Martin Brundle shares the reason why Michael Schumacher didn’t speak to him for five years

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Michael Schumacher will always be considered one of the greatest drivers to ever grace Formula 1.

After making his debut with Jordan in 1991, Michael Schumacher was signed by Benetton for the following race and the rest is history.

While at Benetton, Schumacher was joined by Martin Brundle as a teammate for the 1992 season before he was replaced the following year by Riccardo Patrese.

Schumacher went on to win two titles with Benetton before signing for Ferrari and creating his legacy with the Scuderia.

The early 2000s were dominated by Schumacher and Formula 1’s iconic Italian team, winning five more championships on the bounce.

Schumacher initially retired at the end of the 2006 campaign after watching Fernando Alonso win back-to-back titles before making a comeback with Mercedes.

While his time with the Silver Arrows led to just a single podium, it cemented his legacy among the elite of the sport.

Brundle has spoken to the Sky Sports F1 Podcast about his relationship with Schumacher.

He admitted that despite being teammates and rivals on the track, one moment led to the German not speaking to him for half a decade.

Why Michael Schumacher didn’t speak to Martin Brundle for five years

Max Verstappen has recently been compared to Schumacher for both good and bad reasons depending on how you see it.

Schumacher was incredibly aggressive on the track, and his end-of-season shunts with Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve are iconic in the sport.

Verstappen takes no prisoners either, but both drivers have also gained a reputation for being unbelievably fast in wet conditions.

READ MORE: Bernie Ecclestone pinpoints Michael Schumacher moment Max Verstappen’s Sao Paulo win reminded him of

Brundle was been a pundit for more than 25 years and asked about his encounters with Schumacher, he said: “Well, weirdly, we fell out because something I said was translated, taken out of context and translated into German and put in a headline and newspaper.

“And Michael got very upset, I have no idea what it was to this day.

“He wouldn’t speak to me for five years, it was really odd.

“And then we got drunk together in a nightclub in Valencia when he was on his sabbatical between Mercedes and Ferrari.

“We were fine after that, he was sort of hanging off my shoulder, like, ‘My teammate, my teammate!’

“And it broke the ice again. So I really don’t know what the problem was, but that was a real shame.”

The impact Michael Schumacher made during his short time at Mercedes

While Schumacher will always be remembered in F1 for standing on the podium in his iconic red race suit, his time at Mercedes was equally impactful albeit for different reasons.

Alongside Nico Rosberg, he helped establish a new team on the grid that have gone on to win multiple world championships after his retirement.

READ MORE: George Russell makes Michael Schumacher career comparison after he ‘realised’ similarities

Schumacher is still fondly remembered by Mercedes staff for his kindness and welcoming nature.

Like Verstappen, his reputation off the track is very different to how he’s remembered when it comes to his style of racing.

Schumacher is considered light years ahead of Lewis Hamilton by his brother Ralf, although it’ll be interesting to see how he feels if the 39-year-old Brit manages to secure a record eighth title by taking the reverse of the German’s career path from Mercedes to Ferrari.