(Motorsport-Total.com) – According to Williams team principal James Vowles, Michael Schumacher has significantly shaped the way an engineer leads a racing team. Vowles talks about this in an episode of the podcast “Up To Speed”.
Read more Despite much criticism of the regulations: Nico Hülkenberg enjoys Formula 1
“I was lucky to work with Michael,” explains the 47-year-old. The engineer has been active in Grand Prix sport since 2001 and started at British American Racing.
After stints as Honda factory team or Brawn GP, the team from Brackley was to become the Mercedes factory team from 2010. With this step came the signing of Schumacher and the first collaboration between the seven-time world champion and the later strategy chief of the team.
Formula 1 Quiz
For which team did Michael Schumacher race in sports cars before his Formula 1 career?
Test yourself now in the Formula 1 quiz and compare yourself with other users
“He really inspired me back then,” says Vowles. “In the car, he was a completely different person. Unfortunately, I remember 1996 and 1997, but outside the car, he completely changed the sport.”
In the mid-90s, Schumacher in the cockpit was the biggest threat to the technical superiority of the then Williams cars. Both for Benetton and Ferrari, the Kerpen native managed, often with inferior material, to compete on equal terms with drivers like David Coulthard, Jacques Villeneuve, or Damon Hill.
“With him, everything revolved daily around: How can we get better?” explains Vowles in the podcast. “How do we use video analysis, data, and technology? And why don’t we look at this here or work on this aspect in the background?”
Read more New addition to the Schumacher family: Ralf is looking forward to his first grandchild
“He was,” says Vowles, “in many ways the creator of the idea: ‘Let’s develop and change this further.'”
Michael Schumacher: The Mercedes Years
The consistent work ethic of the seven-time world champion is always emphasized. Ross Brawn or Willi Weber often tell stories about Schumacher’s attention to detail and relentlessness.
Vowles saw such qualities not only in the Kerpen native but later also in Lewis Hamilton. “He had other qualities,” the engineer concludes about Schumacher, “but you take everything from all those who have inspired you in your life.”
Among these people, the Williams team principal counts David Richards, Ross Brawn, and Toto Wolff. While Wolff is still active as team principal at Mercedes today, Richards and Brawn were responsible for the team in Brackley in the past.
Vowles spoke about further qualities of Schumacher in 2025 on the podcast “High Performance.” For example, the then Mercedes driver remembered the birthday of the partner of the current Williams team principal. “That totally embarrassed me because I hadn’t thought of it myself,” he explains in the podcast.
The 91-time Grand Prix winner knew how to strengthen the bond with his team privately. This also influences Vowles in his work as team principal to this day.
Read more No arms race like before? Toto Wolff explains upgrades at Mercedes