Todt: 'there's No No1 Driver At Ferrari'

[tifosi too! 0]

I know the history, but my point was to counter the argument that Ferrari was sh!t before The First Advent Of Michael. Ferrari were not sh!t. For someone with the moniker 'tifositoo' you don't seem very keen to defend your team. You seem more a Michael Schumacher fan than a Ferrari fan with this particular post

Well the two (MS and Ferrari fan) are rather hard to separate after all these years but I remain a Ferrari fan at most.I guess those days all Ferrari fans used to watch the Grand Prix's apathetically since the Scuderia used to let us down a lot!MS's arrival was a complete turnaround as we were actually hoping for a victory at every GP! I guess there is no real excuse for Ferrari's performances back then

[Player(1) 0]

2006 McLaren finsh 3rd in the WCC with no wins, hehehehe I feel some more bragging rights coming on why Alonso is better then Schumacher.

[tifosi too! 0]

2006 McLaren finsh 3rd in the WCC with no wins, hehehehe I feel some more bragging rights coming on why Alonso is better then Schumacher.

Mclaren counts 18 victories in the last 5 seasons and is hardly on a step backwards as far as car development is concerned so... nop no comparison here

We 'll see how Nando's carreer will unfold!

[Jem of the Shire 0]

MS finished 3rd in the 1996 standings, but what u have to remember is that he finished above both benetton-renault drivers, and that was impressive, as were his 3 wins in what was undoubtedly a piece of poo on wheels

[Chris Strange 0]

I know the history, but my point was to counter the argument that Ferrari was sh!t before The First Advent Of Michael. Ferrari were not sh!t. For someone with the moniker 'tifositoo' you don't seem very keen to defend your team. You seem more a Michael Schumacher fan than a Ferrari fan with this particular post

They were s##t compared to what they have become, and that's not an overstatement.

[Loser Boy 0]

Kimi's getting 51 million per year or over a period of 3 years?

[Loser Boy 0]

The #1 driver has retired. No team has a number one driver.

[pumpdoc 2]

That's an over-statement. Ferrari was not 'absolute sh!t'. In '94, Berger scored one win for Ferrari (3rd in the WCC), and in '95 Alesi scored one win (also 3rd in the WCC)...in '96 Michael and crew scored three victories and raised Ferrari one place to 2nd in the WCC. An improvement, but not in the sort of massive jump you are implying. Ferrari before MS and crew were a decent, front-running team with plenty of success, just no championships.

No Mike you are wrong, the Ferrari was $hit and the '96 was an ill car that only the driver that Schumi was put it in the winners circle.................

[Jean Todt 4]

Kimi's getting 51 million per year or over a period of 3 years?

some where i read that he earns 51million per annum, sorry i cannot confirm the source, you can search it in tf1 itself.

[pabloh20 1]

No Mike you are wrong, the Ferrari was $hit and the '96 was an ill car that only the driver that Schumi was put it in the winners circle.................

I think the general acceptance is that the 96 Ferrari was pretty bad. Let's not forget that 1 of those 3 wins was in the rain, which was a bit of a leveller of car performance back then.

[Quiet One 15]

I think the general acceptance is that the 96 Ferrari was pretty bad. Let's not forget that 1 of those 3 wins was in the rain, which was a bit of a leveller of car performance back then.

Hey!!! What are you doing here!!!! Lousy parent!

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Kimi's getting 51 million per year or over a period of 3 years?

1 mil a week, it's an annual salary

he's the highest paid driver, they wanted his a##, they must pay....

[pabloh20 1]

Hey!!! What are you doing here!!!! Lousy parent!

Being a lousy parent has nothing to do with me being on here!!

Anyway, I'm in work

[Quiet One 15]

Being a lousy parent has nothing to do with me being on here!!

Anyway, I'm in work

Lol its always good to see you, Paul

[pabloh20 1]

Lol its always good to see you, Paul

Thanks, Andres.

[dribbler 6]

Here's another question: How much is Ferrari still Michael's 'house'? The magic at Ferrari has come from a very focused and talented team that are simply not going to be there in '07.

