17/10/2005
NEWS STORY
It was the worst possible end to the worst season. Rubens Barrichello finished a lowly twelfth, as teammate Michael Schumacher was forced to miss his flight home as he waited for race stewards to investigate his collision with Christijan Albers during the pre-race warm-up.
If the seven-time champion's performance in Shanghai in 2004 was erratic, yesterday's events were downright bizarre, allowing the media - mostly British - to, once again, indulge in its favourite past-time, 'bash the kraut'. As the German finally headed home, following an official reprimand, the hacks were eagerly bashing away at their keyboards, questioning when the seven-time champion has lost the desire to race.
Needless to say, the mood at Ferrari's post race debrief was sombre, to put it mildly.
Asked his feelings about the day's events, Jean Todt, his head disappearing into his shoulders like a turtle, replied: "I am very surprised to see that with such a season, Ferrari managed to finish third in Manufacturers' championship and Michael third in the Drivers' championship after scoring seven points in the last six races.
"On one hand disappointed," he added, "on the other hand we had such a bad season that it is probably good to finish like that because it makes things clear: where we are and what we have to do. If we had finished third it would not have changed anything in the final championship results and maybe somebody would have thought that we were not so bad.
"Sometimes, when you are bad, it's good to have your nose in the shit so you smell it clearly and you react."
Asked what the Maranello outfit has to do to react, the response is short and sweet: "To do a good job," he says.
So what areas is the team concentrating on?
"Everywhere," he replies, "Everywhere.
"The final result is never the result of only one thing, it just raises, optimises everything which you can imagine and we know how to do it because we did it and it's not a job you do alone, you do that with your partners and together with our partners - the same with whom we have been so successful - we did not do a good job, so we have paid."
Asked if his team has learned any lesson from its 2005 season, he responds: "I would say that unfortunately we have had bad seasons in the past as well so maybe it wakes you up, just in case you think you don't have anything to learn.
"It's important to do a proper analysis but it's so obvious what our problems were - not enough grip, a lack of stability of the car - so it was just a compromise of things which meant we were too slow."
Looking back to the race, Todt is asked if it pains him to see Schumacher end his season with such an erratic performance. There's a pause, then a sigh: "It does," he finally admits. "It does, but you know when you're a fighter like we are, with Michael, it does not exist in the world a team, or one individual, who in one period of his life, of his career, does not have to put one knee on the floor… it happens."
The German was involved in two incidents, both equally bizarre.
"Better to have them on the same day rather than on two different weekend," says Todt, a slight smile spreading across his face, "so he did a good job!
"Everything combined in one day, and we still finished third. If you would have asked me to commit, three or four Grands Prix ago, I would never have committed. That's a miracle."
In 2006, Ferrari welcomes Felipe Massa, after six seasons with Rubens Barrichello partnering the German, does Todt feel that 'fresh blood' will invigorate the team?
Todt is fully aware that it is not the drivers - fresh or otherwise - that are the problem, and responds accordingly: "I think we need to give a fresh, good package to the drivers," he admits. "It's not the blood of the drivers that we need, we have good drivers. Rubens was very good, Michael is unique, Felipe will be good, but if you don't give them a good car with good tyres, we can change the blood as much as you want, but it won't make them quicker."
Rubens had six years alongside Schumacher and is now heading to BAR, where he'll have Jenson Button as his teammate. Todt is asked how the thinks the Brazilian will fare against the English driver, compared to Michael?
"That's not my problem," he responds, without the slightest hesitation. "I would be very cynical and selfish to comment on that. That's their problem.
"As I said today, I wish Rubens all the best. I like him. I must say that once it was agreed and announced that he would leave we had a fantastic atmosphere in the team, it went very well, and I wish Rubens all the best, for his life, for his family. But it's not my problem what will be the difference in his new team. My problem is my own team."
One of the assembled journos makes the mistake of saying that "obviously don't want him to become World Champion because that would mean that you're not", Todt is unimpressed.
"I don't want him…" he asks, clearly incredulous. "What can I do for not wanting him to be World Champion. You must know what is your power in life, so I don't have any problems with that. My power is to try to make the best out of the Ferrari team, to make our drivers champion, how can I influence Rubens to be champion with BAR Honda?"
Asked to assess the six seasons the Brazilian spent with Ferrari, and his importance to Ferrari during the team's period of domination, the Frenchman says: "How important has Ferrari been to him? It went well for both of us.
"He did a very good job," he continues. "He's a very good, talented driver, very focused, strong in his head, very strong in his head which is probably one of the key points and Ferrari gave him extraordinary support."
Asked if Felipe will enjoy the same "extraordinary support", Todt replies; "Sure, the same."
And with that he's gone.
Elsewhere in the paddock there is laughter and singing, it's the end of term and time to let the hair down. As Todt storms off towards the Ferrari enclave one knows that there will be no laughter, no booze, no singing… merely the determination to re-establish the 'natural order' in 2006.