More than three years after leaving the presidency of the FIA and the world of Formula 1, Jean Todt, team director of Ferrari from 1993 to 2008, has expressed his “perplexity” at the lack of recognition from the Italian team.
At Ferrari, Jean Todt wrote one of the most beautiful chapters in the history of Formula 1. As the director of the Italian team from 1993 to 2008, the 78-year-old Frenchman notably led the Italian team to 14 World Championships, including 6 drivers’ titles won by Michael Schumacher and Kimi Räikkönen.
With this extraordinary record, the former president of the FIA was surprised at the lack of recognition from his former home.
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Jean Todt
“When I arrived in 1993, the castle was in ruins.”
“Since I left the team, I have heard from a few members, but since I left the FIA, I have had no contact at all,” he said. “I must say that I am very perplexed given the time I have devoted to this company and the many results we have achieved”.
Disappointed, Todt also took the opportunity to recall the journey in this team, which he took over in dire conditions: “When I arrived in 1993, the castle was in ruins. There was an old unusable wind tunnel in a design area in England. But little by little, we built a gem. This was the most profitable period (his) in the history of Ferrari”.
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A still close link with Michael Schumacher
Out of the world of Formula 1 since his withdrawal from the presidency of the FIA in 2021, Jean Todt also spoke about the close link he maintains with his former driver, five-time world champion with the Scuderia, Michael Schumacher, who suffered a serious accident in 2013: “I see him and his family very regularly and affectionately. Our link goes beyond our professional history. It is part of my life, which is now very far from Formula 1”.