There are of course a majority of extraordinary people who remain at Maranello. Michael and Ross were huge, but they weren't bigger than Ferrari itself.

Since '94 Jean Todt has brought order to meet the passion. They will still want to succeed post Michael if nothing else but to prove to themselves that they are capable.

Even though michael just happened to be curiously off the pace when Irvine needed him most now i am not suggesting that was a team order, but even commentators suggested that Michael looked demotivated and disinterested

What specifically are you referring to? Michael's pace at Sepang was amazing. Leading by miles, it took Irvine forever to catch and pass him after he had eased up. I don't think it was unreasnoble for Michael to look a little miffed that the first WDC in 20 years was possibly going to the Ulsterman, do you?

[Shane2 0]

No i meant the last GP in Japan where he needed michael to beat hakkinen. And no offence, but surely getting the team their first WDC should have taken precedence over his own selfishness

[dribbler 6]

No i meant the last GP in Japan where he needed michael to beat hakkinen. And no offence, but surely getting the team their first WDC should have taken precedence over his own selfishness

None taken. I didn't mean that Michael was reluctant to help, on the contrary, i think personally that he helped all he could. He didn't have to be happy about it though, that's all.

[aussief1 4]

None taken. I didn't mean that Michael was reluctant to help, on the contrary, i think personally that he helped all he could. He didn't have to be happy about it though, that's all.

I agree, Michael did all he could in Suzuka in 99. Eddie Irvine had to win in Suzuka to claim the WDC, he ended up getting beaten by Mika end of story. But i'm sure Michael was not devastated by the end result.

I remember reading somewhere if todays points system was in place back in 99, Eddie Irvine would have won the drivers championship.

[Shane2 0]

Yeah, the new points system punishes unreliability a lot more than the old one did

[F1 FANatic 1]

which is a good thing, but then compounding it with the 10 spot penalty makes it too harsh

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Apparently there's no nr1 at Ferrari...

Montezemolo: Raikkonen must win '07 title

By Michele Lostia Wednesday, December 20th 2006, 17:50 GMT

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo says Kimi Raikkonen must seize the opportunity and win the world championship for the Italian team next season.

With rivals Renault having captured the title in the past two years, di Montezemolo believes that Raikkonen must fulfil his potential in 2007 and win his first title, which the Ferrari president believes would have already happened had it not been for poor car reliability at McLaren.

"It must be said that in 2005 Raikkonen would have won the championship with a more reliable car," he was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.

"He broke down five times, and he was always in the lead. So now he must understand this is the time to win the title.

"(Felipe) Massa goes extremely quickly and maybe he will be faster systematically. I hope they will both go quickly."

He added: "We are ready to get back to winning ways. This way Jean Todt would be able to retire serenely and so would I.

"Schumacher arrived at the right time and now arrives Raikkonen, also at the right time."

Amid continued questioning about Raikkonen's partying lifestyle, di Montezemolo said he has no concerns about the Finn's approach to the job.

"It happens to everyone to get drunk at times," he said. "(Eddie) Irvine was a bit like that too. It also happened to a guy from Kerpen, no matter how difficult it is to believe it.

"I'm not worried at all about Kimi. He is motivated and he has the right approach with Ferrari."

[Jem of the Shire 0]

No i meant the last GP in Japan where he needed michael to beat hakkinen. And no offence, but surely getting the team their first WDC should have taken precedence over his own selfishness

i think thats unfair, MS did get pole position and did just about stay in touch with hakkinen throughout the race, but Mika drove his socks off and beat the ferrari's fair and square. If your theory was correct then i dont think MS would've tried so hard in Sepang

[aussief1 4]

That's an interesting article thanks Brad

Luca would have been better to say that either Massa or Kimi need to win the Championship next year, not emphasized Kimi so much, from the team morale point of view.

But hey being paid 51 million per year, a little pressure from the CEO should not be unexpected I guess.

Reading between the lines Luca is saying "Kimi you better be worth it"

[devilsinskirts 0]

If your theory was correct then i dont think MS would've tried so hard in Sepang

I seem to recall that the general consensus at the time was that he drove so hard at Sepang to prove a point about Irvine's relative speed.