16/08/2004
NEWS STORY
Still savouring his team's sixth consecutive Constructors' Championship, and one day after the sixteenth anniversary of the death of team founder, Enzo Ferrari, team boss Jean Todt sat down to answer a few questions.
In 2003, race winner Fernando Alonso lapped Michael Schumacher, there's been quite a turnaround since then.
"It's true that last year we had a tough race at Budapest," the Frenchman agrees, "but Michael was still in the lead of the Drivers' World Championship after the Hungarian Grand Prix. The year ended well, because in 2003 Ferrari were World Constructors' winners for the fifth time in succession and Michael was World Drivers' Champion for the fourth successive year. This year one could say that Ferrari has dominated hugely, so have Bridgestone, so has Michael. Which means that if you compare the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix and the 2004 Hungarian Grand Prix you have two races which were fundamentally very different."
Today was an amazing demonstration. "All weekend we have seen a very competitive Bridgestone-shod Ferrari. We saw it on Friday and it was finally confirmed in qualifying, where we had to do one quick lap as opposed to the race."
Have you been a bit surprised by your domination here? "No," he replies, firmly, "I knew that we should be fairly competitive at Budapest and that we confirmed on Friday morning."
With five races to go, there are still records to be broken: poles, the number of one-twos in a season etc, do statistics help motivation? "There are figures and statistics," he replies, smiling, "but they don't help you beat records, do they? Figures and statistics exist, but on the other hand this has been a historical year because Michael has just won his 12th race out of 13 this season, so that's a record, and Ferrari has become World Constructors' champions for the sixth consecutive time, another record. Records give us pleasure, but having said that, we tackled this race as just another race."
Can you give your opponents a crumb of hope, that you might be distancing yourself from the sporting side in your role as managing director? "No," he responds. "I'm organising my life slightly differently but the difference between the head office of the sporting department and the head office of the commercial side is 300 meters, so it's easy to do both jobs."
How do you keep up the motivation of all the team with all these titles and wins? "It's because we continue to collect them, so I think that's easy."
Last year you were lapped by the winner, this year you almost lapped everybody else, so in one season you've made up nearly two laps on the opposition. Is it a surprise what you've managed to achieve in 12 months? "It's just simply that we've been working the right direction," he says. "We've been working in the right direction and we have understood the problem, which was that we weren't competitive enough, but I must say it was mainly a tyre problem."
So, do you see that as one of key factors, particularly this weekend, that the big step forward has been tyres? "There are a lot of ingredients," he says, "but clearly, with Bridgestone, we have been doing a good job on tyre construction, on tyre consistency and it has helped us a lot to be competitive this weekend.
Do feel that the gap appears to be growing between yourselves and your rivals? At the start of the season in Melbourne you were 30s ahead of the third placed car and now you seem to be able to push it up to nearly a minute, 40s over Alonso. Are you surprised that the gap is growing? "It was growing this Grand Prix," agrees the Frenchman, "but at the previous Grand Prix the question was 'are you not scared that now they are back?' You should remember what you asked me then! The last Grand Prix it wasn't like that. This Grand Prix it is like that."
"But there has been a big step forward particularly from the tyres. Ross said that the test prior to Hockenheim at Jerez was a big step forward for you and it will carry on.
"It is," he agrees, "but that doesn't mean that it will be the same at Spa or Monza. Every time it's a new challenge, which is what makes it interesting. But even if we know we have a good package, we know that the others are pushing like hell, because they hate seeing us in front, and we hate seeing them in front. That makes the competition."
On the TV pictures, there appeared to be a problem with the fuel rig; what was that?
"I don't know exactly what the problem was," he replies.
Did it have any effect on the stops? "Not at all. It just had the effect that we had a certain amount of time to solve the problem, but it seemed that we were going to solve the problem, which was what mattered."
Were both rigs affected? "Only one," he responds.
Would you say there's a secret to Ferrari's success? "A secret? There's no secret," he says. "It all depends on what you call a secret. The secret is people, people and partners. That's the secret. But everybody has partners and everybody has human resources in the company. But maybe the way we handle, the way we deal with the people, it's our style. Each company has its own style of management and of running a company. But I think everybody is aiming to get the best out of it."
You are now assured of both championships this season, and some of your rivals believe it will be impossible to even beat you to a race win other than for a mechanical problem or bad weather or something. Are you relaxed heading into the final five races? "I'm never relaxed," he laughs, "but I think that's in my nature. It's easy to say that nobody will beat us, but believe me, they are all crazy about how they will beat us and when they will beat us. But we are going to fight as much as we can to beat them still."
