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Now there isn't even a secret, but right now I still have to be patient. It is now known that Sebastian Vettel will be a Ferrari driver next season, but the official announcement is still postponed. The German driver, for his part, can't wait to get started even if he is aware that it is an uphill adventure.
"I know that I have a big task ahead of me that requires time, especially at a time when Mercedes has a great competitive advantage. Staying at Red Bull was the easiest decision, I know the team, the people, the weaknesses and those of come on, I know the project for the next few years while going to Ferrari is a step towards the unknown and therefore a risk. But I know I made the right decision. If I wasn't convinced that I can win there too, I wouldn't have done this step. It's not a decision taken against Red Bull but a step towards something new".
Vettel also confesses that the difficulties encountered this season have made him doubt his future in the circus.
"Sometimes you think about all the possible things because if suddenly some cylinders fail, if the car has to be restarted like a computer, then you wonder what all this has to do with being a Formula 1 driver But even if the single-seaters are slower, they are still the fastest on the market".
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, scheduled for Sunday 23 November 2014, will be the last round of the World Championship of the season and, even if it is not yet official, Fernando Alonso's last race aboard Ferrari. The words of the former world champion leave no doubt:
"It's the last Grand Prix, it ends the season in which I think I performed at my best level. Without results, I know…".
The relationship between Ferrari and Alonso was born under the best auspices, but it did not lead to the desired results. More than once, even during the current season, there have been strong frictions between the driver and the pit crew. But Fernando closes without regrets:
"The complicity with the single-seater was fantastic. I can say I gave it my all".
His place will be taken by Sebastian Vettel, while the Spanish driver's future will most likely be in McLaren, even if the announcement continues to be postponed. Meanwhile in Abu Dhabi, Alonso can score the points needed to move up to fourth place in the drivers' standings and take Ferrari to third place in the World Constructors' Championship. However, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg play much more. The two Mercedes standard bearers will compete for the World Championship until the last lap.
"I want to wish good luck to Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, who have done a perfect job all year! Nice ending…".
It won't be a happy ending. Not even if the miracle were to happen, Alonso in triumph in Abu Dhabi, a terminus on the top step of the podium, something that at the helm of Ferrari, in the last chapter of his adventure, only happened in Surtees in 1966. It will not be a farewell with champagne and pastries, even if Maranello has been talking about a consensual separation for months, out of respect for the driver who is leaving he waits to announce the new one, and Alonso himself, even in a farewell tweet, remains politically correct, talking about complicity with the car fantastic and that I gave my all right to the end.
"Reaching the highest level of my career, unfortunately in one year, I know, without results".
It won't be a greeting made up of smiles and kisses, because the relationship between Ferrari and the Spaniard has been broken for some time. Alonso leaves because he no longer trusts Ferrari, he has lost his points of reference (ex-president Montezemolo, ex-team principal Domenicali) and does not believe in the new course, the Maranello team does not keep him because they no longer see him the team man needed to start the re-foundation. They no longer love each other and the end comes after five tormented years, in which hopes were often buried by disappointments. The lack of results that appeared in Alonso's tweet refers to this disastrous season, but could be extended to the entire adventure, starting with Abu Dhabi 2010, the strategic error that prevented the Spaniard from climbing to the top of the world in his first year in red and started the epic with Vettel's Red Bull, the very man called to replace him (this weekend, within the world championship fight between Hamilton and Rosberg with the two Mercedes, today could be the day of announcement of the divorce between Fernando and the Rossa). Never would Alonso have expected to win only eleven races and gain just four poles, never with the most famous team in the world in 2012 squandering a 44-point lead after the summer break.
He would never have believed he would leave defeated, with a clumsy attempt to move to Red Bull in 2013 and another, rejected by Ferrari, this summer, the failed exchange with Mercedes and Hamilton. Alonso dreamed of a different story, and not this melancholy tweet, in which he makes it clear that it's time to say goodbye and that the horrible year is not attributable to his commitment. He will repeat it today in Abu Dhabi, at a press conference, side by side with Vettel, an enemy from whose shadow he always struggles to separate himself. And then perhaps, given that McLaren won't announce its future until December 1st and Mercedes said no to its arrival, resume the obsessive dribbling about its future. All with understandable bitterness, mitigated only by the news arriving from the health of Jules Bianchi, the French driver who was the victim of a serious accident on October 5th at Suzuka and to whom Alonso sends his usual support. Bianchi, his family says, has left Japan and since Wednesday 19 November 2014 has been in Nice, in a neurological centre. He emerged from the artificial coma, although he remains unconscious and in critical condition. The brain damage does not raise great hopes, but his fight not to die must remain as fierce as ever. The following day, Thursday 20 November 2014, Ferrari made official what had been known for some time. Fernando Alonso leaves Ferrari after five years, Sebastian Vettel arrives in his place and signs a three-year contract. The German will be paired with Kimi Raikkonen next season.
"Scuderia Ferrari and Fernando Alonso announce that they have consensually terminated their technical-racing collaboration relationship".
The Spanish driver, therefore, will leave the team at the end of this championship. From Ferrari, thanks comes:
"For his great contribution, both from a human and professional point of view".
And adds the team principal, Marco Mattiacci:
"Fernando Alonso will always have a place of honor in the roll of honor of Ferrari drivers. Our heartfelt thanks go to him for his extraordinary adventure with the team, during which he came close to winning the world title twice. We are certain that a great driver like Fernando will always carry the Cavallino in his heart, just as Ferrari fans will continue to follow him with enormous affection in his future".
For his part, Fernando Alonso says:
"Today is not an easy day because, although I always look to the future with great enthusiasm and determination, at the end of this season my adventure as a Ferrari driver will come to an end. It is a difficult, but at the same time very reasoned, decision, on which from the beginning to the end, my love for Ferrari prevailed".
And he adds:
"I have always been lucky enough to decide about my future and I have this opportunity now too, and for this I have to thank the team, which proved capable of understanding my position. I leave Ferrari after five years, during which I reached my best professional level, facing great challenges that pushed me to find new limits and in which I also demonstrated that I am a great fan, putting the interests of the team before my own.When I had to make important decisions for my future, I did it with Ferrari in my heart, guided by my love for the team. I am very proud of what we have achieved together. Thanks to the efforts of the men and women of Maranello we have come second three times in the Formula 1 World Championship, twice fighting until the last race, virtual champion for many laps. Without a shadow of a doubt, from these last five years I carry with me some of the best memories of my career, as well as leaving more of a family in the team than friends. Now I look forward with great enthusiasm, but with the certainty of always carrying the Cavallino in my heart I thank all those who place their trust in me".
