JohnsonsEvilTwin wrote:xpensive wrote:The strangest thing in all this, is that MS has always been hailed as the first driver to xpand outside the traditional role,
to actually build the team around himself, like he did at Benetton and Ferrari.
Doesn't seem to work so well this time, does it?
I didnt give much credance to this. A great driver yes, a background mover and shaker? No.
At Ferrari Schumacher did build a team around himself and Barrichello was given the same opportunity. Much of Barrichello's team of mechanics were actually also Michael's. There was a lot of cross pollenation to keep learning on both cars equal, hence the reliability record. Schumacher would name the guys he thought were doing excellent jobs. The team used those guys as rxamples to others be making them team leaders. The constatn rotation meant there was an incentive and gap for other mechanics to move up so they performed. This was central to Todt's management style. There were two constants in Ferrari meetings with our lads: Domenicalli and Martinelli. They always brought different engineers into meetings meaning they moved them around a lot, even on the testing team. They move test team engineers into race team positions and back again so that there was a constant transfer of knowledge.
At Mercedes, Schumacher is not that involved. He is not at the factory everyday, neither is Rosberg. They travel for meetings and but essentially they pitch up at the race track and drive. The family structure Jean Todt created at Ferrari is still there, although diluted, but it doesnot exist at Mercedes. McLaren are not too disimilar to Ferrari and REd BUll has cloned their org on the Ferrari model.
When Schumacher was a FErrari driver, he would oversee the working on his car. LIterally stand and watch and would tell the mechanics "Hey whats this, I prefer that. You forgot the locking washer..."etc etc.
Mercedes doe snot give him the same scope. The job is left to the mechanics and race engineer to oversee. Drivers drive, engineers, engineers, mechanics mechanic.
The truth around Schumachers 2006 campaign may never be known. He certainly won't tell but I doubt we will see him in Ferrari again even if they asked him nicely.
The team building aspect of Michael Schumacher has been vastly underplayed. When you take that away from him he simply does not find comfort. What is currently going n at Mercedes is strange. It certainly appears Merc only intended him to be a marketing tool so they could use his name to do with as they pleased. This is not outside the norms of corporate culture
