Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher are two of the greatest in F1 history, with 7 world titles to his name. While they are equal on that front, Hamilton does have the edge over Schumacher in terms of race wins, with the latter having won 91 GPs and the former, 103. One man who has had the privilege of seeing both these masters at work is Williams’ team principal, James Vowles. Vowles worked as Chief Strategist during Schumacher’s Mercedes stint from 2010-2012. He also played a key role in the next 8 world titles won by the team under Hamilton’s prowess.

On the most recent episode of the High Performance Podcast, the 44-year-old British engineer spoke about the contrasts between the two champions. In the end, Vowles cast his vote in favor of Hamilton, over Schumacher, as the greater talent.

Vowles explained,

“Michael [Schumacher], he knew how to extract every millisecond out of himself. Lewis [Hamilton], was the most naturally talented driver that I have worked with, including Michael.”

While Vowles credits Hamilton as the ‘greatest natural talent‘, he did go on to explain exactly why Schumacher rewrote the history books of our sport as he did. According to him, while Schumacher was capable of extracting the very best from himself, his inherent personality as a leader meant that the entire team, even the rival garage, would be uplifted by him and follow his lead.

That being said, despite Hamilton’s talents garnering him six titles for the Silver Arrows, it couldn’t have been possible without Schumacher orchestrating Mercedes’ ascension before he quit the sport for good.

Michael Schumacher served Lewis Hamilton his Mercedes titles on a silver platter

In the past, the likes of Toto Wolff have even commented on how instrumental Schumacher had been in setting up the foundations of eventual glory during his three-year stint with the team. While he could never taste success with them, Schumacher became the “founding father” of the team’s success as per the Austrian.

Schumacher worked hard to help Mercedes find its feet between 2010 and 2012. It only took the team 2 years to elevate themselves to a level of dominance that was unknown to the sport at that time. From 2014 to 2021, the team won eight consecutive world titles, and paved the way for Hamilton’s success.

Schumacher’s departure coincided with Hamilton’s arrival in 2013. And from 2014 onwards, the sport embarked on the turbo-hybrid era. With the Mercedes board now fully convinced of the team’s potential, a fully fledged engine program meant that the Silver Arrows nailed their power unit and romped to victory for the next eight years.

Now, Schumacher’s son is forging a legacy of his own in his father’s old stomping grounds. Since his ouster from Haas, Mick Schumacher has been playing a key role in the team’s bid to return to the back to the zenith of F1, as their reserve and development driver for the Brackley-based outfit