Sam Bird saw a key difference in Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher’s braking data at Mercedes

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Former Mercedes driver Sam Bird has provided an interesting insight into Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton’s data.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the incumbent of one of the most decorated seats in Formula 1 history at Mercedes.

When the Silver Arrows took over Brawn GP following their championship win in 2009, they employed Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher as their maiden driver pairing.

Schumacher was brought out of retirement for the role, and after three years and just a single podium finish, he walked away from the sport again, only to be replaced by Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton enjoyed unmatched success at Mercedes, and Sam Bird has now shared more information about how his driving style differed from that of the only other seven-time world champion in F1 history.

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Michael Schumacher’s braking style didn’t match ‘perfect’ Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes

In an interview with The Race, Bird explained the difference he saw in Schumacher and Hamilton’s driving styles when studying the data.

He said: “Michael was very sensitive with the brake pedal, and then he would want the car and the brake to rotate well, to then get back on the power, which I think is why he was so good in the traction control area.

“He could get it turned in so early, and then get back on power quite quickly and quite well, and then use the systems to drive and blast out of corners.

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“He had a very good feel, sensitive in his reflexes. When I looked at Lewis’ data, it was just so clean that the brake shapes were always mega and perfect.

“Michael’s weren’t the same. There would be dips and troughs in the brake shapes; it was like he was feeding the rear of the car, moving around and very aware and sensitive to that.”

READ MORE: Everything to know about Michael Schumacher, from F1 career to net worth

Michael Schumacher’s immense dedication to Formula 1 highlighted by Sam Bird

Schumacher missed out on returning to F1 in 2009 with Ferrari after Felipe Massa’s horrific accident at the Hungarian Grand Prix due to a neck injury he picked up on a motorbike.

However, he managed to get himself to a good enough fitness level to convince Mercedes to bring him in the following year.

Bernie Ecclestone never wanted Schumacher to make an F1 comeback, and while he never hit the same heights he achieved at Benetton or Ferrari, fans were delighted that the German driver managed to extend his career by three more years before making way for Hamilton.

Bird shared an anecdote about just how dedicated Schumacher was to F1 even in his final years on the grid.

He explained: “There was a rookie test in [September] 2012, and I was doing it.

“Really early in the morning, Michael called me up, and he said, ‘I’m coming to Magny Cours later this morning, I’ll just drop the kids off at school first’.

“He was super interested in the Coanda-effect exhaust that we were going to be testing there for the first time before Singapore, and he just didn’t want to hear about it: he wanted to see it in action.

“His jet lands at 9.30 am just before I head out of the pits, and Michael heads straight for the track, along with my dad – which was surreal – to study the way the exhaust was making the car handle. He stayed for a few hours and then was off to pick the kids back up from school.”