Читать книгу Ferrari: The Passion and the Pain - Jane Nottage - Страница 15

JEAN TODT’S THOUGHTS WERE ON HIS FUTURE

The beginning of the European season brought some respite for Ferrari. It is easier to work on the car nearer to home and also easier to transport equipment. In addition, more VIP visitors and new team members join the circuit.

The new press centre motorhome made its debut at the Nurburgring for the fourth race of the season. Shiny, bright red and constantly preened and polished, it is a focal point in the paddock and a home for the official team press conferences, as well as for guests.

In terms of the racing, Schumacher was second fastest on the Friday (even with, or maybe because of, an out of sorts stomach!), with Irvine wallowing down in 15th place. The cars were now fitted with the 1996 gearbox and a few new aerodynamic modifications after testing at Mugello (in Italy). Irvine’s car suffered a misfire, which remained a puzzle until a few laps before the end of the session. He was also suffering from a lack of testing. Most, if not all, testing had been done by the Number One driver, and it hasn’t been easy for the Ulsterman to sit back and watch. He has, to his credit, accepted his lot with his usual dark, dry humour. When asked how he coped with Schumacher’s supreme fitness, Irvine remarked, ‘I just call him up, ask him how many press-ups he’s done, then ask him to do a few for me.’

Schumacher was, once again, cautious about his prospects for the race. ‘I have tried many different solutions and although the car is quite good I did not manage to get it perfectly balanced. I will try and improve tomorrow [at the Saturday qualifying session] but the position I am in today is pretty much what I had expected. The testing at Mugello was positive but our progress can only be measured in 10ths of a second and definitely not in “a few” seconds.’

With the media hanging around waiting for a disaster and the Fiat hierarchy sitting in the background, the man right in the middle of the heat was once again Jean Todt. It was difficult to hazard a guess at what he might be thinking. However, talk to him and behind the diffident air is a sensitive and highly perceptive professional. To allow the team to work with confidence he is happy to delegate responsibility to his managers and allow them to get on with things. But that doesn’t mean he is unaware of what is going on. His quick mind picks up and tunes in to other people’s insecurities as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

At Nurburgring, his thoughts were on the team and his future. ‘It is difficult to find good people, and that is why we have been slowly building the team, until now, when we are at the point of having very good people on board. It is then difficult to get people to work together efficiently and difficult to build stability. I like to be aware of, and in control of, everything.’

The man whose job epitomizes the expression ‘the buck stops here’ is under relentless pressure, but he is unlikely to give it up until he has seen it through to the end and at least one World Championship.

You don’t build a team, take on the double World Champion as your Number One driver, then turn your back on it and hand success on a plate to another man.

The Mugello test had been of vital importance in more than one way. Nigel Stepney takes up the story: ‘At the moment we can win or lose a race on pit stops. We have to practise on the race car as each car is slightly different and there are 20 people to co-ordinate in seven seconds. After the South American races I analysed all the pit stops to see where we were making mistakes and losing time. Shell then came to our rescue by shooting an ad all day at Mugello, which required us to do endless pit stops. It was the best practice we have ever had.’

Back in England, John Barnard was wrestling with his desire for perfection and the lack of time in which to achieve it. He wanted to continue using titanium for the gearbox casing, but time constraints had forced him to relinquish his drive to push Formula One forward into the future, and develop new ideas that in the long run would prove better and more efficient. Like many new concepts the teething problems were not difficult to rectify, but it needed that elusive element, time, and time is one thing you just don’t have in Formula One racing.

At the Nurburgring Schumacher proved that he is worth the $25 million that Ferrari is paying him and, after qualifying third, came second behind the Williams of Jacques Villeneuve in the race. It was an unexpected result that delighted the thousands of Schumacher fans who crowded round the podium to celebrate. Schumacher declared, ‘I didn’t expect to run so close to Williams. I am pleased for the mechanics and all the crew.’

