09/12/2021
NEWS STORY
Outgoing FIA president, Jean Todt has been linked with a controversial return to his old team Ferrari in a consulting role.
Italy's Corriere della Sera claims that Ferrari chairman, John Elkann has approached Todt with a view to taking on a role similar to that of Niki Lauda at Mercedes.
The move, should it happen, would cause uproar among those fans who already claim that Ferrari's ties to the sport's governing body are questionable, while rival teams would also be unhappy.
Todt joined Ferrari from Peugeot in 1993, having been recruited by Luca di Montezemolo. It was under the Frenchman that the dream team of Michael Schumacher, Rory Byrne and Ross Brawn was put lured from Benetton.
Enjoying 6 world championship titles with Schumacher, in 2004, Todt was appointed CEO of Ferrari in addition to his role as general manager of the racing division.
Having paved the way for Stefano Domenicali to take over as Ferrari boss, he resigned from his various roles at Maranello in early 2009 before announcing his intention to run for the presidency of the FIA.
With the backing of Max Mosley, who was stepping down, Todt beat Ari Vatanen to the role, going on to be re-elected in 2013 and 2017.
For much of his time Todt has concentrated on road safety, launching various initiatives, and in 2015 was appointed the United Nations' Special Envoy for Road Safety.
With many expecting him to move into politics the link with Ferrari comes as something of a surprise, though Todt has yet to comment.
Interestingly, while he was given the backing of the outgoing FIA president during his campaign, Todt had not shown outward support for either of the two current candidates Mohammed Ben Sulayem or Graham Stoker.
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