What's Ferrari going to do when TGF retires?

[DNQ]

What is going to happen to Ferrari when TGF retires? Will they be able to consistently win races and championships? Or will they drop back to a top midfield runner like the mid-90's.

Did we see a glimpse of the future when TGF broke his leg in 1999? Oh, and who will drive for the prancing horse?

[PoweredByHonda]

Perhaps Villeneuve?
His father drove gloriously for Ferrari so perhaps Jacques will as well

[Valve Bounce]

Originally posted by DNQ
What is going to happen to Ferrari when TGF retires? Will they be able to consistently win races and championships? Or will they drop back to a top midfield runner like the mid-90's.

It all depends whether Ferrari will hire an Italian manager after John Toad. If they do, all the factional fighting will resume and they will go midfield even with the top two drivers in the world in their team. :confused:

[Nuvolari]

How about this:

Todt stays . . . Michael hands reins to Ralf.

The Horse keeps Prancing.

[Gt_R]

Perhaps we could see Ralf and Kimi Raikonnen in Ferrari??

Ralf's contract at Williams end at the same time Michael's end with Ferrari, and Kimi had a 3 year deal which tied him to Sauber. Kimi is expected to finish at least 2 years of his contract, which means he might be free to move after next year, in exchange for a sweeter Ferrari engine deal to sauber...into Ruben's seat! Then Michael would nurture Kimi in 2003 and 2004 and let him and his brother rule!

[Airhead]

I would not be so presumptuous to know what goes on in the mind of Ferrari but, the rest of us who truly love the sport can begin rejoicing.

[Liz]

What will they do? Cartwheels.

Since they are betraying Enzo Ferrari's absolute prohibition against Affirmative Action - Ferrari started his own team because he himself was treated unfairly by his race team - once TGF retires they will go back to the original vision of Ferrari and again have a two-car team.

Jacques will never drive for Ferrari - for one thing he's not good enough, and for another, he will not want to finish what's left of his career under the remorseless comparison with his father, who is still a God at Ferrari. I would suggest that once the doors have opened to competition again, Montoya and Ralf would make a nice team for Ferrari.

[Damon]

Ferrari will plumit down the grid very quickely. I can quite easily see Williams returning to the dominent force they were in '92 and '93 with Ralf and Monty trading WDC for a few years.

BTW Liz, Villeneuve is definately good enough to drive a Ferrari, if he was sitting in DC's seat this year the title would be far more closely run than it is at the moment.

[bella]

what will they do? panic?!

one of their major mistakes could have been to let saint fernando sign a contract with renault. if only they hadn't wanted him to go to prost for a few years...

ralf will stay at bmw. what could be better than a german superteam?

[RussianFriend]

The end of TGF career isn't the end of the world. The real looose for Ferrari will be only if they realy think it's the end. TGF is just talented and motivated driver, not the God. And with all Ferrari's money they are able to find the replacement amoung the grid-members.

The more difficult thing is to restore the team management if they decide to retire tiogether with TGF. But they may offer the management position to TGF.

[BBKing]

What's Ferrari going to do when TGF retires?

They will celebrate the end of the 3rd Reich

Ferrari will be the real racing team once was. Not the one that only gives one driver the possibility of winning. The team that I will support like I did before Schumacher got there .

[JeremySmith]

IMHO Michael Schumacher will stay on at Ferrari in an advisory capacity..I don't feel that he would be the right person to replace Jean Todt..But look at Gerhard and BMW he seem's to be doing a very fine job, former driver and all of that!

[EERO]

Ebb and flow, ebb and flow.


Ferrari will slide down the Grid and their current dominance will fade as it did after the departure of Lauda.

I suspect that Ralf will remain with BMW for the long term, where he can forge his own identity and be a German Driver associated with a German Manufacturer. His choice to live in Austria and not Monaco should shed some light onto his intentions and his manner.


Willaims also have over the past twenty years, a much better record of sustained competitiveness-their only slips being when their engine partners have moved on, (Honda, Renault) once they have created and nurtured a new partnership, they have been dominant. I would expect the same to come from their acsssociation with BMW. Ralf is poised for great things of his own merit. I doubt he would ever want to go to Ferrari where he would compared endlessly with his brother.

TGF will become an annoying know-it all at Ferrari as Lauda did.

