Martin Brundle once recalled how Michael Schumacher ‘rewrote the rules’ for F1 drivers

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You can count the number of Formula 1 champions there have been since the year 1994 on two hands. That’s an astonishing statistic across 32 years of racing action.

Two names make up nearly half the drivers’ championship titles across that period, and both have raced for Ferrari.

Michael Schumacher dominated the sport after the turn of the new millennium, and it took five years for someone to dethrone him.

It was an era defined by loud, screaming cars and a lot of dominance. The seven-time champion raised his levels and forced his competitors to follow suit.

What is your favourite car from Michael Schumacher’s F1 career?

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Schumacher developed a ‘reputation’ for being a ‘bad starter’, and it’s one of the few flaws that he had during his time as a Formula 1 driver.

Away from the track, he was a model athlete. Schumacher felt drivers should never complain about the car given to them, but instead work harder at improving it. He was a true leader.

READ MORE: Michael Schumacher turned down 2013 return to Formula 1 with two teams after Mercedes exit

Martin Brundle said Michael Schumacher ‘rewrote the rules’ on F1 driver fitness

The paddock is a place that has been completely transformed over the last few decades. Nowadays, it’s a lot busier than it ever used to be.

Getting time to breathe a little is rare. Schumacher’s ‘greatest strength’ was performing under pressure, but it was his preparation that landed him in a good position to be successful.

He raced against both Ayrton Senna and Lewis Hamilton. He and ex-teammate Rubens Barrichello are the only two people in history who boast that impressive statistic.

Speaking back in 2020, Martin Brundle said on Sky Sports that the German ‘rewrote the rules’ for drivers. He raised his fitness levels to new heights and forced them to follow suit.

“Michael rewrote the rules on driver fitness,” he said. “He could drive every corner of every lap, flat out. This made him hard to beat and opened up strategy options for the team. He was especially strong in wet races.”

“On a human level, it’s abundantly clear that he motivated his entire team, which played a key part in his success.”

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton must now follow in Michael Schumacher’s footsteps to make 2026 a success at Ferrari

Damon Hill once turned down the chance to be Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari teammate

Across his 10-year spell at Ferrari, Schumacher was paired with three different drivers and seemed to have the comfortable measure of them all.

But there’s one driver who would’ve been the only champion he faced within the team, who rejected the chance to race alongside him.

Damon Hill turned down Ferrari because they wanted him to be the number two driver behind the German back in the late 1990s.

It wasn’t something that a driver of his calibre was interested in, and he walked away, with Ferrari boss Jean Todt later denying (according to Hill), that they ever met.