Michael Schumacher won seven F1 World Championships before sustaining life-changing injuries in December 2013.

Michael Schumacher won seven F1 world titles before his life-changing accident (Image: Clive Mason/Getty Images

Michael Schumacher’s historic dominance in Formula 1 has been credited to his gift for building team spirit, both on and off the circuit. The 56-year-old secured a record seven world championships throughout his illustrious career, a feat that Lewis Hamilton has since matched.

The German racing legend claimed his first two titles with Benetton in 1994 and 1995. Following his successful title defence, Schumacher joined Ferrari, where he achieved a remarkable five straight world championships between 2000 and 2004. The motorsport icon captured all seven titles while working alongside Ross Brawn. The British engineer served as Benetton’s technical director during Schumacher’s success and the duo subsequently joined forces again at Ferrari. Former Top Gear producer Andy Wilman has shared how Brawn described Schumacher’s contribution to building a championship-winning team.

“When [Schumacher] goes to Ferrari, the magnitude of that job,” Wilman said on the High Performance Podcast. “Every Ferrari driver who goes there moans if it’s not right. Did we ever hear him moan? He goes there, the car’s a dog in ’96 and he knows he’s in for a four or five-year plan to bring them back to glory.

“I remember Ross Brawn saying, ‘Lunchtime, he’s playing football with the mechanics. He likes a game of football but he knows this is all part of it. The big superstar driver is with the mechanics, he is with them all the time. You do stuff together. He’d go round the factory, shakes hands with people sweeping the floor, everybody at Christmas.’

“People don’t see this. They just see the villain on the track, they don’t see what he’s doing in that factory.”

Brawn, who also collaborated with Schumacher during his three-year comeback at Mercedes at the end of his F1 career, has remained part of the driver’s inner circle since his life-altering skiing accident in December 2013.

Ross Brawn worked with Schumacher across three F1 teams (Image: Christian Fischer/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Following the skiing incident, Schumacher’s family decided to keep Michael’s health condition private and away from public scrutiny. However, Brawn has continued to champion his friend’s achievements in F1.

“You need talent and his was enormous,” Brawn told Auto Hebdo in August. “The history of Formula 1 is full of drivers with a lot of talent, but who don’t know how to put it into practice, and Michael knew that.

“There is no doubt that he had an exceptional physical condition, an enormous power of concentration and unparalleled commitment. He had all the necessary attributes and the intelligence to burn stages.”

He added: “Helping him to each of his seven F1 world championship titles was something exceptional for me. There is no one above Michael.

“Michael’s ability to blend talent with hard work and intelligence made him extraordinary. His dedication was unmatched, and he had an almost unique ability to take his skills and elevate them to the highest level.”