Jean Todt reflects on Michael Schumacher in a special interview for Autobild:
“2000 Suzuka. The photo of Michael and me on the podium. I have the picture on my wall at home, but also in my offices in Geneva and Paris. The time with Michael will always be remembered as the best of my life.”
Jean Todt: “We love each other because we wrote an incredible story together. And because we always stuck together in difficult times.”
Jean Todt: “The pressure was high. Everyone kept asking me: When will it happen? When will you finally get a title again? For 21 years no Ferrari driver had become world champion. A few years later I got the question: When will you finally lose again? (laughs)”
Jean Todt: “They were all fed up with our dominance. But things have not changed at all. We thought, the success makes us full. But we had so much passion for the sport that the hunger for success never stopped.”
About signing Michael Schumacher: “For me he was the only driver who could make Ferrari world champion again. It was the combination of great talent, total dedication and loyalty. And he was the reference – also for the technicians and engineers.”
Jean Todt: “When things go bad, Italians tend to blame each other. The chassis people say it’s the engine. The engine people say the chassis is too bad. Or we don‘t have the right drivers. There was always an excuse. By signing Michael, I have solved at least one of these problems. Nobody could tell me that he was not a good driver, after all he had just become world champion twice. He made an excuse less at Ferrari and managed to motivate the team members as well.”
What made the combination of you, Michael and Ross Brawn so special? Jean Todt: “The difficult times until the first title – the times when we lost. Because it didn‘t work immediately. We had too many technical defects, and the pressure was big to fire me. At that time, I had a good relationship with Michael, we respected each other, but he was not a friend. After all, I was his boss. However, when Michael was asked about my situation, he said: If Jean has to leave, I’ll go too. And indeed, Michael had a clause in the contract that he would be free if I left Ferrari. So he helped me to stay at Ferrari and continue.”
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