While these are Sebastian Vettel's first words as a Ferrari driver:
"The next phase of my Formula 1 career will be together with Scuderia Ferrari: for me it is a lifelong dream come true. When I was a kid, Michael Schumacher on the Ferrari was my biggest idol and now for me he is huge. It's an honor to have the chance to drive a Ferrari. I already had a small taste of the Ferrari spirit when I took my first victory at Monza in 2008, with an engine from the Prancing Horse manufacturer. The Scuderia has a great tradition in this sport and I am extremely motivated to help the team get back to the top. I will give my heart and soul to make this happen".
Marco Mattiacci explains:
"Scuderia Ferrari has decided to place its trust in the youngest multiple champion in the history of Formula 1. Sebastian Vettel represents a unique combination of youth and experience, and brings with him a fundamental team spirit to face the challenges that await us to return to being protagonists as soon as possible. In addition to a great thirst for victory, with Sebastian we share enthusiasm, work culture and tenacity, key elements for building a new chapter in Ferrari history together with all the members of the Scuderia".
Fernando Alonso is the best driver in the world, said Marco Mattiacci on the same day he took over at the helm of Ferrari. He had just arrived in Formula 1 and couldn't even suspect that that sentence would go down in history as his first gaffe. Kimi Raikkonen, the other Ferrari driver suddenly demoted to second, took it out on him. Today, just seven months later, Marco Mattiacci himself is showing the strongest rider in the world to the door. And without regrets.
"The history of the last eight years teaches us that teams win even without Alonso".
They whisper inside the box. But what happened in these seven months? In these hours the background is wasted. The truth is that the relationship is simply over. Alonso couldn't stand the chronic inability to be competitive shown by the Ferrari men, who in effect made a parade of non-competitive cars available to him. Ferrari no longer accepted that savior of the country attitude. If the matter had not left the walls of Maranello it was only due to the work of Stefano Domenicali, the former team principal, who did everything to keep the flame alive. But with the change of management the situation quickly became complicated. Alonso, as he said in the press conference, had had doubts for years about his real desire to stay.
"I've been thinking about it since 2013. But I said to myself, let's wait to see how it goes with the new era, with the turbo. This year then it went the way it did and in September I made the decision".
In reality, the relationship was already being resolved before September. Alonso and his manager, Flavio Briatore, had already proposed an exchange with Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari and Mercedes. But both Stuttgart and Maranello were not convinced. Then immediately after the Italian Grand Prix the Spaniard, also frightened by the brutality of the Montezemolo-Marchionne change at the top of Ferrari, asked for an appointment with Mattiacci to express his doubts and try to extract improved conditions from his contract. And here the unexpected happened. Because Mattiacci, who has long been annoyed by Alonso's behavior - he is the only driver on the grid who lives in Dubai, seven hours by plane from his workplace - responded to him with an icy response:
"I understand you, good luck".
A wolf which, in this case, can only be the McLaren of Ron Dennis and the Japanese Honda. Mattiacci, obviously, had a plan B ready. No severance pay for Alonso (he asked to go), and an agreement reached with Sebastian Vettel in record time at a figure that Radio Paddock gives around 28.000.000 euros: more than he earned Alonso, but less than what he asked for the renewal. As often happens at the end of important stories, everyone pretends to be happy and optimistic. Ferrari polishes the four world titles of its new jewel, pretending not to know that at least half of them were won by a stellar Red Bull. Vettel celebrates the myth by promising to revive Schumacher's glories, forgetting the state of confusion in which the team finds itself; Alonso sees a future of glory and triumphs for McLaren-Honda, ignoring the fact that the Japanese are far from a competitive performance. The important thing today is to take a selfie with the best profile and then post it on Twitter in the secret hope that the other person will look at it without seeing the fear deep in their eyes. Friday 21 November 2014, during the first Friday session the two drivers fighting for the title battled for a long time to set the best time. But at the end of the session, Lewis Hamilton was fastest, followed by Nico Rosberg. Fernando Alonso closes in third place, 1.5s behind the Englishman's time, ahead of Sebastian Vettel. The track has little grip, even if the time set by Hamilton is lower than that set in the first free practices of the 2013 edition. During the session on the two Williams there was a problem with the right side of the single-seaters which prevented a large number of turns. Jenson Button also completed a limited number of laps due to a faulty suspension. The situation also recurs in the afternoon session, with Lewis Hamilton able to precede Nico Rosberg by a few thousandths of a second.
Kevin Magnussen follows in third place, 0.8s behind Lewis Hamilton. Fernando Alonso, third in the first session, was forced to end the second session without having completed any timed laps due to an electrical problem. Williams, however, once the morning's problems were resolved, recovered positions. Romain Grosjean will be penalized with the loss of 20 positions on the starting grid, as his team, Lotus, decides to replace the engine, turbine and MGU-H of his car; for all components this is the sixth different unit this season. If the French driver does not fully serve the penalty on the grid, he will see a 5 second penalty added to his race time if he has 5 unserved positions left; the penalty would increase to 10 seconds if the number of unserved positions was between 6 and 10. If there were more than 10 positions, the Lotus driver would have to serve a drive through during the race. On the day that should belong to Mercedes, or rather to Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, Ferrari finds a way to take the spotlight. And he does it, for his part, at dusk. When the bombshell news comes out on the Abu Dhabi-Maranello-Turin axis: Marco Mattiacci, the Ferrari team principal, called just seven months earlier to replace Stefano Domenicali, has already stepped down from his role. End of stroke. Maurizio Arrivabene, former vice president of Philip Morris International, main sponsor of the team, member of the Juventus board of directors, and Andrea Agnelli's man, will arrive in his place next week. The news catches (almost) everyone unprepared. A reporter shows Sebastian Vettel Arrivabene's photo.
"And who is this?"
Your new boss, welcome to the world of Ferrari, Seb. Marchionne's move is apparently illogical. Mattiacci had just started a long-term job. And taking him out now, like this, calls everything into question. No one takes responsibility for confirming. Marchionne with his team is clear:
"Tell journalists that they are rumors and that Ferrari does not comment on rumors".
