A couple of months ago we brought you news that seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher, who finally stepped down from the sport at the end of last season, would spend his days helping develop road cars for former employer Mercedes-Benz.

While we were hoping that would mean Schumacher would be fine-tuning the automaker’s next sports car models, like the upcoming SLC, for example, Mercedes has announced today that the F1 ace will be helping develop new safety and comfort systems falling under the “Intelligent Drive” umbrella.  

That doesn’t mean Schumacher won’t help develop any performance models, but in the immediate future he’ll help promote some new Intelligent Drive technologies in the pipeline at Mercedes.

Exactly what technologies Schumacher will be helping to promote haven’t been revealed, although they are expected to center on new driver assistance systems, such as Mercedes’ Steering Assist autonomous driving feature and next-generation Brake Assist and Pre-Safe systems. Many of these will debut on the 2014 S Class due out later this year.

“I was very often able to rely on the help of all the technologies available to me in the car and use them to my advantage,” Schumacher said, referring to his F1 days. “That is why I am a declared supporter of driving assistance systems both in the racing car and in the road-going car.”

Schumacher will make his first appearance as ambassador for Intelligent Drive together with Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche on May 1, 2013 at the Handelsblatt PATHFINDER - The Future Starts Today event in Germany.