Ross Brawn – strategy master

Recognised as the greatest pit lane strategist in Formula One, Ross Brawn helped Michael Schumacher to all five of his World Championships, first at Benetton and subsequently at Ferrari.
A gifted designer in his own right, Brawn’s greatest period of success began when he took up the role of Technical Director and left the design chief role at Benetton to Rory Byrne. Brawn became more of an overseer and organiser, albeit one with the technical insight to work hand-in-hand with Byrne. This came just at the time that Formula One re-introduced refuelling –which had previously been banned – thus opening out new avenues of competitive advantage. Brawn exploited this brilliantly, frequently making rival teams look inept with his dazzlingly quick mind.
He was aided in his operations by the searing speed of Schumacher and when the latter left Benetton for Ferrari, it took only another year before Brawn and Byrne followed him there. The three have been the architects of Ferrari’s renaissance, and in 2000 Schumacher became the first Ferrari driver in 21 years to lift the world crown.