Former Formula 1 driver Sam Bird has revealed how a nervous first weekend as Mercedes' young test driver in 2012 took an unexpected turn in the team toilets, when a startled Michael Schumacher turned an awkward encounter into a running joke in front of senior staff.
Bird had arrived at Mercedes during Schumacher's final season in F1, joining a line-up headed by the seven-time world champion and his team-mate Nico Rosberg. Mercedes were still in the middle of their long build-up to dominance, and Bird, then 25, had been brought in as reserve and rookie-day driver, shadowing the race team and learning the ropes from inside one of the sport's most scrutinised garages.
