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Todt finds positive in Ferrari's defeat

Ferrari can have no complaints about losing the world championship to Renault this season, the team's sporting director Jean Todt believes

Although the Maranello outfit clearly had a car quick enough to beat Renault to the titles, poor reliability in the Japanese Grand Prix and Brazilian qualifying handed the advantage to their rivals.

But despite seeing their efforts wasted, Todt thinks the team can still be proud of what they achieved this year - especially having bounced back from a poor start to the season.

"In a way it's a good thing that the championship is over," he explained. "A certain disappointment we have, because winning nine Grands Prix out of 18, seven for Michael [Schumacher], two for Felipe [Massa], we would have preferred to bring home the championships, or at least one.

"It did not happen, we were facing a very strong competitor, and they managed simply to score more points than we did.

"Saying that, I think Ferrari have been very strong this year, probably the biggest rewards I can see is the quality of the team, the quality of the people, the atmosphere we have in the team.

"We were far behind at a certain period of the championship and we came back two races before the end of the championship.

"We were not reliable enough in the two last races, and it has been paid at a high cost, which is fair. So no complaint, and now we have to close the chapter and open another one, and that's part of the Ferrari history."

Todt also said that there was no question mark about the clash between Giancarlo Fisichella and Michael Schumacher, which resulted in his driver getting a puncture.

"It's definitely in the overtaking manoeuvre that he got the puncture. We have to see in slow motion.

"It's definitely a racing incident, but let's say that the overtaking manoeuvre wasn't very much helped, which I can understand. It wasn't very well supported and probably it did not help Michael in his overtaking."

There was also no illusion that a new chapter in Ferrari's history was about to begin following the retirement of Schumacher and imminent staff changes.

"We have great drivers, great engineers, great mechanics, great partners and it's a chapter which is ending with the decision Michael has taken to retire from Formula One driver," he said.

"I definitely feel sad about that, even if I share his decision and if I understand his decision.

"Michael probably would have rather preferred to finish on a different result this year, but I would say that he has demonstrated again what kind of fighter he is."

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