Williams boss reveals what made the legendary Michael Schumacher so lovable among his F1 team members

Williams' team principal James Vowles shared the stage with Michael Schumacher in the team's early years after their rejuvenation in Formula 1. The latter is arguably one of the greatest drivers to have ever raced in motorsports, getting his name down in the history and records of the sport, many of which remain to be broken by the new and talented drivers on the grid.

Talking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Vowles mentioned that Schumacher has a certain aura around him that makes him so special, that is, other than his driving and immense racecraft, of course. He added that the German always brought the team together and helped with every department in the development of the team.

"Michael was this indescribable individual, he also had a special aura and presence, very different from that, which you can see from the outside. Inside the team, he was someone who wanted to help and move everyone forward. He brought the team together and kept them close together," Vowles said.

Michael Schumacher in the Mercedes garage, 2010 (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Michael Schumacher is known to have been very close with the team and the crew in all aspects. The Netflix documentary, Schumacher, reveals that he was the one who would work late at night in the garage with the members to improve the car. He would also treat everyone equally like family, and this was one of the things that the Williams' boss stated about him.

"He knew every birthday, sent flowers to the partners and felt special in a special way and Wise care of people. That meant the team really wanted to make him succeed, which came from nothing but him being who he was," Vowles stated.

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James Vowles mentions Williams out of investment for almost two decades

James Vowles was appointed by Williams as their team principal. Moving from Mercedes, was quite a doubtful move because although Williams are a historic team with multiple world championships, they've been quite noncompetitive in recent years.

While in the years that Vowles worked with Mercedes, they were quite dominant on the grid with Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, and Valtteri Bottas. Moving from a top team to the bottom tier would have been a difficult choice.

However, he described that the team is quite 'incredible,' but there's the issue of investment. They have been lacking it for almost the past 20 years, and it has made development difficult.

"The way I would describe Williams is an incredible organization but through various mechanisms didn't have the money behind it for many many years and really a lack of investment for nearly 20 years," Vowles said. "As a result of that, I would describe when I joined the organization was in survival mode and not that was in one you're thinking about what's happening in three years in front you."

The team is working towards more upgrades and development this season, however, the majority of it might as well be focused on the next year's car since Vowles' technological knowledge will turn out to be an asset for them.