Ferrari have been blessed to have some of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time, with new star Lewis Hamilton a prime example of the trend.
Almost every great name in the sport has driven for the Scuderia, from Michael Schumacher to Hamilton, to Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel.
It’s often joked that when a child draws a car, it’s normally red. It’s the dream of almost every young Formula 1 fan to grow up and drive for Ferrari one day.
Schumacher did a ‘super powerful’ thing at Ferrari and could multi-task like no other driver of his era in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Driving for the Maranello-based outfit isn’t all bliss though. Vettel faced a ‘farcical’ situation at Ferrari and had to figure out his own strategies for a while.
Schumacher still holds Ferrari’s Fiorano lap record over 20 years on from claiming his seventh drivers’ championship. It just goes to show how special he was.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory
Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel’s ‘big similarity’ was Ferrari work ethic in Formula 1
Vettel thinks Schumacher is the greatest of all time and grew up watching the German before breaking through into the sport and eventually racing him between 2010 and 2012.
They’re two of the most successful Ferrari drivers ever, and Marc Gene had the pleasure of working with both of them. He picked out the ‘big similarity’ between the two off the track.
“To be a world champion, you have to work because there will always be your teammate who’s going to be good and you have to beat your teammate,” he said. “But what makes the difference from the multiple world champions, from these great drivers, is the fact that they work as if they have no talent.
“And I think that’s what makes, for example, Michael very special. He worked so hard, so, so hard, that probably he didn’t need it and that’s what made a difference and Sebastian Vettel, [did] the same thing.
“So, for me, the common trait is this attention to detail, this dedication, this passion for their work. And Michael on that, was really, really a step ahead. How important for him was the physical training. I think he was a reference, and then all the drivers followed,” Gene continued.
“He would never disconnect. So these drivers are always, always thinking about how to be better, and how to make the car better, and how to make the team better, all the time.”
READ MORE: Ranking the top 10 Ferrari F1 drivers of all time including Michael Schumacher vs Fernando Alonso
How do Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F1 stats compare to Sebastian Vettel?
After 11 seasons with the Italian team, Schumacher called it quits and declared his retirement for the first time in 2006.
It means he raced for Ferrari for five more seasons than Vettel did, but his fellow countryman did have the pleasure of more races per season.
| Ferrari stat | Michael Schumacher | Sebastian Vettel |
| Wins | 72 | 14 |
| Podiums | 116 | 55 |
| Pole Positions | 58 | 12 |
| Fastest Laps | 53 | 14 |
| Retirements | 27 | 11 |
Taking a look at their stats with the team, it’s pretty clear who was more successful, however, Vettel didn’t get to enjoy anywhere near as dominant machinery.
Both brought plenty of joy to Ferrari fans and both will go down in history as some of the greatest of all time.
Simply put, despite what the numbers may suggest (compared to Hamilton), a lot of fans are still big advocates of Schumacher and believe he is the sport’s GOAT, over a decade on from his retirement.