Exactly what Arrivabene himself says to the journalists who meet him in the paddock now immersed in darkness. The dialogue goes like this. Doctor Arrivabene, is it true that you will go to Ferrari in Mattiacci's place?
"These are the same rumors that were circulating seven months ago".
But are these rumors true or false?
"They are rumours".
Unfounded?
"I work for Philip Morris".
Yes, but are these rumors unfounded?
"I work for Philip Morris. Good evening".
In short, it's all true. As all relevant sources confirm, some even explain that the initial idea was to make the announcement already here in Abu Dhabi. It is difficult, at the moment, to say what happened. It certainly seems clear that, contrary to what was said in those days, Mattiacci was not a choice of Marchionne but of Montezemolo, who perhaps thought he was interpreting the desire of Marchionne, or of the Agnelli family. Family who, however, was the first to dump the current team principal. Through the mouth of Andrea Agnelli who, in a prescient interview, had made it clear that the future of the team was not necessarily linked to the name of the manager who came from New York. The impression is that next season is now considered lost too. And therefore with Arrivabene we are aiming for a long-term path to be set on completely different foundations that will lead to results from 2016 onwards. And it is no coincidence that the name of Maurizio Arrivabene has been associated with that of Ross Brawn (who however made impossible requests). There would therefore be a big F1 player in Ferrari's future, according to what seems to be Marchionne's plan. And Mattiacci? The maneuver found him completely unprepared. He knew that today he would have problems from Alonso, who in fact mistreated him in the press conference, he was prepared for Alonso's wrath, it was said, but he certainly didn't think he would have to face this storm. At this point all that remains is to wait for the official announcement. Which should arrive, as mentioned, in the middle of the week following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, after the paddock has sobered up. Yes, because by following the Ferrari sitcom, we run the risk of forgetting that there is a World Championship to be awarded on the track, in the double points race in Abu Dhabi. On Saturday 22 November 2014 Nico Rosberg managed to overtake Lewis Hamilton in the last free practice session. The Englishman, however, was penalized by an error in the last fast attempt.
Felipe Massa follows in third place, however one second behind the German's time. Fernando Alonso is fourth, but his car had its power unit replaced at the end of the session, which limited the Spaniard's presence on the track. A few hours later, during Q1 Lewis Hamilton set the best time, lapping in 1'41"207. The Briton precedes Nico Rosberg, his teammate, by 0.1s. The only other driver to drop below the The limit of 1'42"0 is Felipe Massa. The Red Bull Racing drivers make only one attempt, using Supersoft tyres. The two Caterham drivers, the two Lotus drivers, and Esteban Gutiérrez are eliminated. The Mexican was preceded only by half a tenth from Romain Grosjean. In Q2 Hamilton again set the best time. In this part of qualifying the two Williams drivers managed to precede Nico Rosberg, while the McLaren drivers took to the track only in the final moments of Q2: Jenson Button managed to pass into Q3, while Kevin Magnussen is eliminated by Kimi Räikkönen by a few thousandths of a second. In addition to the McLaren driver, the two Force Indias, Jean-Éric Vergne and Adrian Sutil, are also excluded from the decisive phase. In Q3 all the drivers take to the track immediately , also because, due to the sunset, temperatures drop quickly. After the times recorded by the two Williams drivers, Nico Rosberg takes first place, with a time of 1'40"697. Lewis Hamilton is the author of a small error, which does not allow him to beat his teammate, but only to place himself in second position. With his second attempt Valtteri Bottas, after having set the best time in the first and second sectors, was unable to precede the two Mercedes drivers. Nico Rosberg instead managed to improve his time, while Lewis Hamilton was unable to beat the German. For Nico Rosberg it is the fifteenth pole position of his career, the eleventh of the season. The front row is however completed by Lewis Hamilton, while the second row is monopolized by the two Williams. For the first time since 1969 all the pole positions of the season were won by a single engine manufacturer (Ford Cosworth at the time). Mercedes, as a constructor, equaled Red Bull's record of 2011, with 18 poles won in the season. At the end of the session the FIA commissioners considered that the front wings of the two Red Bull Racing teams, which qualified fifth and sixth, were regular. The two ailerons are considered too flexible. The two cars are thus relegated to the back of the grid. Subsequently the two cars will start from the pit lane.
On Sunday 23 November 2014, at the start of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton sprinted better than his teammate and took first place, followed by Nico Rosberg. Behind the Mercedes duo are Felipe Massa, Jenson Button, then the two Ferraris, Daniil Kvyat and Valtteri Bottas. Alonso and Räikkönen are forced to change tires between the fifth and sixth laps, which takes them away from the top positions for the whole race. On the sixth lap Jenson Button is also forced to return to the pits. Hamilton and Rosberg carried out their first tire changes on lap 10 and on lap 11. Felipe Massa led the race for two laps, until he too returned to the pits to change tyres. The ranking does not change: behind the Mercedes duo is Felipe Massa, followed by Daniel Ricciardo, who has not yet made his first stop, then Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen, Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button. A small group is created behind Kevin Magnussen, which involves, in addition to Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button, also Fernando Alonso. The Danish driver changes tires on lap 21. On lap 24 Valtteri Bottas overtakes Daniel Ricciardo and climbs to fifth place, while Nico Rosberg's car suffers from a loss of power in his car and is passed by Felipe Massa. During lap 28 Daniel Ricciardo makes his first pit stop. The Australian returns to the track behind the two Force Indias, but quickly recovers fifth position. During lap 32 Lewis Hamilton made his second tire change and upon returning to the track he immediately managed to overtake his teammate. The technical problems appearing on the German driver's car are persistent. During lap 33 Nico Rosberg was also passed by Valtteri Bottas, before making his second pit stop two laps later. During lap 36 it is Valtteri Bottas' turn to change tires: Daniel Ricciardo thus climbs to third place. Felipe Massa managed to build a lead of around 15 seconds over Lewis Hamilton, before changing tires on lap 41. The Brazilian driver returned to the track in second position, with a gap of around 10 seconds from the Mercedes driver. Massa tries to get closer to the Englishman in the final laps, but without managing to worry him. During lap 47 Daniel Ricciardo also made his second pit stop: he returned to the track fourth, ahead of Jenson Button, but behind Valtteri Bottas.
