Michael Schumacher’s Formula 1 legacy was secured at Ferrari, but unlike the complex negotiations of modern times, former team boss Jean Todt has revealed he managed to sign the driver in just a single day.
Schumacher was the hottest property on the F1 driver market in 1995, with one title in the bank and a second well on the way to being secured in what was just his fourth full season. Aided by his brilliance, Benetton was also headed for its sole constructors’ crown.
With Renault pulling out of the championship and leaving Benetton – the team with which Schumacher was achieving success – and Williams with engines developed by Mecachrome, Todt and Ferrari seized their moment.
“In 1995, we were still rebuilding the team, and we knew that ’96 was the year really to try to have, and you know, very often, among engineers, the chassis people were thinking ‘We don’t have a good engine’, the engine people, ‘We don’t have a good chassis’, and then above all, we don’t have good drivers,” said Todt on The High Performance Podcast.
“So we thought, ok, to make sure nobody will be able to say that, having Michael, he was the best driver. We had to convince to take him.
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“We discussed it early in ’95, and then we spent one day in Monte Carlo – our lawyer, Henri Peter, and myself with Michael and Willi Weber – and after one day, we signed the contract.”
Ferrari had already missed out on signing Ayrton Senna for the 1995 season, as the Brazilian had wanted to arrive a year earlier. As this would mean ripping up an existing contract with either Gerhard Berger or Jean Alesi, no agreement could be reached, and he joined Williams.
A key factor of Schumacher’s eventual dominance at Ferrari was the team that was built around him, or, as suggested by Todt, the team that was built to entice him to join.
“I think he thought driving for Ferrari would be different,” added Todt. “He likes a challenge.
“Of course, he was very curious, very professional. He didn’t want to commit without having some guarantees, and I contacted simultaneously – without them knowing – Ross Brawn, to propose him the position of technical director, and Rory Byrne, to propose him the role of chief designer. Both of them had worked with Michael in the Benetton team, and of course, Michael knew about that.
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“So slowly, we built the team, and in ’96, we finally won three grand prix.”
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