Todt says fans still love Ferrari

Some pundits are predicting that those fans who were incensed by the team orders that forced Rubens Barrichello to hand victory to leader Michael Schumacher will vote with their remote controls and chose not to watch this weekend's Monaco GP, traditionally one of the most popular on the calendar. But Todt thinks viewing figures will not be unduly affected.

"Some people claim they won't watch it (F1) any more. But I think the Monaco Grand Prix will have an exceptional audience this year," he told French newspaper L'Equipe.

"The public will want to know what Ferrari are going to do now, to find out what happens next in the story."

Todt admitted that he has been a little surprised by the strength of feeling expressed since Austria, but reiterated the team's stance that it would act in the same way again while the championship remains unresolved.

"I think...it was disproportionate to the 'problem'," he added. "But in some ways I should be pleased.

"When we took on Barrichello, it was seen as a bad choice. It seemed like we hired a good-for-nothing, a whinger. Today the whole world finds it normal for him to win and for us to have faith in him.

"At the end of the day, our current 'problem' is to explain our team strategy when our drivers are in a position to finish first and second. We could be in a far more difficult position. A lot of teams would doubtless love to have such concerns at the moment.

"I know that the public love us," he concluded. "They have been let down, they are angry. But anger is a part of life. Do sailors stop loving the sea because of the storms?"