Q & A with Jean Todt

Saying that, we were very nervous that something could go wrong because we knew that we had the two quickest cars on the track and it's very good and it allows us to still think that we can fight for both championships and it's what we are going to try to do for the next and for the last six races, starting from next week.

Q. Ross made the point earlier that psychologically it's important because Alonso now has to beat you. He can't just finish second for the rest of the season.

JT: We still have to beat him, because he's still eleven points in front of us and eleven times he's scored points, it's not because... you have a race where it doesn't work for different reasons as well as it has been since the beginning of the season and immediately you conclude that you are better. So at the moment they are better because they are in front.

Q. Regarding the fact that the next race is already next weekend and you can't change the cars and there's a test ban, there's not much time to develop the cars; do you view this race as a turning point in the championship?

JT: No, for me the turning point is if it happens one day that we get in front of the others, that will be the turning point. At the moment, we are still behind.

Q. But does that make you more confident now, this situation, because there will be no big changes to the cars?

JT: We are still hoping to fight for both championships.

Q. Jean, is it the case that your car is working better with the tyres, or the tyres improving at a quick rate?

JT: Everything's improving. I think we improved the car. Bridgestone did a great work on the tyres, probably we learned better how to chose the tyres, which are the best to suit our cars. We are not suffering as we were suffering in the past, of lack of grip for the qualifying lap and we managed to be good on the qualifying lap and durability we have been quite competitive as well over the last races.

Q. What are the reasons for that? A better understanding of the car that makes you able to choose the right tyre and get rid of the lack of grip?

JT: I think Bridgestone made a very good step forward. Today, if you see the five or six quickest times during the race, they are all Bridgestone tyres, all Bridgestone runners except Raikkonen with third time, but I think the first six or seven quickest during the race are Bridgestone runners.

Q. Are you surprised by Ferrari and Renault?

JT: At this race, yes, but this race is not a reflection of all the rest of the circuits which are going to come, it's one race and I don't know what they did, maybe not the best choice of tyres, maybe not the best... I don't know, but sure, I don't think you have to put Renault in the bin because they did not do a good race. I think you must be cautious with your judgement, it's my opinion.

Q. That can happen to any team, including yourselves?

JT: It happened to us. You forgot? I'm amazed how you guys have short memories very often, huh? It's maybe easier to write news stories but I try not to have a short memory. It happened, we fucked up a lot of times and we paid which I always said is normal. You fuck up, you lose.

You do a good result, you score points. I think that's normal. When it's not normal, when you say somebody does a good job and you say he does a bad job or if he does a bad job and you say he does a good job, that's different, but otherwise it's normal.

Q. But there must be a reason for that, in Australia the tyre choice was obviously very bad...

JT: So we paid. And we improved, because we've got good guys. We analyse the situation better.

Q. Do you think the banning of mass dampers has had an effect on this weekend at all?

JT: I don't know by how much. I said before, you put that because it looks good on the car because you don't see it. If you put it on the car, you do so because you feel it's an advantage of performance. How big an advantage of performance? It's definitely not one second but I don't know how much it can be.

Q. You spoke very warmly about Kimi Raikkonen in your post-race comments in the press release.

JT: No I didn't. I made a general comment. I said that on the podium there were my three favourite drivers which is true, but it's nothing new. You feel it's new because you are speculating who is going to drive, who will be announced but if you take my comments two years ago, when I was told, by the same guys: who do you prefer among the new drivers?

I always said Raikkonen so if you have Schumacher, he's my hero, you have Massa, I'm very close to him, he does a good job. We've had him for five or six years with us and Kimi... so it's true that.... It's no other message.

Q. Rubens won't be very happy.

JT: It's not a question... maybe Rubens would be number four. Even if I hate making classifications, they were my three favourites, including Rubens in the list.

Q. Why is he? Why is Kimi one of your three favourites?

JT: Why? I tell you, because firstly he's among the three best drivers in the world. The three best, for me, are, even if I hate making a list because we are not talking about mushrooms or cleaning... but the three best are Michael, Alonso and Kimi, in my opinion, if they have a car.

