F1: On His Todt?

[Rory Phoulorie]

Saturday 1st September 2007

Ross Brawn is negotiating with Ferrari for a return as boss of the F1 team - but it may be that Jean Todt isn't ready to let go of the levers of power just yet.

Though the Monza test has given McLaren the chance of a slight reprieve in the end-of-season pursuit by Ferrari, it's likely that we will head into the final grand prix with two, three or possibly four drivers able to take the World Championship in the race.

While the McLaren strategy of equality is well-known, this week Ferrari's Jean Todt has made a welcome statement about his team's position. In the Michael Schumacher era from 1996 to 2006 it was always Schumi who would be given the optimum Ferrari strategy and his team-mate would follow, almost like a Tour-de-France "domestique".

All season long pundits have been saying that sooner or later the prancing horse was going to hitch itself to one particular wagon, with either Raikkonen or Massa made to play the subordinate role. Jean Todt has now declared this not to be the way.

"No, it will be something that will be inappropriate with drivers like Felipe and Kimi, doing such a good job, after 12 Grands Prix with just one point difference.

"Most of them had problems because of some mistakes that we did. They made some mistakes, but that is normal. We are human beings, and at the moment there is not any plan to make any kind of strategy between one or the other one."

So, providing Felipe and Kimi can avoid the dreadful DNF, we're in for an altogether different Ferrari finale.

Brawn Free?

We've seen what can happen when a long-standing Ferrari employee gets passed over for promotion, or doesn't necessarily get the job he thinks he deserves. Nigel Stepney was part of the Benetton set-up along with Rory Byrne, Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher before they all moved to Ferrari in the 90's.

In the wake of Ross Brawn's departure for a year's sabbatical Stepney expected a better job and was sidelined. Now it's the boss's turn to renegotiate his position within the Maranello organisation and judging from Jean Todt's words he hasn't exactly been welcomed back with open arms. For many who believe Brawn's input was as vital as Michael Schumacher's in wrenching Ferrari out of their early 90's doldrums, it will seem slightly odd that they haven't reached agreement straight away.

In a recent interview he said: "As for Ross, we had some discussions and we will have other discussions. At the moment, no commitment from either side has been made. We are just discussing his options, and our options. Maybe we will find some common point, maybe we will not find some common point."

That doesn't come across as 'we'd really love to have you back old buddy' and might be construed as a bit negative when you consider that Brawn has been offered the crown jewels by Honda, but has loyally insisted that he will talk to Ferrari before anyone else.

And as though Todt were maneuvering himself ready for the news that Brawn couldn't come back as bosso of the Ferrari F1 team Jean added "...but still we will always be friends, we will always have respect for each other. He has been doing a tremendous work at Ferrari, and Ferrari have given him a lot. So our partnership has been good for him and good for Ferrari."

The reason why is that Brawn has said that if he returned it would not be as Technical Director, it would be in the position Todt is filling now, team boss. Todt is holding down two positions, the first as the CEO of the most charismatic sportscar company in the world, the second as the F1 team boss.

The problem (for Brawn) is that Todt still gets off on the buzz surrounding GP weekends and is not ready to get off the pitwall and concentrate on the road cars.

"I am not at all prepared to retire," Todt said after the Turkish Grand Prix, "I feel still very motivated, with the same anxiousness before every race. The same happiness when we are successful; the same unhappiness when we are not successful. So I hope I can only be here a few more years. Bernie, when you ask him - and there is 15 years difference - is still very motivated. For me, I am not thinking at all about stopping working, sorry."

Which means that if Brawn is prepared to come back and wait a few more years, then he won't have Jean looking over his shoulder on the pratt-stand each race.

Todt's attitude may reveal the fact that as the season has gone on, the more confident the Ferrari team feel they can do without their old technical guru and strategy genius. They have learnt to be successful with the dwindling input of Messrs Byrne, Schumacher and Brawn. And whoever is in his parking space is reluctant to give it up. The 2008 car will be well under way by now and the fact that they haven't reached agreement yet points to the likelihood they won't reach agreement at all.

Todt is both supremely intelligent and a political animal and his considered remarks may be the prelude an announcement that Brawn won't be coming back.

Nick Fry will be waiting by that telephone.

Frank Hopkinson


Planet-F1