Jean Todt "Ferrari is moving Backwards"

He was referring to the diminished performance as the race weekend advanced during Magny Cours and Silverstone. He did seem to REALLY infer that the tyres are the problem with the car's performance. He said it was not the aero package, then he said that Jordan and Minardi were no real help for them in determining an approach to getting quicker (with no disrespect meant...yeah, right).

Pretty obvious that they are now starting to point the finger in the same way most tifosi have been for the entire season. Unless they plan to switch to Michelin's, there's probably no reason to pursue this angle.

 

'Ferrari disaster!'

12 July 2005

That's how the influential Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport headlined the results of Sunday's British GP.

'The cars are slow,' the article read, 'the strategy incomprehensible, and the errors too frequent. The world champion team is in crisis.'

Another Italian publication, Tuttosport, gasped at the fact that 'Schumacher, Barrichello and Todt fail to give explanations or suggest solutions.'

And, with Michael Schumacher all but ceding his eighth successive drivers' championship, Ferrari principal Jean Todt joined the German in describing the Scuderia's 'backwards' progress.

'It's not just the aerodynamics,' said the Frenchman, 'because if it was, we would never be able to do a quick time.

'It's up to us, together with Bridgestone, to analyse the problem.

'I don't know if we can react in a very short time. But it's a new challenge, for sure.'

Schumacher test drove Ferrari's F430 road car at Fiorano on Monday.

-------------------------------------

These are the same Italian papers that put enormous pressure on Ferrari and Michael in the late 90's during their quest for the championship.

 

In Italy it's a disaster if Ferrari doesn't win ever race. This is nothing new.

 

yeah right.

are you watching the same F1 series as everyone else ?

 

Direct Quote from Jean Todt:
"Then again I’ve been in much more difficult situations: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, so all of those and part of 1999; all those were more difficult.”

Source Ferrari Press

 

As much as I am a fan of Ferrari, THANK GOD somebody else has FINALLY stepped forward and decided to win a race or two. Five years of complete domination was getting a little boring.

 

Even the German Bildzeitung, a die hard Schumacher supporter finally dared to question Michael's constant "It isn't over yet." statements.

It is, get with the program and start working on the 2006 car.

 

According to Todt, its "lack of grip." Not necessarily aero grip, either. What can they do; Bridgestone has been a great partner during the good times?

 

In an interview with an Italian newspaper Todt admitted, that "we won't make it", meaning he has given up on the title for this year as well.

I consider that actually a relief. Now they can focus on next year and arrive at the first race with the new season's car.

 

Not for me it wasn't.....I wanna see Ferrari dominate a whole decade so that I can buy the book on it in........" FERRARI 10 YEARS OF F1 DOMINANCE "

 

Hmm, the results don't really back up what Todt is saying.

1994 and 1995 - I'd have to agree with Todt, Ferrari were nowhere, despite Michael saying at the end of the season when he first tested the '95 Ferrari F1 car, that it was quicker than the Benetton B195! They only won one race that year, and one in 1994. Both years they finished 3rd in the championship, a good 30 points behind second place Williams both seasons. Still, they were around 30 points ahead of 4th place McLaren both years, so thing weren't really that terrible. They weren't close to contending the top two positions, but they were in no danger of losing 3rd.

1996 - Schumacher, Brawn, Byrne, and several other people from Benetton all moved to Ferrari. 1996 was really the baby steps for the new 'dream team', and despite the '96 Ferrari car being a shocker, they still managed to win 3 Grands Prix and finish second in the championship, albeit only two points ahead of Benetton, who didn't win a single race that season (despite 11 victories and both championships the previous year!).
It was an interesting situation in 1996, because for the pevious few years, Williams had been battling fiercely against the Benetton dream team, but once all the top people left for Ferrari, Benetton was left as a shell of its former self, fell to pieces and never recovered before being bought out by Renault in 2001. This, along with the fact that the Ferrari were still becoming reestablished, the Williams team completely ran away with the championship, winning 12 races and beating second place Ferrari by a massive 105 points.

1997 - 5 wins, 2nd in the championship, 21 points behind 1st place Williams and 35 points clear of third place Benetton.

1998 - 6 wins, 2nd in the championship 23 points behind first place McLaren, but a massive 95 points ahead of 3rd place Williams. 1998 was really a two horse race between McLaren and Ferrari.

1999 - 6 wins, 2nd in the drivers championship by a measly 2 points (Mika Hakkinen 74, Eddie Irvine 72), and 2nd in the constructors championship, again by only 4 points, and a mega 63 points ahead of 3rd place Jordan.

If Michael hadn't been out of 7 races with a broken leg, they would have won several more races and both championships for sure.

So overall, I'd say that 1997, 1998 and 1999 were significantly better than 2005 for Ferrari. In those years, they were always among the top two teams (either Williams vs Ferrari or McLaren vs Ferrari) battling amongst each other, way ahead of the rest of the field.

1996 was a bit of an odd year as Williams clearly dominated without any real competition (McLaren 1988, Ferrari 2002 and 2004), so it's not worth comparing based on results alone. But in terms of Michael's career at Ferrari, it's the closest to this year. One plus for Ferrari in '96 was that even though there was no way they could compete with Williams, they were still the 'best of the rest' and finished second. 2005 is one of those 'two horse race' years, and I can't see Ferrari finishing better than third in the constructors.

1995 seems to be on par with where they are now in terms of competitiveness and results (even though the team was completely different then), down in third with no prospect of battling amongst the top two, who are now Renault and McLaren.

 

I think 95 is the closest season to compare. If one looks at qualifying positions on tracks that appear in both 95 & 05......neither car has a better qualifying record.

 

I read some more disturbing news in which the team said they no longer understand the car. They change something and it works and the next day it doesn't anymore.

Also did you guys notice that they went to Paul Ricard for testing? What's that all about when you have Fiorano and Mugello in the backyard? Sounds like a desperate search for answers they don't find on home ground.

I said they'd win one this year and thought it'd be Monza. I think I'll take that back. Indy might turn out to be the only "win" this year.

 

Ferrari won the Constructors Championship in 1999. Barnard designed the 96 Ferrari. Brawn and Bryne did not go to Ferrari until 1997. In 94 and 95 Ferrari were a lot more competitive than they had been for the previous 3 years, but they still were way behind Williams and Benetton.

 

Yeah, fully agree, I´d buy that book too...

 

Many people say that Fiorano it´s not a good track to test the speed of a F1 car, it´s mostly used to check reliability. And Mugello... well, nobody uses only one track for testing, so it´s not so strange to see them testing at Paul Ricard...

Well, I don´t know, just speculating...

 

Thanks for the clarification.

I did know Ferrari won the Constructors in '99, stupid typo there.

As for Brawn and Bryne, I'm surprised they left it till '97 to join Ferrari (I presume they left at the end of '96 and were at Ferrari in preparation for the '97 season). I thought they followed Michael right away. If what you're saying is correct, why was the Benetton so bad in '96? Was it simply because they didn't have Michael?

Agree on your last point about '94 and '95. I just mentioned those years because I was relating my answer to what Jean Todt was saying.

 

My wife made the most insightful comment this evening during our conversation about the difference between this season and past ones. She commented that no longer is Michael able to stay out - or come out - of a pit stop and pound out the fast laps to build up the lead necessary to be first.

The difference? JT spends his time in the pits with his new girlfriend instead of working pit startegies!

What do you think? Brain in pants?

 

Your explanation then?