Jean Todt
Encyclopedia
Jean Todt was born on February 25, 1946, in Pierrefort
, Cantal
, France
. After a successful career as a rally
co-driver he made his reputation in motor sport management, first with Peugeot Talbot Sport, then with Scuderia Ferrari
, before being appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ferrari
from 2004 to 2008. Since 23 October 2009 he has been President of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
(FIA).
Under his direction, Peugeot
won 4 World Rally Championship
titles (drivers and manufacturers), triumphed 4 times in the Paris-Dakar Rally, and were twice victorious in the Le Mans 24 Hours. During his time at Ferrari, the Scuderia won a total 13 Formula One World Championship titles (drivers and manufacturers).
on 25 February 1946 in Pierrefort
, a southern Cantal
village in the Auvergne
region of France
.
Jean Todt was always hugely enthusiastic about cars and motor racing. Even while he was graduating from the École des Dirigeants et Créateurs d'Entreprise (EDC) business school in Paris, he would devote his spare time to tuning cars with a group of friends at the Madeleine garage in Asnières
near Paris
.
and Dan Gurney
. Borrowing the paternal Mini Cooper S to drive in rallies
, he soon decided his greatest strength was as a co-driver
. He first co-drove with Guy Chasseuil in 1966 and his talent for calculation, strategy and organisation quickly made him a sought-after navigator. By 1969, Todt was rubbing shoulders with world-class rally stars such as Jean-Pierre Nicolas
, Rauno Aaltonen
, Ove Andersson
, Hannu Mikkola
and Guy Fréquelin
. He went on to enjoy success as a co-driver with Jean-François Piot, Ove Andersson, Achim Warmbold
, Jean Guichet
, Hannu Mikkola
, Jean-Claude Lefèbvre, Timo Mäkinen
, Jean-Pierre Nicolas and Guy Fréquelin.
In 1981, as Guy Fréquelin’s co-driver with Talbot
, a Peugeot
subsidiary, he won the manufacturers’ World Rally Championship
and was runner-up in the drivers’ World Rally Championship - the winner that year was Ari Vatanen
. At the same time, he was increasingly moving out from his role as a co-driver by participating in the management of the team and in relations with the FIA
, where he showed proof of his innate talent for administration and organisation.
was experiencing major financial difficulties as well as image problems. He applied his abilities as a meticulous organiser and strategist to the creation of Peugeot Talbot Sport, which he set up to spearhead the French firm’s return to competition. He was the mastermind behind the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16, Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 and Peugeot 905
.
In 1984, Peugeot returned to the World Rally Championship and, in 1985 and 1986, the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Group B driven first by Timo Salonen
then by Juha Kankkunen
obtained stunning results (back-to-back manufacturers’ World Championship titles). Sadly however, in 1986 Henri Toivonen
died driving a Lancia
Delta during the Tour de Corse
rally and the FIA decided to drop the Group B
class as being too fast and too dangerous.
In 1987, Todt adapted the 205 Turbo 16 to off-road rallies with the aim of competing in the showcase Paris-Dakar Rally He became the centre of attention in the 1989 Paris-Dakar when he tossed a coin to decide between his two drivers Ari Vatanen
and Jacky Ickx
to ensure that their rivalry would not lead to one of them quitting and cost the team victory. From 1987 to 1990, he enjoyed dazzling success with four successive victories in the Paris-Dakar with Ari Vatanen and Juha Kankkunen
. Peugeot subsequently decided to withdraw from off-road rallying and left the field open to Citroën
who won the event with the Citroën ZX Rallye-Raid, based on the Peugeot 405 chassis.
In 1992, he won the Le Mans 24 Hours with the Peugeot 905
driven by Derek Warwick
, Yannick Dalmas
and Mark Blundell
and, in 1993, again at Le Mans, three 905 cars driven by Geoff Brabham
, Christophe Bouchut
and Eric Hélary
swept the field with a 1-2-3 victory.
, he was recruited by Luca di Montezemolo
, the new CEO of Scuderia Ferrari
. On 1 July that year at the French Grand Prix
at Magny-Cours
, he started in as the General Manager of the Racing Division at the head of a team of four hundred technicians.
He was the first non-Italian ever to head the Scuderia. His challenge was to lead Ferrari back to success at a time when the renowned Italian Formula One stable was experiencing some of the blackest days in its history. The mythical Italian team was undermined by internal quarrels and a production system that was partly delocalised. The Scuderia was no more than the shadow of its former glory, with no driver’s championship win since 1979. Jean Todt set about completely restructuring the management of the Racing Division.
In 1994, barely a year after Jean Todt took up the challenge, Gerhard Berger
won the German Grand Prix
(Ferrari’s first win in 4 years). Even so, Michael Schumacher
’s Benetton
-Ford
(world champion in 1994 and 1995) and the Williams-Renault cars of Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell and David Coulthard largely dominated the competition.
At the end of the 1995 season, Jean Todt asked the German double world champion Michael Schumacher to join the Scuderia. Generally considered to be the best driver of his generation, Michael agreed to put his exceptional skills at the service of Jean Todt’s mission. The two were to establish not only a deep friendship, but almost a family relationship.
