Todt reveals he planned to quit Ferrari

The Frenchman, who has long considered retirement, claims that he would have quit the Maranello outfit at the end of 2006 if Michael Schumacher, technical director Ross Brawn, and engine chief Paolo Martinelli had decided to stay on board.

In the end Schumacher retired, Brawn has taken a sabbatical and Martinelli has moved to another part of the company. Those movements have not only led to a major staffing reshuffle at the team this winter, but also forced Todt to delay his plans to leave as well.

"This period of change denied me the right to abandon ship," said Todt in a lengthy interview with French newspaper Le Figaro.

"But if everyone had remained - namely Michael, our technical director Ross Brawn, and Paolo Martinelli - I would have surely left."

Ferrari sources have subsequently confirmed to autosport.com that Todt was serious about his intentions to retire, with speculation suggesting he could still do that at the end of 2007 if Brawn decides to return as team boss for 2008.

Todt added that when he does leave Ferrari, he will not simply head for an idle retirement.

"It is very difficult to turn the page," he said. "I have other interests that are just as gratifying, like the ICM (brain and spinal chord charity that Todt is a patron of).

"The problem is not Ferrari. With age, time gets shorter and for me the brain is a muscle - I will never stop making it work. I want to remain attentive, and to keep the spirit occupied.

"Many people younger than me do not tolerate my workloads and do not look at things with my freshness. I have evolved within Ferrari to reach a new stage."