"They simply have more capacity"- F1 sports director on what separates Michael Schumacher and Max Verstappen from others

Ross Brawn, managing director of Formula 1, recently said in an interview that Max Verstappen reminds him of Michael Schumacher. Verstappen's sheer dominance during the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps reminded Brawn of the legendary Schumacher.

Brawn believes that drivers like Schumacher or Verstappen's expertise and "capacity" set them apart from others on the grid. Praising the Belgian-Dutch driver, Brawn said:

"They simply have more capacity because of their talent. Like a super talent in football who doesn't have to look at the ball that's stuck to his foot, but can already look ahead to the next move."

Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher's relationship dates back to the early 90s when Schumacher won his first F1 world title with Benetton. Brawn was the team's technical director and later moved to Ferrari. Michael Schumacher was the next to follow him there. Together, they made Ferrari an unstoppable force in F1.

Later, when Schumacher returned to F1 with Mercedes AMG Petronas, he cited Brawn as the inspiration for the return. Brawn joined as a technical director at Mercedes. The duo shared a strong bond.

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Ross Brawn thinks Michael Schumacher and Max Verstappen “drive like they are on another planet”

While talking about the similarities between the driving styles of Max Verstappen and Michael Schumacher, Brawn stated that their driving has a mystical element. He believes they are 'perfect' drivers.

"When you have a perfect car and drivers like Michael or Max in the cockpit, they drive like they are on another planet. Then you as a spectator feel this certain magic."

He also implied that the car could not be the sole reason for consistent outcomes by the driver. He said this while discussing the role of a team's secondary driver. According to him, the others fall short even if given the same car, like that of Verstappen and Schumacher. The skillsets honed by the greatest of the sport shine at a higher level regardless of the machine. Brawn said:

"You can't forget that there's always another driver with the same car who can't make that difference. Sure, we want hard fights led by many pilots. But at the same time, don't we want to see the magicians that stand out from the rest?"

Max Verstappen's dominance this year has been undoubted. He is easily within reach of a second championship win. The only driver who could challenge Verstappen is Charles Leclerc, only under a precise turn of events. But Leclerc's win is improbable as the season nears its end. Hence, Verstappen has a clear road ahead.