The week following the holidays began with an official announcement made by Ferrari regarding a new management structure which was requested by new Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna as he gets more power to make an electric push. Among the names listed, Jean Todt has not been mentioned, after he has finished his long stint as President of the International Automobile Federation, a role now held by Mohammed Bin Sulayem. In recent weeks, the French manager seemed increasingly close to returning to Maranello in a role of super-consultant both for the Scuderia and for the rest of the company, a negotiation born from a discussion with Ferrari President John Elkann, which was a guest of the latest edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (that he officially started by waving the French flag).
“I will do something new”, said Jean Todt regarding his plans for the future, words that did not coincide with a return to Maranello, albeit as Ferrari team principal. According to what was reported in his blog by F1 journalist, commentator and speaker Joe Saward, Jean Todt will actually do something new and his next activity will not concern Ferrari, although the negotiations have taken place to the point of reaching a step towards concretization.
Several unofficial Twitter accounts created ad hoc to deceive users of the social network during the day gave false announcements about Jean Todt’s return to Ferrari as super-consultant. A scenario that, according to Jow Saward, will not occur:
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“When I heard that Jean Todt would be going to Ferrari again in 2022, as some kind of a high-level consultant, it was from a source I would never doubt. It corresponded to things that I had heard in Abu Dhabi, less than a month ago (although it feels like a lifetime since then). But when Ferrari announced management changes yesterday, without mentioning Todt, it got me thinking. If they haven’t announced anything now, is the story right? I asked around but no-one knew for sure. The original story still looked OK. Eventually, I spoke to a source deep inside Ferrari, or rather the source spoke to me. It was a friendly warning. “Go easy on the JT stories,” the source said. “I don’t think it is going to happen. If you’d ask me before the Christmas break, I’d have said 100 percent, it’s happening, but things have changed. I don’t know why – and I don’t think the deal is going to happen.”
It should not be forgotten that Charles Leclerc, a Ferrari driver, is managed by Jean Todt’s son, Nicolas. The Monegasque driver has a contract valid until 2024, but in 2022 some exit clauses could be triggered if Ferrari does not occupy one of the top three positions in the Constructors’ standings. Certainly Mattia Binotto as confirmed by Carlos Sainz senior during the winter will have to discuss with the Spanish driver the renewal of his current contract with the Maranello team, given that the former McLaren in 2020 had signed a deal which is available until the end of the 2022 Formula 1 season.
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