Jean Todt is unlikely to return to Ferrari in a representation role as chairman John Elkann is uninterested in the former FIA President returning to help Mattia Binotto.
Additionally, MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, who retired from two-wheelers at the end of 2021, was keen to be part of the Ferrari GT program which would give him racing options, whilst the Reds would benefit from the massive PR Vale is bringing to the team have organization.
But those in power at Maranello saw no value in having 42-year-old Rossi as part of the program and deemed him too inexperienced to be part of Ferrari’s factory effort.
Of course, Audi has stepped onto the plate and the Italian great will be driving for them this season.
In Formula 1, the Reds woke up last year to finish the 2021 season third in the Constructors’ Championship, best of the other but nowhere near the best after going through one of their worst periods.
In December, the idea was raised that Todt could play a role at Scuderia similar to that in the hugely successful partnership Niki Lauda had with Toto Wolff. The kind of right-hand man Binotto was missing.
John Elkann has decided not to continue this valuable but complex collaboration
Todt’s availability made such a move seem logical, but logic and Ferrari rarely apply these days, as Corriere F1 correspondent Giorgio Terruzzi reported: “The proposed return of the former FIA President – who worked at Ferrari from 1993 to 2009 and Michael Schumacher’s happy Adventures – was actually presented by Todt himself to John Elkann.
“After a number of deliberations, Elkann has decided for the time being not to continue this valuable but complex collaboration, in which Todt would have played a super-adviser role. Placing yourself as a reference for both the Ferrari President and Mattia Binotto. A kind of mentor for the Scuderia, also on the sport-political front.
“Obviously, Elkann preferred to abandon a solution that perhaps didn’t seem fully defined to him given his personality [Todt] and certainly doesn’t seem crucial at this stage in Ferrari history to grapple with a new era,” added the report, referring to the new rules package for F1 that comes into effect this year.
2022 will be a year of reckoning for Ferrari, should they not produce a competitive car – capable of winning races again – it’s hard to see confidence remaining in Binotto, the biggest team in F1 alone conduct. For now, the future of the team’s leadership structure remains unchanged, but a “2022 SF22 shitbox” won’t do.
Looking ahead, there will be additional workloads on the Scuderia’s racing fronts, including the all-important Ferrari F1 program as well as their forthcoming WEC Hypercar/Le Mans project; with the idea of Todt overseeing the two fronts, a position he would have appreciated, although those around him speak of some disappointment at the lack of enthusiasm from his former employers.
Binotto: It was an honor to work with Jean Todt
The report speculated if the door to Maranello is closed to Todt senior, adding: “Will this be forever? It’s not certain, but Todt isn’t the type to take him on vacation.”
Todt’s return to Maranello makes sense as Binotto could use some extra muscle in his corner for obvious reasons while the French motorsport veteran has been building teams that have won in WRC, WEC and F1. He is also arguably one of the best connected men in motorsport. His son Nicolas directs Charles Leclerc.
Last month, after insisting that the Todt-Ferrari theory was pure speculation, Binotto seemed excited about the idea of his return: “I worked with Jean Todt, he was my boss. I think I learned a lot from him. It was an honor to work with him and I would also say that whatever the future, I will still be honored to work with him because I still believe that Mattia and als Team, there is still a lot to learn.”
Rossi in Red not only revives an old dream of Valentino but of an endless audience of Tifosi
The Rossi story differs in that it is a GT and Le Mans racing program, not F1. However, snubbing the universally revered Italian sports icon and a rather handy Tintop driver is just as incomprehensible as Terruzzi’s report explains.
“The lack of collaboration with Valentino Rossi is something completely different. After retiring from MotoGP and exploring four-wheel drive options, he looked to Ferrari as a fundamental reference.
“Rossi in Red is an image that revives an old dream, not only for Valentino, but also for an endless audience of Tifosi who have long eagerly let Rossi postpone proposals from Audi and BMW when negotiating an agreement with Maranello.
“It didn’t happen. Contacts with Antonello Coletta, head of Ferrari’s closed wheel programs, did not lead to the desired result, they got lost between distinction and semi-bureaucratic complications.”
Rossi was testing for the Ferrari F1 team as a move from two to four wheels was considered at one point in his career, but several years of flirting came to nothing. But a bond was formed between the driver and the team.
Unlike Ferrari, Audi treated Valentino with respect
The report continued: “Valentino tried to share a dream that he considers fundamental at this point in his life and career, with no mandatory goals but open to any possible development.
“Something the value of which Vincent Vosse, leader of the WRT-Audi team, understood all along and gave Rossi the opportunity he was looking for and immediately gave him a car for a first test (at Valencia) with the idea set to expand projects and prospects The near future.
“Unlike Ferrari, Audi treated Valentino with respect, not as a driver to be pooled among other inexperienced would-be drivers, but as one like no other; He is immensely talented with a desire to push and test himself to the max and of course Rossi’s endless popularity. A smart, very low-risk bet by Audi.”
Elkann has been chairman of Ferrari since the death of Sergio Marchionne in 2018, with Enzo’s son Piero appointed vice chairman and Benedetto Vigna appointed CEO last June. The latter presented his vision for the brand earlier this month.
