F1 Throwback: "We drive like on raw eggs" - When Michael Schumacher was left frustrated by 2012 tire choices

Michael Schumacher is arguably the most famous name in motorsports. The seven-time world champion made a grand return to F1 back in 2010 but soon left the team and the sport in 2012. Though Schumacher's performance was quite impressive during his last season, he was met with several reliability issues and bad luck.

During his last season in F1, the German spoke his mind about the new Pirelli tires and how difficult it was to maintain them. In some of his interviews in 2012, Michael Schumacher explained how quickly the Pirelli tires deteriorated. He said:

"We drive like on raw eggs and I don't want to stress the tires at all. Otherwise, you just overdo it and you go nowhere."

The seven-time world champion also spoke about how the tires were stopping drivers from pushing the car and themselves to the limit. He blamed the tires and their deteriorating speed for being such a huge factor in how fast the drivers are. Michael Schumacher explained:

"The main thing I feel unhappy about is that everyone has to drive well below a driver's, and in particular, the car's limits to maintain the tires. I just question whether the tires should play such a big importance, or whether they should last a bit longer - so that you can drive at normal racing car speed and not cruise around like we have a safety car."

Despite the criticism from the German, the sport gradually moved on as tire management became one of the top priorities on the race weekend. In modern F1 cars, tires play a massive role in how fast they can go.

The legendary driver's last days in the sport were not his best. Schumacher was only able to grab one podium at the 2012 F1 European Grand Prix, where he finished third. Apart from that, the German had a mediocre season with Mercedes, finishing 13th in the drivers' championship.

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Michael Schumacher would have loved the new era of F1, claims F1 managing director

Ross Brawn had a deep relationship with Michael Schumacher. F1's sporting director was with the German driver on several teams as a team principal and engineer. The duo had several successful years, especially in Ferrari, where they won loads of world titles.

Brawn recently spoke about how the seven-time world champion would have loved the new era of F1. During an interview with Sport Bild, Ross Brawn said:

“That would have been right up his alley. He used to be the last person to leave the paddock on Saturday night before the race. He sat with me and the engineers for hours on dates and numbers. He would be fascinated to analyze all this with the engineers. He would be great in this new era. Michael [Schumacher] would love the new Formula 1!”

Ahead of the 2022 F1 season, the heads of the sport and the FIA changed many rules and regulations to promote closer racing and give smaller teams a chance to shine as well. Ross Brawn supervised the technical side of the sport as he helped implement these new changes.