A man of few words, Jean Todt always strikes me as someone who knows a lot but does not broadcast it to the world. Fresh from a one-two finish at the Turkish Grand Prix, Scuderia Ferrari may be in the mood for celebration and thus Todt may have his tongue loosened as evidenced by the recent interview with the sport’s official website. If you want the full interview with the man behind the red of Scuderia Ferrari, check out formula1.com.
Todt certainly has a hand in making Michael Schumacher a legend. His philosophy of having a star driver made sure that Schumi would never be engaged in a battle with his teammate, just like Alonso and Hamilton at McLaren are having. We all know also that Schumi will always be in Todt’s high regards even if the seven-time champion has already retired. In fact, when asked what his best moment as a team principal is, Todt answered: "Suzuka 2000, when Michael (Schumacher) won that drivers’ title that Ferrari had been chasing for 21 years. With Michael on the podium, we told ourselves our lives would never be the same again - and so it proved."
Interestingly, the interview was all about his Todt’s insight on the sport that we have come to love. Not one question pertains to the spy scandal or the one-two finish of his drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen at the Turkish Grand Prix.
In the said interview, Todt said that the best part about being a team principal is "being part of the evolution of a sport." And the worst aspect of it all is "having to manage all the false speculation that is part and parcel of the world of F1." And here I though that the best thing about being a team principal is you can tell these superstar drivers to do this and to do that and the worst is, well, telling these superstar drivers to do this and to do that.
The Frenchman is now looking for a back-to-back win for his team which will see the team closing in on the team of McLaren in the constructors’ championship standings. The Italian team is currently second to the McLaren in the standings. The next race is the Italian Grand Prix which will be Ferrari’s home race. It is interesting to note though that three most visible figure in Ferrari are not Italians. Kimi Raikkonen is Finn, Felipe Massa is Brazilian, and Todt is French.