The ranking remains frozen in the final laps, with Nico Rosberg slowly exiting the points zone. Lewis Hamilton wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and his second World Drivers' Championship. Mercedes achieved its sixteenth victory of the season out of nineteen races and podium number 31, new records for a manufacturer in a single season. Daniel Ricciardo achieves his first fastest race lap in a World Championship Grand Prix, while Williams returns both drivers to the podium for the first time since the 2005 Monaco Grand Prix, when Nick Heidfeld was second and third. Mark Webber. Lewis Hamilton celebrates his second world title in F1 six years after his first triumph. The Englishman became World Champion for the second time in his career after the success achieved in 2008, when driving for McLaren he entered the history of the circus as the first driver of Caribbean origins to win the title in the top motorsport competition. From predestined to champion, it's a short step for the driver from Stevenage.
"Words fail me. I have to thank everyone, I saw so many flags and caps for myself. I thank the team, my family. I can't explain what it means. It was better than the first title in 2008, as if it were the first time".
These are the first words on the podium of Lewis Hamilton, World Champion for the second time after the success in Abu Dhabi.
"Great start? Maybe the best I've ever had, I knew that being immediately in front I could approach the race differently, I could do my race. The car was fantastic and I could do what I wanted. Rosberg problems? He fought in an incredible way throughout the season, we met in 1997 and we said to each other that it would be nice to fight for a title in the same team. He came to congratulate me at the end of the race, he was very professional. Throughout the whole season, He was incredible in qualifying this year, I take my hat off to him".
It was supposed to be a spectacular race, but instead the real show begins after the race. When the black sky above the desert explodes with fireworks, and rivers of rose water are sprayed against the blinding light of the spotlights. It is Lewis Hamilton's triumph. It is Mercedes' triumph. The wrestling-style devilry invented by Bernie Ecclestone, that of double points in the final match, had no effect. Nico Rosberg, the challenger, proved to be less adequate than was already suspected on the eve. He got the start wrong, giving Hamilton a huge corridor, complete with a red carpet, towards glory, that is, towards the second world championship of his career, stuff for a few, big names, Clark, Fittipaldi, Alonso, and some other sacred monsters. A parade with great fanfare lasting 53 very boring laps, then the show. First, in those moments immediately after the checkered flag, you shout at him over the radio, that I can't believe, which, coming from someone who has been racing with the nags for a year while driving a missile, doesn't really sound credible. Then, little by little, the joy becomes real. And so on with all the classic repertoire of F1 celebrations, the donuts with the tires whistling and smoking, the Union Jack picked up by a race commissioner and waved on the lap of honor. And finally the heartbreaking embrace with the mechanics and family, the father and the brother. The splendid Nicole, former leader of the Pussycat Dolls, is stationed right there, and is briefly hugged. The two have a conflicted relationship to say the least. The English say that Lewis alternates three months of engagement with three months of mystical crisis. She was already crying with joy about twenty laps before the finish line, now she has the rimmel on her neck too. Surreptitiously she waits for the cameras to be in their path and then smack, she prints a telegenic kiss on her boyfriend's helmet. It's the cover image, thinks Nicole: Formula 1 in economic and image crisis, at least for one evening has found a champion worthy of the name. But he's wrong. Because the cover image, in the end, will be that of Nico Rosberg who slips into the private room and goes to his rival. Big words have flown during the year. Now that it's all over, she hugs him.
"The best one won".
He tells him, redeeming, for just a moment, his own defeat and also Formula 1. Once the hangover from the overwhelming victory in the World Championship has passed, Lewis Hamilton finds the serenity to think about the future. And obviously he is already looking forward to next season at the wheel of a Mercedes.
"I would say that I will still race for the Stuttgart team. I don't want the bosses to get too excited but of course I want to renew, I never had any doubts. Even when I arrived, my intention was to build something important with this team. I see a bright future for me at Mercedes. The signing will just be a formality".
Lewis Hamilton then returns to the rivalry with Nico Rosberg's teammate who has reached very high peaks during this season:
"With Nico it's a unique situation, we started as kids on karts, then in the minor formulas in 1997. Who would have ever thought twenty years ago that we would challenge each other to win the world title...I'm proud to have dueled with Nico throughout the year and for remaining calm even in difficult moments".
The driver from Stevenage also dedicates his world championship triumph to his family:
"What we have achieved as a family is incredible, I have to pinch myself every day to realize that I'm not dreaming. All those sacrifices, those difficult moments that were worth it in the end. It's incredible, it's been a long journey that I will always remember. I've dreamed of winning the world title since I was eight years old, but this year I tried to keep my feet on the ground because I didn't want to lose the goal. It's easy to get carried away by thoughts, by the successes that could come. It's important to stay focused even though it's important to dream and feel inspired, but I live and breathe racing like so many of us. I love getting to the track and knowing I have a competitive car. It's one of the best feelings in the world".
Just enough time to sort out the last things, to say goodbye to Marco Mattiacci, to forget Fernando Alonso and the horrible year that was, and the new Ferrari of Sergio Marchionne and Maurizio Arrivabene will begin to beat the war drums loudly. Yes, because, apparently, what is clear to the new leaders of Ferrari is that in Formula 1 you can't win on the track if you don't first command outside, in the offices that matter, those were the rules are made and where the decisions are divided. come in. And this is why men close to the project have set the official date for the start of the new Ferrari era for Tuesday 25 November 2014, when the meeting of the Formula One Commission, the FIA body which regulates the life of the Circus, will be held in Geneva. Sergio Marchionne himself will go to that appointment. The president considers it fundamental and has been preparing for this for several days. Previously he met confidentially with the president of the FIA, Jean Todt. The appointment was set for 7:30 am, in Paris, in the building at #8 Place de la Concorde. The two talked for a long time. And in the end it seems that Marchionne has developed the conviction that Ferrari will not be able to do anything for itself and for Formula 1 (but above all for itself) if it is not ready to play hard. That is, it must be willing to spend that formidable instrument of power that the current agreements offer it, recognizing it as a fundamental part and ultimate guarantor of the very nature of F1, namely the right of veto. It's an old story. Many have accused the Montezemolo-Domenicali couple of having used little (in reality it has never been used) of the possibility of blocking any initiative that they considered harmful to sport. And Marchionne would be among them. In particular, the new president's reproach is that of not having prevented the FIA from regulatory introduction of these new 1.6 turbo hybrid engines which seem tailor-made for a company like Mercedes which has made monstrous investments in hybrids for years. The point, to put it briefly, is next year's engine and, above all, that of 2016.
