22/08/2005
NEWS STORY
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The mood is sombre as Jean Todt walks in for the usual post-race press briefing. Although Ferrari had expected little, the Italian team hadn't expected it to be this bad.
In previous briefings, following equally tough races, team boss Jean Todt, had insisted that there was still something to fight for, some light at the end of the championship tunnel, is that still the case, or has Maranello given up on 2005?
"No," he says, emphatically, "we are still doing some adaptation for the circuits, and we will do everything we can.
"Working in 2005 should help us for 2006 as well," he adds, "mainly developing the tyres is crucial, so everything we do now is good learning, I hope, for 2006."
In Hungary there was light at the end of the tunnel, however it appears to have diminished just a couple of weeks later.
"Definitely, there was no light," says the Frenchman. "It was very dark.
"Yes, we saw some light," he continues, "but we knew that we had a completely different specification of tyres here. We knew that in all fairness, arriving at a new circuit, you can always have one unexpected surprise, but on Friday morning, we understood that the surprise was not the right one we could have expected."
After Hungary, Ferrari tested tyres specifically for this race; surely the Italian team was hopeful that it would be closer to a solution?
"You know, we do so much work but at the moment, but we face a problem," he replies, his shoulders clearly sagging beneath the burden. "We know the problem and we must accept it and we simply need to work as much as we can to solve it."
"What is that problem/" asks one of the other journalists present.
"Did you watch the Grand Prix today?" snaps Todt. "We lack grip."
Asked whether it is down to the aero package, mechanical or rubber, he replies: "I would say it's a combination.
"I'm sorry to repeat myself," he continues, "but we are the only top team with Bridgestone, so if we would be with the same tyres with another very top team it would be easier to answer, but at the moment we don't know. We sometimes try to compare with Jordan and Minardi, but they don't use the same tyres. Having said that, some people are speculating that last year the difference was three seconds, this year it's only two, but we use different tyres."
How does the F2005 compare to previous cars?
"I don't know," he admits. "I don't know. The car is again a new specification of aerodynamics, one engine for two races, so it's different from last year. But what we can compare… we supply the same engine to Sauber so we have some way of comparing and for sure we cannot say that it's one part the engine, one part the tyres, one part the aerodynamics, but let's say the package is not giving what we used to have in the past and is not giving what we are expecting, but saying that, we were using the same car in Budapest with completely different tyres, and we saw that we were very quick in qualifying, we were very quick for the first third of the race. Then we started to drop performance so it gives us, and our partners, some indications, but then you have to analyse those indications, you have to work, it's a very complicated thing. If it was easy, we would not be facing this situation."
"Will this be an on-going problem next year," he's asked, "because the car you design and build for 2006 will be finished in December/January and although there are new teams joining with Bridgestone, the specification of the car could still be based on the 2005 car so will the problems go on into the start of 2006?"
"Let's keep this question for the end of the year," he replies, clearly frustrated, and no doubt wishing he was someplace else, far away. "We still have five Grands Prix and I am still hopeful, maybe dreaming, but we will see. I am still hopeful that we can improve the situation by the end of the year.
If, Toyota and Red Bull, for example, were to switch to Bridgestone, could Ferrari learn a lot from those teams in two or three months or would it take longer, because those teams would have to get used to the tyre and then start to develop, in the same way that it works with the car? Can it be sorted out over the winter?
"We will do combined testing and also they will do some mileage," he replies. "We would definitely get some advantage out of that."
Ferrari and Todt have always been very loyal towards Bridgestone, but does there not come a point where, with a continued lack of competitiveness…
"As I've said to your colleagues before," he interrupts, "you know that in life you have minuses and pluses, and the pluses are still so big compared to the minuses. The pluses are so much due to their support so at the moment, it's normal, we are always reacting to what's just happened but when we do a strategy consideration, a strategic plan, we have to think over the last five years.
"The biggest difference, from last year to this year is the tyre rule," he continues. "Tyres which we could change last year - and as I said three weeks ago, if we could have changed the tyres in Budapest we would have won the race. There's nothing to say and I'm not complaining about that, but let's say that the one tyre for qualifying and the race has been very bad for us so we are paying mainly for this effect, so we need, together with Bridgestone, to work and to be able to make a competitive… if you see the opposition, look who made the quickest time on the last lap. We are simply not able to do that at the moment."
It's, cruelly but accurately, pointed out that Ferrari has had one whole season of this problem
"As I said, we still have five Grands Prix and I am hopeful that we will be able to improve the situation," says the Frenchman, his face visibly reddening.
"You say you are optimistic for the next five races but you've just come off a five-week gap where you have been testing and nobody else has, yet there doesn't appear to have been a significant advantage. Being realistic, do you think the car can be as quick as the front runners?"
"We will try," responds the Frenchman.