In 1996, Schumacher won two consecutive victories in first the Belgian and then the Italian Grand Prix. Todt then hired two former Benetton managers, the designer and aerodynamics specialist Rory Byrne and technical director Ross Brawn, to replace John Barnard.
In 1997 and 1998 Ferrari missed out on the world drivers’ title by just a few points during the final races of the season, in 1997 behind Jacques Villeneuve’s Williams-Renault and in 1998 and 1999 behind Mika Häkkinen’s McLaren-Mercedes.
From 1999 on however, there was no looking back. Jean Todt achieved his goal of reviving Ferrari as a motor racing legend by winning overwhelming victories with Schumacher in five consecutive world championships, (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004), a first in the history of Formula One.
In 2007, he prepared the ground for Stefano Domenicali to succeed him as head of the Scuderia as from 1 January 2008. Then, on 18 March 2008, he resigned his position as Special Advisor to the Ferrari board, to be replaced by Amedeo Felisa. He nonetheless remained a member of the board of Ferrari for a further year before resigning all his functions within the Italian firm in March 2009, after winning 13 world titles and claiming 98 victories.
On 16 July 2009, he officially announced his intention of running for the Presidency of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile in the election that was due to take place in October. The day before, he had received the support of outgoing President Max Mosley, who had decided not to stand for re-election. He was the second contender to declare, the 1981 world rally champion Ari Vatanen having announced his candidature just a few days earlier.
On 23 October 2009, he was elected President of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (by 135 votes against 49 for Finnish driver and MEP Ari Vatanen).
Along with Michael Schumacher, Jean Todt is a founding member of the ICM (Institut du cerveau et de moelle épinière). The driver and his team principal have made regular contributions to the Foundation for many years and have not hesitated to use their image to further its aims. To benefit the organization, Schumacher and Todt appeared in the movie Asterix at the Olympic Games, released in January 2008. The driver played the role of Schumix, a chariot driver, and Todt was his race director.
Jean Todt is Ambassador of the Republic of San Marino.
Fifty-four WRC competitions with a total of four victories between 1973 and 1981:
, the model (she is a former Miss Malaysia
) and movie actress (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
; Tomorrow Never Dies
; Memoirs of a Geisha
, The Lady
). They had been dating since 2004.
Jean Todt has a son, Nicolas
, who is a drivers’ agent with clients such as Felipe Massa
, Sébastien Bourdais
and the young Jules Bianchi
. Nicolas is also the co-owner of the ART Grand Prix
GP2
team.
Pierrefort
Pierrefort is a commune in the Cantal department in the Auvergne region in south=central France.It is approximately from Clermont Ferrand and from Saint-Flour-Geography:...
, Cantal
Cantal
Cantal is a department in south-central France. It is named after the Cantal mountain range, a group of extinct, eroded volcanic peaks, which covers much of the department. Residents are known as Cantaliens or Cantalous....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. After a successful career as a rally
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
co-driver he made his reputation in motor sport management, first with Peugeot Talbot Sport, then with Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
, before being appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
from 2004 to 2008. Since 23 October 2009 he has been President of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...
(FIA).
Under his direction, Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
won 4 World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
titles (drivers and manufacturers), triumphed 4 times in the Paris-Dakar Rally, and were twice victorious in the Le Mans 24 Hours. During his time at Ferrari, the Scuderia won a total 13 Formula One World Championship titles (drivers and manufacturers).
Biography
Jean Todt is the son of a country doctor. He was born into a Jewish family originating from PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
on 25 February 1946 in Pierrefort
Pierrefort
Pierrefort is a commune in the Cantal department in the Auvergne region in south=central France.It is approximately from Clermont Ferrand and from Saint-Flour-Geography:...
, a southern Cantal
Cantal
Cantal is a department in south-central France. It is named after the Cantal mountain range, a group of extinct, eroded volcanic peaks, which covers much of the department. Residents are known as Cantaliens or Cantalous....
village in the Auvergne
Auvergne (région)
Auvergne is one of the 27 administrative regions of France. It comprises the 4 departments of Allier, Puy de Dome, Cantal and Haute Loire.The current administrative region of Auvergne is larger than the historical province of Auvergne, and includes provinces and areas that historically were not...
region of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Jean Todt was always hugely enthusiastic about cars and motor racing. Even while he was graduating from the École des Dirigeants et Créateurs d'Entreprise (EDC) business school in Paris, he would devote his spare time to tuning cars with a group of friends at the Madeleine garage in Asnières
Asnières-sur-Seine
Asnières-sur-Seine is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France, along the river Seine. It is located from the center of Paris.-Name:...
near Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Rally co-driver from 1966 to 1981
Like his father before him, the young Jean Todt was fascinated by motor sport and had special respect for drivers like Jim ClarkJim Clark
James "Jim" Clark, Jr OBE was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965....
and Dan Gurney
Dan Gurney
Daniel Sexton Gurney is an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner.The son of a Metropolitan Opera star, he was born in Port Jefferson, New York, but moved to California as a teenager...