Ferrari absolutely wants to change its specifications and bring it as close as possible to those it deems most in keeping with its tradition. And at this point she is ready for anything, even to spend her wildcard by challenging Mercedes who have made it known that they are ready to leave F1 in the event of a change in the rules. A clash that promises to be epochal, in which Marchionne will be able to count on a very close ally at the table of the F1 commission: the great sponsor of F1, Philip Morris, represented by Maurizio Arrivabene who, for the last time before moving to Maranello , will take on the role of vice president of the multinational tobacco company. An explicit way to make it clear that there is much more behind Ferrari's position. If this is the project of the Maranello team, it is not clear why Marco Mattiacci was sacrificed, who after having learned from the websites of his imminent removal was left alone at the mercy of the press for forty-eight hours without the slightest shred of official communication. Or a word of comfort. More will be known soon. In the meantime, all that remains is to listen to the outburst, the first, of Sebastian Vettel, who discovered from a German journalist that the man who brought him to Ferrari by presenting him with a long-term project had just been kicked out. Those who saw it say that Vettel was surprised and a little scared. In short, a Vettel who has already become fully in tune with the rest of the Ferrari employees. In the meantime, Sebastian Vettel's new adventure at Ferrari begins. During the tests in Abu Dhabi the German visits the Maranello team, accompanied by the sporting director, Massimo Rivola, and the communications manager, Renato Bisignani, to meet the technicians and mechanics. Long beard, short denim shorts, white shirt with gray stripes and the usual red headphones, the German gives hugs and smiles to everyone. Although Vettel's hiring has already been made official by Ferrari, the driver did not have the go-ahead from Red Bull to carry out this first test session in view of the 2015 World Championship. In the meantime, Kimi Raikkonen has the opportunity to analyze the turnaround at the top of Ferrari. And he says:
"Arrivabene is the right person to return to the top. However, I think Mattiacci did an excellent job, I liked him. I didn't know him before he arrived, we hadn't met. He came from a different environment than Formula 1 and fitting in is never easy. Arrivabene is an exquisite person. He has known Ferrari and the environment for a long time, I think he can manage things in the right way and push the team to where they should be. Vettel? It was a busy day and there wasn't much time to talk. It's clear, we will fight against each other. But first of all we have to bring the team back to where it deserves".
The only good news on day one of the new Ferrari era, the one signed by Sergio Marchionne, comes from Abu Dhabi, and makes us enjoy only a rebound (no less intensely): Fernando Alonso's new team, McLaren-Honda, he is in extreme difficulty. On Tuesday 25 November 2014, under the amused eyes of Sebastian Vettel, the new McLaren with the Honda engine fails to do more than three laps, none of which timed, before bursting into a babble of electric discharges and sinister squeaks. It seems like little and maybe it is. But it is undeniable that in these days of hell, the news spreads a few smiles around Maranello, where more than a few did not appreciate the move of the former driver who, first thing on Monday morning, finished his report with Scuderia Ferrari, has decided to stop following the official account on Twitter. Skirmishes aside, while waiting to see what the new car will really be like, everyone's attention is focused 6,000 kilometers away from Abu Dhabi. To be precise in Geneva, where Ferrari in a red-hot Formula One Commission, the place where the rules are decided, is staking a large part of its future in a match that promises to be decisive for the image of Sergio Marchionne. The new president is betting very heavily on his ability to succeed where a management capable of winning fourteen titles in just over twenty years has failed. His project and that of the new team principal, Maurizio Arrivabene, is well outlined. Essentially given up for next year too, the first data from the new car don't leave much hope, the focus is on 2016, trying to bring a top-class technician to Maranello. The forbidden dream remains Adrian Newey. By that time, however, the rules will have to be drastically changed, enough with Formula Mercedes, essentially, and Ferrari will have to have resumed its role as a point of reference in motorsport. An ambitious goal that Arrivabene and Marchionne want to reach through a pincer strategy. On the one hand by putting pressure on Jean Todt, identified as the key player in future strategies, especially from a regulatory point of view, on the other by leveraging the famous right of veto.
In front of Jeano Todt, Bernie Ecclestone and all the leaders of the Circus, Ferrari sends out its message loudly. Whether it succeeded or not will be discovered in the next few days when a first decision on the issue of freezing the engines for 2015 will have to be communicated.
In the meantime, after Alonso and Vettel dogs at their former F1 teams, some peace arrives, sensationally from the mouth of someone who never speaks: Kimi Raikkonen.
"Mattiacci was doing an excellent job. Arrivabene is the right person to bring Ferrari back to the top. I think Mattiacci did an excellent job, I liked him. I didn't know him before he arrived, we hadn't met. He came from a different environment than In Formula 1, fitting in is never easy and I think he did well".
Kimi is busy with Abu Dhabi lyrics but finds time to analyze the situation. And to talk about his (future) relationship with Vettel:
"I believe that together we can have fun on the track, fighting to try to stay in front of each other, but also working as a single team to achieve the common goal of progressing and bringing Ferrari back to the levels it deserves".
Thus Raikkonen welcomes his new teammate Vettel, who, despite not yet being able to test the Ferrari, showed up in the pits on the first day of testing in Abu Dhabi.
"I was pleased that he was with us, although I must say that it didn't surprise me because I know his style and his way of approaching work well".
Raikkonen also takes stock of the trials held in the Arab Emirate:
"The components tested in Abu Dhabi allowed us to collect a lot of useful data, which will be analyzed together with that of last Sunday's Grand Prix. The team's priorities are clear and we know well which areas did not perform according to our expectations. I am sure that thanks to the experience gained during the season we will be able to develop a more competitive car. It is clear that the progress we will be able to make will be linked to the time we have available and the possibilities offered by the regulations, which in certain areas currently impose some limitations on everyone, but I have full confidence in the team's abilities".
And in the meantime there is also a back and forth between Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull. The future Ferrari driver, after receiving refusal from the Anglo-Austrian team to participate in the tests with Ferrari in Abu Dhabi, takes it out in particular with the technical director, Adrian Newey:
"Until two weeks ago everything seemed clear. Then he got in the way. Maybe he or someone else panicked that I might reveal secrets".
So Vettel takes on the role of a spectator in Abu Dhabi.
"I'm disappointed, I expected something different".