A change of subject, is Felipe Massa looking forward to helping Michael win the World Championship in 2006?
"What do you mean 'to help?'," he hits back. "Like some teams did today, for example? (I forgot) You were not watching the Grand Prix, sorry! Sorry to joke.
"Felipe Massa: why should he help Michael? Michael is the not the owner of the Ferrari team," he continues. "He's a fantastic driver, the best or one of the best in the history of Formula One drivers. He has been winning five championships in a row for Ferrari but why should Felipe help Michael. Felipe has to do the job for Ferrari and I hope he will be able to do a good for Ferrari."
Because of the huge gap in experience between the two, does this mean a greater burden on Michael during testing over the winter?
"We have Badoer who is a very experienced test driver," says Todt. "We also have Marc Gene who is doing a great job.
"Michael will need to relax after a frustrating season. That's why I really hope we will finish in a better situation because it gives you morale to start the next one."
Asked if Valentino Rossi might be helping out with testing during the winter, Todt responds: "If Valentino Rossi wants to do some testing, but let's say, again, that we help him more than him helping us at the moment. You never know. Maybe he can help us in the future."
"Did the fact that 2004 was so (relatively) easy to win the championship make Ferrari a little bit more complacent going into 2005, and following on from that, does this year being so difficult, make the team tougher and ready for 2006?"
"The team is the same," is all he will say
Asked if the team has learned from the problems this year," he replies: "At the moment, no. If you see the last race, no. No!"
A journalist makes the mistake of asking: "Is Rubens happier now he's not going to be driving for Ferrari next year?
"You didn't watch the race?" says Todt, clearly incredulous. "You didn't speak with him? What are you doing here?" he adds, though clearly he is amused by the question and the questioner, and decided to play along. "You have been in Istanbul with the girls! What do you do?"
"You said at the last race that you wanted to help Rubens to be happy," says the journo, refusing to rise to the bait. "Do you think he is happier?"
"I said that if Rubens is more happy by leaving, I would not resist that," says the Frenchman. "As a matter of fact, you had the demonstration a few days after. Nobody can deny that what I said has been respected. Not many teams would have released, without spending any money, Rubens. We did that because Rubens simply had an opportunity, a long-term contract which we could not secure to him, and he asked me to do so, and we accepted."
Asked if Ferrari will let Barrichello drive for BAR before January 1, Todt replies: "You already have the answer. Rubens has a contract with Ferrari until December 31."
Asked if Ferrari might be willing to release the Brazilian earlier, he responds: "No. Simply because in life you can please some people, but you must have some limits. He has already had access to the 2006 car, to 2006 information. Rubens will change from January 1."
"Other than Massa, were any other drivers considered?"
"Considering that Felipe had an on-going contract with Ferrari since 2001, let's say he was the most obvious choice," says the Frenchman.
"I'm not going to go into too much detail of his contract but we had to secure him, either to be a test driver at the beginning or to drive for another team. Otherwise, if we had not been able to secure that, he would have to be allowed to be free.
"He had two options, because we had this option on him," he reveals, "but Felipe would have stayed with his team, because he had a clear offer. It's easy, you can check. He had a longer offer but we didn't give him the choice, so we took him. Saying that, he was very happy to come."
He has not directly answered the question, so it is repeated; "Did you consider any other drivers apart from Felipe?"
"Yes," is the brief response.
"Can you tell us who they were?"
"No," is the equally brief reply.
Asked if there is any chance of Massa racing for Ferrari before the end of the year, Todt replies: "Yes, he might race, for Sauber…
"But you wouldn't take him…" asks a journalist.
"Again, a funny question," says Todt. "I said to you that Rubens is with us until the 31st of December, so does that mean I put Rubens with you in Istanbul not doing something and just for the pleasure of having him? No, he will drive and honestly he is doing a very good job. He's very motivated, very dedicated. We have been very fair to him and I'm expecting him to be very fair to Ferrari."
"You probably won't win the championships in these last five races, so does that mean you will start to take more risks? Work in different ways with the cars and drivers, and does it also mean that you're not worried whether you finish third, fourth, fifth in the championship?" he asked.
"Honestly," he sighs, "I want to finish in the best position in the table as possible. I've lost the dream to win both championships, but now at least we have to secure third position if possible."
Asked if there is there any chance you Ferrari might use the V10 engine next year, Todt says: "No, none at all."
There has been much talk in the Istanbul paddock that the equivalency formula may favour the V10 in 2006.
"Maybe," he shrugs, "but we are all committed to the V8, at least all the manufacturers. We signed a letter."
"They signed a letter on Friday," adds (communications manager) Luca Colajanni. "There is gentleman's agreement between all the teams."
"It's more than a gentleman's agreement," adds Todt, "it's a signed letter by all the manufacturers."
And with that the Frenchman rises from his chair, no doubt to contemplate the next round of the championship… Monza.