Part of the reason for his determination was a phone call from his brother Ralf, who had come third in a race in Japan and challenged his brother to beat this. He promptly did! Montezemolo was ecstatic and celebrated with the team, although like everyone he tried to play down the next race at Imola. Schumacher was about to race for Ferrari in Italy, for the first time. After the result in Germany the tifosi were hot for more, and nothing would dampen their spirits as they prepared to make the journey to Imola.

Imola, like Monza, is a little bit different. The tifosi follow Ferrari to the ends of the earth, but when Formula One comes to Italy, they really push the boat out. Flags, banners and scarves litter the banks and stands around the race track, and in keeping with Italy’s reputation as a Mecca of style, Antonio Ghini, director of communications, ensures that the Ferrari fan clubs use the right marque, logo and colours. ‘For years millions of products were produced and sold unofficially, but now we have developed a close relationship with the fan clubs and we ensure that they have the right products at the races. The image of the exclusive Ferrari marque must be conserved and maintained.’

Such is the passion of the Italian fans that Claudio Berro had to devise an ingenious way of getting Schumacher in and out of the track. ‘We had three or four plain-clothed policemen to help us, and we could use a police escort if necessary. Schumacher used to arrive at Fiorano by car, then we would transport him by helicopter to the circuit. We had a Fiat Ulysses with darkened windows to transport him from the helicopter to the track.’

Eddie Irvine got a round of applause from the media before he had even set foot in Imola for speaking in Italian at the Fiorano press conference on the Thursday before the race. This was definitely scoring points off team-mate Schumacher who, once again, was being cautious: ‘Imola is a very bumpy track. Our car has problems over bumps as the aerodynamic system is not perfect. I expect problems to get the car handling right. The chances are we won’t be as successful as we were at Nurburgring. We need time to translate the changes we’ve made in the wind tunnel to the car. The car has potential.’

Schumacher also paid tribute to Ferrari designer, John Barnard: ‘I think Barnard is very good. The success we had at Benetton is due to a certain extent to him, as he started the car.’ (Barnard worked at Benetton for 18 months until the end of 1991.) This was another example of how Schumacher protects his colleagues who are in the firing line. His ability quickly to paste over any cracks in team loyalty was going to prove vital in the months to come.

There is a great family tradition in Italy and it spreads to every aspect of the Italian lifestyle. In Italy the football teams always spend the night before a match together, to build team spirit. The Ferrari team does the same. The night before everyone left for Imola, the drivers and management had dinner with Montezemolo, who impressed calm and optimism on them in equal quantities. By this stage Jean Todt had decided that the car would not be rebuilt, but that they would work on improving the aerodynamics. He said that there should be improvements by mid-season.

One of the improvements was seen a little before mid-season. The V10 engine had been consistent and good, but there was a new improved version due at Imola which proved to be reliable, although the top speed was still a little way off its competitors. However, doubts were pushed aside as Schumacher took his first pole position for Ferrari at Imola. He pushed Damon Hill off the number one spot in the closing moments of the session, before spinning to a halt with a broken left rear track rod as he turned into the Tamburello corner.

Jean Todt was very happy with the pole position. ‘This result has come from hard work and a combination of the improved aerodynamics, a more drivable engine and, of course, the power of Michael Schumacher.’

Giorgio Ascanelli was worried about the brakes rather than the engine. It had been decided that the new version of the brakes would not be run in the race, due to caution rather than any actual problem. After the second practice Ascanelli, wiping sweat from his furrowed brow said, ‘I’m not happy with the way things are going. I’m not worried about the race, but I am worried that the brakes won’t last the race.’ It was an observation borne out from long experience. Schumacher crossed the line in second place and his car ground to a halt as the brakes gave out.

Eddie Irvine finished fourth and for the first time both drivers were in the points. Things were looking up, although new modifications were still needed, not least with the clutch which was not proving reliable and led to the difficult starts that both drivers were experiencing.

None the less, Schumacher’s success entranced the Italian population. Over 10 million people watched the Grand Prix on television in Italy. That was a 55 per cent share of viewing figures and an absolute record for Formula One. There had been nothing like it since eight million people had watched Alain Prost when he drove for Ferrari in the Italian Grand Prix. It showed that people were once again believing in the prancing horse.