Categories: Look backRace and classic pictures

Raw talent

©WRI2

In the late 1980s, Mercedes initiated a programme destined to seek out young talent. It eventually discovered a 20-year-old F3 driver named Michael Schumacher who was offered the opportunity to hone his skills at the wheel of a Sauber Silver Arrows in the 1990 World Sports Prototype Championship. Mercedes motorsport boss back then, Jochen Neerpasch remembers: 'Michael was like a baby. By that I mean he had a baby's ability to learn. He learnt in one year what other people learn in three or four years...'

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.