Todt Urges Ferrari to Keep Feet on the Ground

The Ferrari team aim to repeat their success of the past two seasons but they know they face tough competition, according to the team's sporting director Jean Todt.

The historic Italian squad have won back to back drivers' and constructors' titles in 2000 and 2001, with German star Michael Schumacher enjoying a record-breaking season last year. The four-time champion won nine races and finished 58 points ahead of his closest rival in the standings.

But speaking at the launch of the new 2002 challenger, Todt has urged the team to keep being realistic and not underestimate their competitors.

"Clearly we want to continue winning and we will do everything we can to make that possible but we also want to keep our feet on the ground," said Todt. "We know that this year the competition will be tough, as we are also competing against the big manufacturers.

"They have obviously not come into F1 to lose and will therefore do their utmost to compete with the sport's protagonists right from the start. What is fundamental for us is that we respect the work of the others and don't underestimate our adversaries, nor should we use them as an alibi or excuse for potential defeats."

All Formula One teams are carrying out intensive testing programmes to be ready for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, but Todt says the real performance of the new cars are hard to see before the first race of the year.

"The tests that each team are carrying out individually aren't easy to analyse," he added. "So therefore it is very difficult to make comparisons and understand how they will perform in race trim, even if the times are interesting. We are expecting very tough competition, but this is the beauty of racing."