[Liz]

TGF, the new Lauda. Now that is a scary thought.

I do not think Jacques would be able to win at Ferrari. He would be under intense pressure and scrutiny from those who still worship his father as a God, and he cannot measure up to what Gilles was (or what he has become, since people tend to remember the dead with great fondness and kind of skip over their faults).

Once TGF has gone away I will again cheer for Ferrari. I have always liked the Two Red Cars. But I can't say I've always liked the pilots they employ.

[senna12]

I think they will lose focus for awhile. they have been so committed to one individual for so long, they miss parts of the bigger picture.

A lot will depend on the drivers. It would be wise for MS to start grooming someone sooner than later, the longer he leaves it, the worse it will be. Rubens doesn't fit the bill. I get the feeling that he doesn't want to share any of the immense power he has amassed while at Ferrari. At least until his legend is firmly secured, through stats and the power of the modern media. (oh yeah, and affirmative action, too )

[DNQ]

Well, Ferrari is so obviously built around TGF, that when he retires, they'll fall apart. Until they get someone else to build the team around. Rubens certainly, in my opinion, is not the right man for the job. I guess we'll have to wait and see what the future holds for the prancing horse.

[tanalised]

You are all assuming it will be a current F1 driver that fills TGF's seat aren't you? Maybe it won't. Luca Badoer certainly knows the team and car inside out. Maybe he's too old (I honestly don't know)

[Airhead]

Yes I think he is too old actually, especially in 2004!~

[JeremySmith]

QUOTE Originally posted by BBKing What's Ferrari going to do when TGF retires?

They will celebrate the end of the 3rd Reich

Is that so Mr King...Michael Schumacher could be Chinese as far as I am concerned,he is still the most consistent driver on the grid. LQQK at his qualifying times,look at his race results, and look at the dedication that guy has shown to that team..Need I say more!

[Ralf's Girl]

When TGF retires it'll be all change at Ferrari - Jean Todt is leaving and there'll be no reason for members of the team who followed him from Benetton (like Ross Brawn) to stay. I don't believe Ralf will go to Ferrari because he gets enough comparisons to his brother without racing at the same team as well. And for the same reason, I believe that Villeneuve won't ever go to Ferrari - he doesn't want constant comparisons to his father.

[BBKing]

Originally posted by Jersound
Is that so Mr King...Michael Schumacher could be Chinese as far as I am concerned,he is still the most consistent driver on the grid. LQQK at his qualifying times,look at his race results, and look at the dedication that guy has shown to that team..Need I say more!
[/B]

The 3rd Reich has nothing to do with nationality in this case. It has to do with the single minded dedication to one person in the team. The Hitler of racing if you wish.

[djb]

Don't know how old you are Mr. King, but making any associations with the 3rd Reich or Hitler with this or any other racing topic isn't very kosher, know what I mean.

That said, and getting back to the topic, it seems to me, as others have stated, the real impact on the team will be if other key members of the tech side leave with him, and then, as Eero aptly stated, the ebb and flow thing will certainly take place. Of all sports, this is one where the breakup of a very well functioning team will only certainly bring down the overall performance.

[drexel]

Originally posted by BBKing
[b]They will celebrate the end of the 3rd Reich[b]

Originally posted by djb
Don't know how old you are Mr. King, but making any associations with the 3rd Reich or Hitler with this or any other racing topic isn't very kosher, know what I mean.

No it's not very kosher. But it would probably be more comparable to the First Reich, which was the Holy Roman Empire. An attempted unity between Germany and Italy which dominated Europe for a short time.

[Valve Bounce]

Originally posted by Liz

Jacques will never drive for Ferrari - for one thing he's not good enough, and for another, he will not want to finish what's left of his career under the remorseless comparison with his father, who is still a God at Ferrari

These are the most cruel barbs I have been stung with in this forum. I cannot read further - I have been mortally wounded.

[RussianFriend]

Ferrari would need the new leader to build the team around him. The pecularity of Italian team is they need somebody to appraise. Jacques is not the leader, he's leader's son. Ralf has other temperament comparing to his brother (more gentle).

Looking around the current top-grid I don't see the strong personality who may repalce TGF on the Fuehrer position. Maybe Motoya, but he's too hot to work in hot team. SO it's better to look amoung the young drivers: Nick, Kimi, Fernando...