But Helmut Marko responds:
"From a legal point of view, it's not good. But I couldn't care less. There is information on the future development of the single-seater that can normally be available to a driver".
And Christian Horner also weighs in on the issue, saying:
"There is information on the future development of the single-seater that can normally be available to a driver. Formula 1 is a competitive business where drivers might pass on some information to another team".
But then he concludes by believing in the German's good faith:
"Sebastian is very professional, so I don't think he asked us too many questions about the new car".
Sebastian Vettel has finally fulfilled a dream, but his adventure in Ferrari will be anything but a walk in the park. The German is expected to play a role of great responsibility and, perhaps in order not to start immediately with excessive pressure, he clarifies that a bit of patience will be needed to return to winning ways:
"We cannot think of being able to compete on an equal footing with Mercedes next year. I am aware that I am faced with a challenge that requires time, given the enormous advantage of the silver arrows in terms of competitiveness. My goal is to demonstrate that both Ferrari and I have made the right choice. It will take time to get back to the top and I don't feel like fueling the fans' expectations. We will have to work hard".
Vettel, however, wants to redeem himself after a season that ended without victories and his arrival in the Maranello team represents a great stimulus:
"The Ferrari is a car that lives, with a soul, something truly special. The myth, the history, Enzo Ferrari, the entire journey of the Scuderia in Formula One gives me a unique sensation. As a child Michael Schumacher was the my idol and I always remember him at the wheel of Ferrari. For me, arriving in this team was an irresistible temptation. Now the objective is to help Ferrari in this transition period to get it back to the positions it deserves. I will give everything I have I have to do it".
A weekend in red to start preparing for the next season. After having received the green light from Red Bull, on Monday 1 December 2014 Sebastian Vettel is enthusiastic about the three days held in Maranello, which allowed the driver to become familiar with the mechanics and the car, albeit a 2012 one.
"Obviously coming here was fantastic. It had happened a long time ago, when I was still a child, and I had driven through Maranello trying to see over the fences. To be here as part of the team is absolutely fantastic, and to have the chance to drive the car and getting to know the team was a unique experience. Obviously this color is new to me, like seeing that everyone here is dressed in red and everything is red, but I think it's something really special and I don't see the time to face the challenge that awaits us in the coming years".
Sebastian Vettel continues:
"Since we were already in winter, it was quite cold to go around the track. It was still a good feeling. Driving is always fun and it was nice to go back in time to when I was eleven or twelve years old and I would peek behind fences to try to see Michael on the track. Today, however, the one who was walking around and seeing many fans around the track was me. I had heard many stories about Ferrari and how it felt to drive a red car and now I can confirm that those are not fairy tales, but a true legend and that it feels really special when you become part of it all. Being inside the car and seeing so many people arrive, watching them climb the walls to watch the car go around the track is something magical and that's what happened today, something I will certainly never forget".
On Sunday morning the German driver participates in a summit with the President Sergio Marchionne and the new general director and team principal of the Gestion Sportive, Maurizio Arrivabene, with whom there was a harmony of views on the work that awaits the team in the short and medium term term. Sebastian also meets several technicians, including James Allison, with whom he analyzes the data obtained on Saturday and Sunday and defines a real roadmap with the aim of bringing Ferrari back to the level of competitiveness it deserves. Two days of intense work between Saturday and Sunday, where Vettel dedicated himself to the track and the simulator respectively. Sebastian travels around the Fiorano circuit in an F2012, covering almost 100 laps in order to become familiar with the team and the new driving position. Sunday is instead dedicated entirely to the simulator, where Vettel completes some long driving sessions aboard the virtual F14T, becoming familiar with the procedures, controls and systems of the power unit. Once the Formula 1 World Championship is over, Bernie Ecclestone gives his votes to the protagonists of the circus and is anything but soft on Ferrari, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.
"I'm a super fan of Sebastian, I'm a bit disappointed by his attitude which, I think, has changed. He's behaving like a defeated man and he isn't, it's not his mentality. He loves to compete, he doesn't like not even losing at backgammon. Unfortunately, when he plays with me, it happens to him".
The German will attack the 2015 World Championship with Ferrari, for which Ecclestone has very unkind words:
"Ferrari were very disappointing, they lost their way. Since mid-season, Fernando has behaved a bit like Sebastian, so he disappointed me a bit too. I thought that Ferrari or Red Bull, or maybe another team, could recover in the second phase of the season and score some points at the end".
Luckily Mercedes was there:
"We were very lucky. Hamilton and Rosberg put up a duel and it's good that Mercedes allowed them to fight on the track. Otherwise, we would have had a crappy World Championship. If Lewis and Nico hadn't battled, the season would have ended at Silverstone".
On Wednesday 10 December 2014, it was officially announced that Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button will be the McLaren drivers for the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship. The announcement comes from the Woking team itself. For Alonso, 33 years old, veteran of five seasons at Ferrari, it is a return after the unhappy parenthesis of 2007.
A rumor that had lasted for months has therefore been made official, especially after Alonso's divorce from Ferrari and the confirmation of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton in Mercedes: the two-time World Champion, whose arrival would have been strongly desired by Honda which will return to supply engines to McLaren from next season, should have signed a two-year contract with an option on the third year but with the possibility of leaving to end of 2015 if the performance of the car does not live up to his expectations. For the Spaniard it is a salary of 32.000.000 euros per season. As for Button, who will thus play his sixteenth season in Formula 1, the English driver managed to gain confirmation at the expense of his younger colleague Kevin Magnussen, who was seen as favorite for a place alongside Fernando Alonso. But Button's excellent end to the season convinced the Woking team to focus on him again. For the 2009 World Champion - the English media report - a one-year contract has been stipulated for 7.500.000 euros, half of what he earned in the last season.
"We have time, we have hope and we have the necessary resources: becoming a legend again is our challenge".
These are Fernando Alonso's first words.
