Ushering in a new era?

Jean Todt of Ferrari takes charge as the head of world motorsport at a very crucial juncture.

In March this year, Jean Todt surprised everyone by resigning as team principal of Ferrari’s Formula One team. Todt, a well-respected name in the sport, had masterminded several Ferrari titles. So it was no surprise when Todt then threw his hat into the ring for the post of Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) president. And now that he has won the election, Todt faces the enormous task of reviving a sport which many believe is on the decline.

The motorsport fraternity is relieved that outgoing president Max Mosley’s 16-year-long stewardship is finally over. Mosley had done himself no favours, especially towards the end of his tenure, whether for on-track or off-track reasons.

It’s time for Todt to infuse the same winning mentality in Formula One that he did at Ferrari. There the Frenchman had to shake awake the sleeping giant — and now he faces a similar challenge with the sport as a whole. In a statement after winning the election, he said: “We still face a difficult global economic situation and are challenged by issues such as CO2 emissions reduction and its impact on both motor sport and mobility. In developing countries there is a dramatic growth in vehicle ownership and this brings road safety and environmental challenges which must be addressed. Within the FIA we need to improve the synergies between mobility and sport.” The economic situation, fortunately, looks to be changing for the better but it remains to be seen whether big companies will be willing to put more money into the sport.

Todt wants to appoint a Formula One commissioner to take care of the day-to-day management of the championship, liaise with the commercial rights holder and teams, and sit on the world council. It could be a step in the right direction.

The other big challenge has to be to ensure that interest in the sport is revived. Certain rules and regulations implemented under Mosley didn’t go down well with teams or fans. Mosley’s reign had a bit of everything — controversy, glorious moments as well as threats which could have led major teams to form a breakaway league. Todt has a task on his hand and fans will be hoping that he still has the Midas touch from his Ferrari days.