NEXT MONTH
2005-PRESENT
credit for hiring the right people and creating a
winning culture. What played against him was
the blind devotion he brought to his task. ‘Win
at all costs’ has never been so blatant: the team
orders controversies of Austria 2002 and Indy
2005 were spectacular misjudgements. Todt
appeared to have total disregard, bordering
on disdain, for the sport and its fans. All that
mattered was the right result for Ferrari, and
usually for Schumacher. Rubens Barrichello
always knew his place in this team.
But did Todt care what anyone thought?
Probably not. And Enzo Ferrari might well
have approved: the founder, after all, was the
master “agitator of men”. So perhaps Todt’s
Ferrari wasn’t that different after all. That air
of arrogance, of unquestionable superiority:
Ascari, Fangio, Hawthorn, Hill, Surtees, Lauda,
Scheckter... they’d have understood.He didn’t have everything his own way. The
combination of canny Williams, monumental
BMW V10 power, electrifying Juan Pablo
Montoya and the determination of brother Ralf
put the wind up Schumi and Ferrari from time
to time, while a new threat from Finland almost
derailed the run in 2003 – with the help of a
new points system introduced directly to soften
Ferrari’s domination. Had Kimi Räikkönen’s
single win for McLaren proved enough to
counter Schumacher’s six that year, history
would surely have recalled a title injustice.
Through it all, Schumacher remained a
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racing ethics, this was an essentially private man
who shielded himself from his huge global fame
by offering a mostly one-dimensional view of
the character behind those boisterous podium
jumps. For many, he could do no wrong; for
many more, he was easier to admire than to love.
But surely it is Jean Todt who is most
responsible for how this Ferrari F1 team is
remembered. Foremost, he deserves enormousappealed – and won. How? The governing body
found the means of measurement, used by their
own technical team throughout the season and
before, to be untrustworthy... much like their
verdict. When Irvine’s challenge ended with
a whimper in Japan and Häkkinen secured his
second title, F1 sighed with collective relief.
How much longer would Todt have lasted
had Schumacher, Brawn, Byrne and co failed to
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in 2000? The superteam might have survived,
but without his protection from Fiat interference- not to mention the meddling of President di
Montezemolo, whom Todt always kept at a strict
arm’s length – for how long?
As it was, Schumacher defeated Häkkinen
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perfectly executed Brawn strategic masterclass.
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consecutive drivers’ titles and 72 GP victories
attest. Added to what he’d already achieved at
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new millennium re-writing F1’s record books.
Other teams had dominated Formula 1
before, but Ferrari’s hold over the sport
from 2000-2004 was absolute: fi ve drivers’
titles, fi ve constructors’ championships
and an amazing 57 grand prix wins.FERRARI AND SCHUMACHER REIGN
SUPREME FOR FIVE STRAIGHT YEARS