"I have never hidden my profound admiration for Ayrton Senna, my favorite driver, my idol on the track, my point of reference. I still remember his poster in my wardrobe, the toy cars I had as a child and how I dreamed of emulating Ayrton one day. My first kart had the same livery as Senna's McLaren-Honda, the same combination that I am now honored to join to take part in the next Formula 1 World Championship. I join this project with enormous enthusiasm and determination, knowing that it may take time to obtain the results we aspire to but it is not a problem for me. In the last year I have received several offers, some of which have tempted me a lot given the performance of their cars, but more than a year ago McLaren-Honda contacted me to ask me to take an active part in the return of this partnership that has dominated the Formula 1 scene for a long time. And the perseverance and determination with which they pursued me was of the main factors that pushed me to this decision, without forgetting the main aspect: we share the same common goal, the same expectations and we have a very solid future ahead. I will give 100% for this partnership to be successful, I will do everything to repay the trust based on what I have always done: commitment, sacrifice, perseverance and trust".
The following day, Thursday 11 December 2014, with diplomacy, as required by his role as FIA president, Jean Todt talks about Ferrari, fresh from the revolution from leadership to drivers, through the many changes within the team:
"We all know that Ferrari has great appeal on a global level and even more so in Italy, where there is a certain emotionality. It's part of the beauty of Ferrari, this charm that every now and then makes you make quick decisions compared to other teams. Marchionne is a smart person, very intelligent, a hard worker. Ferrari needs a person who stimulates him with new proposals, who is constructive. This can be profitable. Let's say that Ferrari is like someone who is a little tired, he goes to the doctor and receives a prescription. Ferrari's situation needs to be analyzed in detail and, in light of this analysis, we may have proposals for improvement, without however revolutionizing the situation too much".
Then he adds:
"Ferrari is not sick. I wouldn't use this word which is a bit too exaggerated: for Ferrari, it's an obligation to win. It's part of Ferrari's history, even if you can't always win. I remember that, when we started to win, many began to say that they were tired of these victories, because the result was known before the match. The truth is that satisfaction does not exist neither in one situation nor in the other".
On the new head of sports management, Maurizio Arrivabene, he says:
“He is a character with charisma, smart, and very fond of Ferrari. I remember that when I arrived, he was already the representative of our main sponsor. He is a person with character. It is said that Arrivabene knows how to command as Jean Todt commanded "I'm pleased, I take it as a compliment for myself. From my point of view, Ferrari today is in a considerably better situation than when I arrived on 1 July 1993, when Ferrari was unable to get into the points. It was totally lower than today. Vettel? He has great references, he won the drivers' title for four consecutive years. He is one of the best, a very charismatic, organised, great protagonist, cold, has great qualities".
The Formula 1 year was marred by the accident that occurred to Jules Bianchi, driver of Marussia, in Suzuka:
"We experienced Jules Bianchi's accident with great sadness, because we were no longer used to seeing such dramatic ones for the driver, the family, for the world of motor racing. This made us realize that it is a dangerous sport despite everyone's progress. A bad fate, a succession of episodes that caused this accident to occur with the consequences we know about".
A bad accident also occurred to Michael Schumacher a year ago on the snow of Meribel. Todt is linked to the German by a great friendship:
"Michael is at home, cared for in the best possible way. He needs to win another battle. I see him periodically, at least once a week, and it gives me great satisfaction to be with him, with his family. It's true, it's a year has passed but he is young and has plenty of time to recover. I don't need to wait for Christmas to wish him a happy birthday. I think of Michael every day with great hopes for him and his family".
For Schumacher, however, things are not going well, at least from an economic point of view: in recent months, many commercial partners have canceled their commercial contracts with the German champion. The Swiss media say:
"Many companies took advantage of the precarious health conditions of the former Ferrari driver to interrupt the sponsorship agreements signed with him. The first to take a step back was the Rosbacher mineral water company, then followed by the Navy Boat and Jet Set are in fashion. The last giant to step aside was Philippe Gaydouls, who paid Schumacher 4,000,000 euros a year".
The companies mentioned would have chosen to save money by no longer supporting a testimonial who was no longer able to represent their product.
"Counterproductive move, many customers did not appreciate the about-face".
Friday 12 December 2014 is the day of the Christmas party at Ferrari, the first as team principal and general manager for Maurizio Arrivabene, after the many years in which he intervened in his activity as Philip Morris top manager.
"Now we exchange Christmas greetings, but from January I want to see you not on defense but on attack, because the objective is to bring Scuderia Ferrari back to the positions it deserves. For me it is a great pride to work for this company, which is the most beautiful there is. Companies are made up of people and this one is made up of special people".
Arrivabene addresses a thought to Jules Bianchi and Michael Schumacher:
"Two riders very dear to the team who are currently fighting a long and difficult battle".
And remember Emilio Botin, president of Banco Santander who passed away at the beginning of September. Sergio Marchionne, president of Ferrari, was also present at the party:
"There are many very talented people in this room. I am here to make you work at your best and give you the resources to ensure that, with your skills and a couple of extraordinary drivers that we have, Ferrari is able to compete for the front row. This is why I have decided to call Maurizio Arrivabene who will guarantee you and the Red Team the most effective leadership. Maurizio has my full trust, he has known this world for a long time and has the ability to lead the Scuderia in a difficult period for the team but also for all of Formula 1. Don't fear change, be pro-active, have the courage to give ideas. I know you are capable of it and this is what Ferrari needs".
The property, represented by John Elkann, is also full of expectations in view of 2015:
"Ever since my grandfather made the pact with Enzo, Ferrari has been something absolutely special for us. With mutual respect we have always worked together achieving great results. We are extremely close to Ferrari and are working to guarantee it an even better future. Even on the track we know that there is a lot of work to do, but we are determined to make available all the tools needed to achieve the goals that this Scuderia deserves".
Fernando Alonso's best wishes also reached Maranello via Twitter:
"Christmas dinner at Ferrari! Thanks for everything!! From the bottom of my heart, all the best for the future and #Merry Christmas".
Ferrari starts as favourites, words from Fernando Alonso. A few weeks after the end of the relationship with the Maranello team, the Spanish driver expresses words of great esteem:
"Every season Ferrari is among the favorites at the start. They have to be: everyone expects Ferrari to win in Formula 1. Next year they will be very strong".
Yet during Alonso's time at Ferrari there was more than one problem in the single-seater:
"I think that in these five years they have lost a little in terms of machine performance and technical resources. Sometimes they haven't been at a high level in some aspects of the car, initially in the aerodynamics and now in the power unit".
But the future will be bright:
"Now from the outside it will be difficult to judge what Ferrari is doing, but they have talented people, resources and motivation from everyone in the team, so over time they will win".
On Monday 15 December 2014 the revolution at Ferrari continues at pace: Nicholas Tombazis and Pat Fry leave Maranello, with James Allison taking on the dual role of technical director and interim track engineer.