Given that there are major rule changes scheduled for next year, if you win Michael's title in Belgium or in Monza, will you perhaps change your approach, looking at experimenting, trying things out for next season in the races? "We are working on a new car, new developments, so it will not be ready."
Everyone's talking about the new rules for next year, the indecision about whether it's going to affect building a car for next year. How is your team dealing with that? "We are committed with the rules which were implemented by the FIA," he reveals. "The technical working Group I understand were supportive of the FIA rules this morning, but we work in the line of the FIA proposals.
Do those TWG rules have to be approved by the team principals, or are they basically now in place? "Normally, it's down to the FIA," he replies, "because Max asked for safety reasons, to get some proposals from the TWG and in case the proposals would not be majority proposals, which means eight out of ten. Then he identified what he would suggest, so that's what we feel will happen."
Has it hurt the team that the rules have been written so late. Jaguar say they've had to scrap some of their developments. People are saying they can't specify the fuel tank size because the qualifying rules aren't done. Are you behind schedule or are you working to a different schedule, have you got different plans? "It's always more difficult when these things are not as clear as they should be," he replies, "but that's why the best thing would be, and is, to commit to what we feel will be the rules and if we knew that much earlier it helps.
How close have you liaised with the FIA regarding next year's rules? "We had them at the same time as you, maybe a few hours before."
There is talk that Ferrari has perhaps been closer to the FIA at looking and drafting these rules than other teams. Is that a fair rumour? "It's strange, because now we are not talking any more about the Grand Prix but rumours," he responds. "We are in a world that is living with rumours, and that makes you so happy because you can… much of the time you don't even check, which is not the case for the present time. You live with rumours because you can build very good stories about that, but so often rumours do not correspond to reality."
So is it true or not? "I tell you something," he says, leaning forward to emphasise his point. "I respect very much what Max Mosley is doing. I think he's the best president the FIA has had for so many years. He's hated by some - I mentioned this already several times. It doesn't mean that every single decision from Max is a good one, but at least - as the teams rarely agree anything - somebody has to do something. So it gives an easy job to Max, because if the team would have a common understanding, a common agreement about rules, about technical rules, about sporting rules then the FIA would be much weaker, but this is not the case, so let's make the strength of Max. Very often I speak with Max,, as Ross may speak with Charlie Whiting, so we speak, but Max is very happy. He will always return your call. Max is ready to speak with anybody who wants to speak to him. The only thing I don't think is positive is to always raise controversy.
So you're not denying it? "I've always answered that." He fires back. "I have the impression that I'm in a police station and you say 'you are denying that!' I'm denying what I want. We are not in a police station, we are in the Ferrari press motorhome…
We just wanted to clarify it. "I speak with Max," he replies, "just as Max speaks with the others.
"We've heard that you've been looking particularly closely at Vitantonio Liuzzi and perhaps there's a possibility that he's a potential Ferrari star? "I follow young drivers," he admits. "But my son is following them more. I'm trying to see who are the talented young drivers. But simply, at Ferrari, at the moment, until 2007 at the earliest, we don't have any vacancies. But that doesn't mean I don't follow what Liuzzi is doing, or what is the name of the Austrian guy who won, or today, when Rockenfeller was passed,. I follow racing, I follow rallying, so I follow Liuzzi as well, but Ferrari is not intending to make any offer to Liuzzi, if that's what you want to know."
"What about Dave Richards approaching Rubens to see if he was available; if that's something that you're upset about? "Honestly, I read that and it makes me laugh," says the Frenchman, smiling again. "Maybe David Richards invited him for a drink and then immediately it will come out that he has offered him whatever. But Rubens has a contract with us and he's very happy about the contract with us. I'm not disappointed, but again for me, it's no comment, because Rubens is very happy. You know we didn't put a gun against his head to commit until the end of 2006. He was delighted when we decided to confirm him. Again, it's rumour."
There's a rumour you're having a party tonight… "Wrong rumour again!" he laughs. "It's tomorrow. We are having a garden party tomorrow night in Maranello with all the employees."
Judging by the advantage you have now and the stability Ferrari has enjoyed, which has been key to your success, do you see any reason why next year cannot be as successful as… "I always feel that we will not win the next race," he interrupts. "My concern is what will happen in Spa in two weeks now. Yet you are asking me what will happen in 2005!"
Are you reasonably confident that you will win this year's drivers' championship?
"No, 100 percent," he laughs, "because mathematically we have won it."
It's been said that Bridgestone has said it is quite keen to get another top team on Bridgestones to help run the long distance tyres in testing. Do you have any say in that, or any kind of input or any preferences, or could you change your programme? "If Bridgestone would be happy to have another team, we will discuss it with them," he replies, "they are free if they want to have another team, but I'm not sure they want another team, quite honestly. So maybe you should talk to them.