Todt:"Stability is the Most Important Factor"
Madonna di Campiglio, 12.1.01

Jean Todt was the speaker at the final press conference at the International F1 Press Meeting, which ended today in Madonna di Campiglio.

"We have just concluded a fantastic year, which saw Michael Schumacher emerge victorious in the Drivers' World Championship and the team taking its second consecutive Constructors' title," was the Sporting Director's opening remark.

Q:What is your aim for the 2001 season?
Todt: It will be difficult to do better than last season, but we will try, although I would settle for a repeat peformance!

Todt would settle for a repeat performance in 2001

What has been the most important factor in the development of the team?
Stability. We have all grown together over the past few years and stability has been the key since 1997. As for my personal situation, I can say that Ferrari has given me a lot and I have given something back. I don't think we have reached the final chapter. I repeat that stability is what we want. I have started to talk about the future with President Montezemolo and you should not expect to hear anything new. What I can say is that I will not go to another team after Ferrari. My career has covered rallying, rally raids, sports cars and Formula 1.

Will you stay at Maranello?
Why change, when things are going well? Ferrari seems comfortable with me and vice versa and I like living in Italy. Maybe the day will come when Ferrari decides to bring this chapter to an end or I might no longer be able to stand the pressures of this role. I could do something else and I have had various offers.

What about the the presidency of the FIA?
There have been so many rumours, but I have nothing to say on this particular suggestion.

What are the changes to the structure of the team?
As far as the engineers are concerned, the only new element is the departure of Tad Czapski, who has gone to Benetton, mainly for family reasons. There is also the arrival of a young Australian engineer, Chris Dyer. Of course, several teams have tried to poach others of our staff, but that is normal.
 

What were the best moments of last season?
It was so important to reach our target after so much suffering. The moments immediately after the Suzuka race were great, but those after the Malaysian Grand Prix were also important. Between those two races, I was thinking how awful it would be to lose the Constructors' title in the very year we won the Drivers'. It is always a pleasure when one's work is recognised. I was delighted that in my home town of Pierrefort, a street has been named after me, the one in which I was born. My father would have been happy: he was a general practitioner in a part of France that is not very wealthy.

What had been your biggest mistake since joining Ferrari?
I make plenty of mistakes every day. I suppose the biggest one was not having worked on the restructuring of the team prior to 1997.

What can you tell us about the new F1 car?
Of course, I have not seen the complete car, but only the various components. At the design stage, we took into consideration all the experience accumulated to improve especially in our weakest areas. The important thing is for it to go well and be reliable. I think the team will be satisfied with the results. I feel that McLaren will once again be our main rival but, given the changes to the regulations and the fact that the others will have improved, there could be a smaller gap over the other teams. The competition between tyre suppliers will see lap times drop, which will compensate for the slower performance provoked by the change in the technical regulations. As for electronics, I think the return of traction control will not detract from the difference between the drivers or the car. Personally, I would have preferred to maintain the current situation, but I realise it is now too difficult to effect tight controls. So, it is better to allow something that is impossible to control. These changes should be given the green light in time for the Spanish Grand Prix.

Jean Todt helicopters in to Madonna di Campiglio

What is the importance of the agreements between Ferrari and Prost and Sauber?
Above all, it brings a financial advantage. We have created a new department which looks after the supply of customer engines which works autonomously, allowing our team to get on with its job in peace. We have taken on new engineers for this and we have brought on existing members of staff to fill management roles for this project. I cannot deny that this project will allow us to form alliances and to know more about the opposition, even if we are not talking about our main rivals. I will not deny that, while the English teams are all based close to one another, with the advantages that confers, we are isolated.

Will there be team orders in 2001?
There is no difference in the way the team treats Schumacher and Barrichello. Both drivers have had and will continue to have the same equipment. Obviously, if we reach a point in the season where there is a big points difference between Rubens and Michael, we will react accordingly.

When will Ferrari have an Italian driver?
We already have one in Luca Badoer, who plays a very important role. We follow the progress of other drivers, but contractual reasons prevent us from just taking anyone we like. We will see what happens in the future.

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