Michael Schumacher has claimed that his three years with Mercedes have made him 'much more open' despite struggling to achieve success.

Schumacher, 43, returned to Formula 1 in 2010 as the most successful driver in the sport's history, but achieved just one podium finish at the European Grand Prix in Valencia in June. The German says that his time with Mercedes has helped him develop as a person.

"It has been an interesting time as a human in particular," Schumacher told RTL. "As a human if you can go through difficult times and you can sustain and you can actually grow and develop yourself still that is what makes you even stronger.

"I feel like a much more mature person, much more open, much more easygoing than I ever have been before with maybe not having the success that I was wishing for."

Schumacher retired from Formula 1 for a second time after finishing 13th at the Brazilian Grand Prix last month.