Jean Todt and Schumacher’s mistakes
In the long interview granted to the podcast High Performance, former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt clearly spoke about his time in Maranello and Michael Schumacher. Of the German champion, in addition to his successes, he also highlighted what – in his opinion – were mistakes that then cost him other world championships: “In 1997 Michael deliberately rammed Villeneuve, but he did it badly. It cost him the championship, as in Monaco 2006 qualifying when he deliberately spun“.
Willi Weber doesn’t agree and accuses Todt
Jean Todt’s words reached Willi Weber, Schumacher’s historic first manager in F1, who defended his former client to the German newspaper Express: “I am speechless. Why would he say such a thing? Especially considering Michael’s difficult situation. Anyone who knows him knows there was no intention behind it. They were tough maneuvers, but necessary to defend his position and thus also the possible title.”
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Weber explained that he doesn’t understand Todt’s motivations: “We have seen much more violent maneuvers in the world championship fight, just think of Senna and Prost. Where would we end up if a seven-time world champion could no longer make mistakes? Besides, a lot of time has passed and these things have been thoroughly analyzed. Perhaps Todt wants to exonerate himself retrospectively?”
Willi Weber then revealed that he had no further contact with Jean Todt after Schumacher’s skiing accident.
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