The new organization, launched by team principal Maurizio Arrivabene, is defined as flatter and with clear responsibilities in the Scuderia Ferrari press release.
"In this way the technical director has overall responsibility for the creation of a competitive single-seater for the team's drivers, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, and for the newcomer Esteban Gutierrez, test driver and third driver".
Technical director, James Allison, will oversee the work of two Italian engineers who grew up at Ferrari, Chief Designer Simone Resta, who takes over from Nicholas Tombazis, and Power Unit director Mattia Binotto. Allison will temporarily direct the track engineering activities, while the direction of the sporting activities relating to Formula 1 is entrusted to Massimo Rivola; finally, Antonello Coletta will take care of the GT and Corse Clienti competitions. Luca Baldisserri will continue to manage the Ferrari Driver Academy, reporting directly to Arrivabene who will also have, on an interim basis, responsibility for the new commercial direction of the team; Renato Bisignani, current Ferrari press manager, will be the new Marketing and Acquisition Manager. The press office was then entrusted to Alberto Antonini, a journalist who had been involved in Formula 1 for a long time as a contributor to newspapers and magazines and a TV commentator first for Rai and then for Sky Italia; Antonini will also coordinate the activities of a new digital group dedicated to Ferrari. Staying on topic, Daniel Ricciardo's excellent year driving Red Bull would have pushed Sebastian Vettel towards Ferrari. This is the theory of Christian Horner, team principal of Red Bull Racing who, together with the German driver, was the architect of the triumphs of the Milton Keynes team. In an interview, in fact, Horner tries to clarify the Vettels' departure.
"Something happened in Sebastian's head in Monza".
The team principal explains, recalling the spectacular overtaking by the Australian against his more experienced teammate who then finished ahead of him at the finish line.
"It was a defining moment for him. He was enormously frustrated after that Grand Prix. There was a moment after the summer break when, knowing Sebastian so well, I could see that he was very distracted and it was obvious that there was something in his head. Ferrari was courting him a lot and, around the time of the Spa and Monza races, he made the decision to do something different next year".
In the opinion of the Red Bull team principal, Vettel arrived at the Singapore Grand Prix with already clear ideas about his future.
"In Singapore you could see that he was a different person. He was more relaxed. His farewell to me in the end was not a big surprise".
The German driver has never made a secret of his passion for Ferrari, the team with which his idol Michael Schumacher won five world titles. In Maranello, Vettel will team up with his friend Kimi Raikkonen.
"It was the right time for Sebastian. He had been at Red Bull since he was 12 years old and he did great things here. He won four world championships, 39 grand prix and 45 pole positions. He must have thought: I arrived at 27 years old, not I want to end my career without having raced for Ferrari and I have a great opportunity to go there. The lure of Ferrari is huge for any driver".
2014 for Ferrari, in Marchionne's words, was a disaster and the new president, making his first public appearance as Montezemolo's heir, doesn't want to hear about it anymore.
We don't look at the past, we think about the future, with cautious optimism, but without deceiving anyone. Sergio Marchionne, wearing his usual blue sweater, in front of two Christmas trees, is not moved by the Christmas atmosphere. As Maurizio Arrivabene, the new head of the team who is at his side, claims:
"At Christmas it's right to be nicer, but from January 1st we at Ferrari must all be very bad".
Hungry for rebirth and victories, like the new boss, who uses harsh words about the previous management and shows the way for the red team to come and its mandatory redemption. President Marchionne, why do you tense up at the mere mention of 2014?
"A team like Ferrari cannot suffer all those disappointments. A year to forget. Erase from any memory".
His first act was to cut off many heads...
"I was certain I had to change so much. I know from experience that in every restructuring it is worth changing the leaders. There are young people behind them who have great potential and who, freed from their superior, can express their genius. Here we need to re-found. And I behaved as I always have".
Many paid, starting with the team principal, Marco Mattiacci.
"On a commercial level, his work in Ferrari was excellent, but F1 is another thing. He was learning the trade, but we couldn't restart the team and support his growth at the same time. Better to be on the safe side with Arrivabene, who knows this world, has great experience and I am convinced he will do excellent things".
What worries you most about the new course?
"The starting point. We are far behind due to the choices made in 2014, decisions that I don't agree with. We insisted on the old machine, given the final result it wasn't worth it, and we neglected the new one. Now we are trying to recover, but we risk carrying the lost time with us for the whole season, even if the boys are splitting themselves in four, a phenomenal commitment and they deserve support to move forward".
However, with the risk of achieving little or nothing, at least in 2015.
"It took Mercedes two years to get so far ahead, we, given that work on the power unit began last season, must catch up at the end of 2015".
And before?
"Tell the truth, without deceiving the fans. If in the next World Championship we win two races it is a success, three is a triumph. If we reach four we are worthy of Heaven".
Does Vettel know?
"He is not naive, he saw Ferrari on the track, he knew the situation before signing. He knows what awaits him, but he is also attracted by our potential. His bet is to create the foundations for a winning future. When a team changes three team principal in a year, it means that something is wrong. The men in the pits were disoriented, now they know that the ideas are clear".
The revolution was profound, do you intend to change anything further?
"Clear is the latest signing, chosen by Arrivabene, he will take Fry's place. The organization chart is full".
Unless we convince Newey, father of Red Bull, or the illustrious former Brawn.
"These are closed discussions".
Did Vettel choose him?
"It was necessary to close the relationship with Alonso, the discussion with Vettel had already begun before my arrival, under my management the agreement was finalized".
Could changing the rules help the chase?
"We have already achieved a victory with the different use of the tokens, the dosage of interventions on the power unit. Now it is less difficult. Changing the rules would be a favor for everyone. It is an incomprehensible labyrinth, it seems to be made by four drunks at the bar talking to each other same joke. Simplify".
Maybe Montezemolo will take care of it. Why didn't he want to join the F1 board?
"Ferrari has the right of veto over the CEO, operational role, over Ecclestone's successor, not over an honorary position like his. There was no need to oppose it. If he had had a director in his hands, we would have done so. It's a question of fair play, he led Ferrari for too many years, how would our opponents have read his appointment? I would have also opposed Todt, head of the FIA. As I maintain that I could not be the president of Volkswagen. Certain things are not done. Risk or not, it's better to avoid it".