatest challenges. That’s why we are open and honest with our drivers and have no secrets. What is private remains private, but when it comes to technical aspects, then everyone is informed, and all information is accessible to everyone. Michael can see how Nico drives the car and vice versa.