FIA president and former Scuderia Ferrari team principal Jean Todt has explained that despite the Italian team’s strong overall package, “little things” were missing for them to pip Mercedes to either of the two titles this season.
Ferrari actually led both championships in the first half of the season, and it genuinely looked like they were the favourites at that point. Mercedes’ pace just wasn’t there, even though Lewis Hamilton did win two of the first six races.
After the summer break, it all changed. Hamilton and Mercedes started winning race after race after race, and they caught up and overtook Ferrari. They never really looked back, and cruised to both championships.
“If you just see the results people will again say ‘it’s Hamilton again and Mercedes again’, but to achieve five times in a row the and drivers’ manufacturers’ championships – I know how difficult it can be,” Todt, who won five consecutive doubles with Ferrari between 1999 and 2004, told Sky Sports F1.
“It has been a tough competition with Ferrari and sometimes with Red Bull. We would prefer to have 10 different winners all the time but we know in any sport it is not happening, so it is not happening in F1.”
Todt also believes that the unfortunate passing of Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne in July had a big impact on the team, as their form fell off a cliff in the months after.
“Talking about Ferrari I would like to have a word about Sergio Marchionne.
“It has been a very sad and unexpected death and he was a strong leader, he loved what he was doing but his heart was with Ferrari and F1.
“He was so keen to have Ferrari at the top level and Ferrari is at the top level but little things were missing.
“Sometimes they had the best package, sometimes it did not happen and at the end of the day all was finalised at the second part of the season where Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes took the lead.”
Finally, the Frenchman came out to defend Sebastian Vettel, who has come under a lot of criticism for his many mistakes in the latter stages of the season. Todt believes the emotional outbursts – which Vettel had on numerous occasions during the season – is something that isn’t out of the ordinary.
“We all have our emotion and it’s so easy to judge like that without any specific pressure,” he explained.
“But you must put yourself in the position that both champions [Vettel and Hamilton] are. I will be always very cautious before judging or criticising somebody, it’s a tough job. Formula 1 does create emotion and sometimes creates controversy, it is good in any kind of a sport you see some controversy. It’s part of the game.”
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