All of them, if they don't have the car you cannot deliver and then you have a few others, four or five, who are not in my opinion at the same level. Among them, you have Felipe so that's one reason. Number two he's a normal guy, he's never finding excuses, he's never complaining and I like his style. That's all.

Q. Do you like him purely for his speed?

JT: Maybe you will see what I said after.

Q. He's one of the three best drivers in the world. Why?

JT: And I said to you...

Q. What about Felipe, for instance?

JT: He did a very good step forward over the years. Today he was very strong, he has been very strong very often. Now he's more confident because he's driving a good car, he has the team supporting him, but he still needs some experience to be consistent over a season but I think he has the skills to become very talented... he is already very talented, but he needs more.

Q. He showed in the press conference today that he's becoming a little bit frustrated at coming second. This is normal for a racing driver...

JT: Frustrated, he likes to win. He's never yet had the taste of winning a race but he's a professional driver and he's reacting in a very professional way, but do you know a driver who doesn't like to win? But he knows that the current situation, he must bring as many points as possible and support the team for both championships.

Q. Speaking about the three best drivers in the world, can you imagine or are you worried about the situation where Ferrari may have none of those top three drivers next year?

JT: No. You asked me a question: if I'm worried? No, that's the final point. I'm not going to get into that because the next step you will ask me the names. The names will be announced in Monza, after the race.

Q. Michael's manager said that if he wins the title this year, he should stop. Is that an opinion you share?

JT: I will make those comments... you know, at the moment Michael loves driving. He loves driving, I think he demonstrates every weekend how good he is so Michael is a very clever guy, so I really feel my encouragement to Michael is do what your heart tells you, rather than the manager, his team boss... So he has to make... he knows that as long as he wants, he can drive a Ferrari.

We are very happy, more than happy but I hope he wants to drive. Ferrari is responsible, if he does want, I will respect. Today, 89 wins, 70 with Ferrari, seven times World Champion. He just needs to drive if he wants to drive.

Q. Will you be staying with the team for the next couple of years?

JT: About the team organisation: end of the season. Let's get the appointments after the race. Then you get the drivers' announcement and team organisation end of the season.

Q. Do you have anything left to achieve in Formula One?

JT: Again, we were talking about Michael. I really love the guys, they are great, it's a unique atmosphere. You can see it, you don't need to talk or to say it. You can see it with your guys and I think it's unique and surely... I remember when I was almost 30 years ago when I left the Peugeot team, we had the same atmosphere and for me it was very tough to leave them.

I must say that over the years we managed to build such a fantastic group where I don't think we can say we have geniuses in the group but we have people who are dedicated, committed and I very often take this example which I quite like. At the moment we are in the world of high technology.

If you take a sailing boat, the pinnacle of high technology in heavy winds, storm in the sea. It will go slower than a standard boat with a beautiful wind behind you, so that's what we try to achieve.

Q. Can I just ask about your future, to make sure? You won't make any announcement about your role until after the drivers have been confirmed.

JT: Until the end of the season. Most of the time it has been like that, so it's nothing strange, nothing new. The drivers, we need to announce it earlier for different reasons, contracts and all that and on the team... the day I leave, I will not leave to go to any similar job or position, so that makes things much easier for announcing things.

Q. I would imagine that Michael would want to know that you're going to be there next year.

JT: That's a good point, that's what we will announce, inside... Michael, fortunately we don't have that... when we talk which can... so I think we will have a quite clear understanding of the situation on that side.

Q. Jean, I'm sorry to press you on Kimi. Why is he among your favourites?

JT: I said that, because he's a humble guy, he's not talking, he's never complaining. Not Kimi. He never gives a mistake to the others and he's a great guy and I must say that in my previous career I've been working with Finnish drivers as a co-driver and I quite like their style.

Q. It sounds as though you've spent some time with Kimi...

JT: With Finnish people, yes. Finnish drivers. I never...no. Honestly, I didn't spend a lot of time with Kimi.

Q. How did you get this impression?

JT: Seeing him reacting. When you have a guy who is leading until the last corner and who retires, you can see when you have a guy who is not doing as well as he could expect and you can see, he never tries to find an excuse. A lot do. Like Michael.