Newey: Brawn Owes His Success to Schumacher

Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn has been heavily helped to Grand Prix success by Michael Schumacher, according to McLaren rival Adrian Newey.

Brawn has been a technical director for ten years, but Newey says that the Briton has never achieved a success without German star Schumacher. "Ross has never won a race where Schumacher hasn't been one of his drivers," said Newey, who many people rate as the best designer of his age.

Newey has had championship success at both Williams and McLaren, and despite being up against Brawn at the front of the Grand Prix grid, he says their jobs are very different.

"I get on with him, but mine and Ross's roles are very different," said Newey. "My observation is he manages the technical team at Ferrari and relies on the talents of other individuals. I also rely on the engineers but I also take a very hands-on approach and get very much involved in the layout of the car."

"What I try to do is maintain a higher level of my time on the drawing board, basically being an engineer but at the same time giving other engineers freedom to see their own ideas."

Newey was responding to comments made by Brawn in the latest issue of F1 Racing magazine, where he said: "I get the impression that at McLaren it's not clear who makes the decisions. Sometimes Ron seems to make a decision, sometimes Adrian seems to. I think that's a failing and at Ferrari we have made the commitment that one person makes the final decision and that's me."