When Michael Schumacher paid homage to 70-year-old F1 icon for success at Benetton, Ferrari, and Mercedes

Michael Schumacher shared his workspace with hundreds of team members, but one stood out the most, i.e., Ross Brawn. The Briton had been his ally for over a decade in his F1 career and played a crucial role in his success at various teams, as the German paid homage to the 70-year-old in his last interview before his skiing accident.

The German driver had made his debut with Jordan but was quickly snubbed by Benetton to drive the squadron to the front of the field. There, Brawn was the Technical Director of the team and maintained a close relationship with Schumacher to claim the drivers' world championships in 1994 and 1995.

The pair's relationship led Schumacher to urge Brawn to jump ship with him to Ferrari in 1996, a decision that fruited a few years later with five consecutive drivers' titles between 2000-04. Though the seven-time champion took his first retirement after the 2006 season, the Brit continued in the series and eventually brought back his old companion from retirement to supercharge Mercedes' F1 venture.

Reflecting on how Ross Brawn has been at his side throughout the major chapters of his F1 career, Michael Schumacher paid tribute to the 70-year-old in his last interview in October 2013, as he said:

"If you go back to the various teams I have been driving for, the missions, with Benetton, after kind of four to five years building it up, winning the championship. The Same for Ferrari; we tried the same with Mercedes, in lesser time, and is there one thing in common? And I have to say yes, there is, Ross Brawn! Think about it."

On the other hand, Schumacher retired from the sport for a second time, draped in the silver arrows' overalls, with Brawn leaving the team just over a year later.

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Ross Brawn once asserted that there is no one above Michael Schumacher in the F1 world

Ross Brawn (L) and Michael Schumacher (R) - Source: Getty

Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher were part of each other's F1 success stories. With the Englishman having a warm bond with the German, he viewed the seven-time champion's excellence on track as incomparable.

Talking about the 56-year-old's raw talent, he said in an interview with Autohebdo:

"You need talent, and his was enormous. 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."

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

Meanwhile, since his skiing accident in 2013, Schumacher has been living with his family and has reportedly only made a solitary public appearance, at her daughter's wedding last year.