. Borrowing the paternal Mini Cooper S to drive in rallies
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
, he soon decided his greatest strength was as a co-driver
Co-driver
Co-driver is the term given to the navigator of rally car in the sport of rally racing, who sits in the front passenger seat. The co-driver's job is to navigate, by reading off a set of pacenotes to the driver, often over a radio headset, due to the high level of noise in the car...
. He first co-drove with Guy Chasseuil in 1966 and his talent for calculation, strategy and organisation quickly made him a sought-after navigator. By 1969, Todt was rubbing shoulders with world-class rally stars such as Jean-Pierre Nicolas
Jean-Pierre Nicolas
Jean-Pierre Nicolas is a retired French professional rally driver who competed mainly in the 1970s.Nicolas took five WRC event wins in the World Rally Championship...
, Rauno Aaltonen
Rauno Aaltonen
Rauno August Aaltonen , also known as "The Rally Professor", is a Finnish former professional rally driver who competed in the World Rally Championship throughout the 1970s. Before WRC was established Aaltonen competed in the European Rally Championship. He won the championship in 1965, with Tony...
, Ove Andersson
Ove Andersson
Ove Andersson was a Swedish rally driver and the first head of Toyota's F1 program. His nickname was "Påven" .-Early life:...
, Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Olavi Mikkola is a retired world champion rally driver. He was a seven time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.- Career :...
and Guy Fréquelin
Guy Fréquelin
Guy Fréquelin is a former French rally and sports car driver.Perhaps Fréquelin's finest hour as a driver came when he finished runner-up only to Ari Vatanen, alongside then-navigator Jean Todt, at the wheel of a briefly competitive Sunbeam Lotus Talbot in the driver's classification of the 1981...
. He went on to enjoy success as a co-driver with Jean-François Piot, Ove Andersson, Achim Warmbold
Achim Warmbold
Achim Warmbold is a German former rally driver. He won the West German Rally Championship in 1971 and 1980, and scored two outright victories during the inaugural World Rally Championship season in 1973 at the Rally of Poland and Austrian Alpine Rally events.Aside from his first WRC race, his...
, Jean Guichet
Jean Guichet
Jean Guichet won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1964.A racing car originally owned by Guichet sold at auction recently for over 15 million dollars. He previously owned one of only thirty-six Ferrari 250GTO Ferrarissima cars ever produced, originally created by Enzo Ferrari in 1966...
, Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Olavi Mikkola is a retired world champion rally driver. He was a seven time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.- Career :...
, Jean-Claude Lefèbvre, Timo Mäkinen
Timo Mäkinen
Timo Mäkinen was one of the original "Flying Finns" of motor rallying. He is most famous for his hat-tricks of wins in the RAC Rally and the 1000 Lakes Rally-Career:...
, Jean-Pierre Nicolas and Guy Fréquelin.
In 1981, as Guy Fréquelin’s co-driver with Talbot
Talbot
Talbot was an automobile marque that existed from 1903 to 1986, with a hiatus from 1960 to 1978, under a number of different owners, latterly under Peugeot...
, a Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
subsidiary, he won the manufacturers’ World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
and was runner-up in the drivers’ World Rally Championship - the winner that year was Ari Vatanen
Ari Vatanen
Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen is a Finnish rally driver turned politician and Member of the European Parliament 1999–2009. Vatanen won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981 and the Paris Dakar Rally four times....
. At the same time, he was increasingly moving out from his role as a co-driver by participating in the management of the team and in relations with the FIA
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...
, where he showed proof of his innate talent for administration and organisation.
Director of Peugeot Talbot Sport from 1982 to 1993
In 1982, he withdrew from competing as a co-driver and was appointed Director of Racing for Peugeot by the then CEO Jean Boillot at a time when PSA Peugeot CitroënPSA Peugeot Citroën
PSA Peugeot Citroën is a French manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles sold under the Peugeot and Citroën marques. Headquartered in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, PSA is the second largest automaker based in Europe and the number eight in the world.-History:In December 1974 Peugeot S.A....
was experiencing major financial difficulties as well as image problems. He applied his abilities as a meticulous organiser and strategist to the creation of Peugeot Talbot Sport, which he set up to spearhead the French firm’s return to competition. He was the mastermind behind the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16, Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 and Peugeot 905
Peugeot 905
The Peugeot 905 is a Sports-prototype racing car introduced for Sportscar racing.The car was initially unveiled in February 1990 and was developed throughout 1990 before making its race debut in the final two races of the 1990 World Sportscar Championship season .The car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans...
.
In 1984, Peugeot returned to the World Rally Championship and, in 1985 and 1986, the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Group B driven first by Timo Salonen
Timo Salonen
Timo Salonen is a Finnish former rally driver and the 1985 world champion for Peugeot. It was commented of him that he stood out from other drivers, because he was overweight, wore thick glasses and smoked heavily, but still remained one of the fastest and most competitive drivers in the sport...
then by Juha Kankkunen
Juha Kankkunen
Juha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series...
obtained stunning results (back-to-back manufacturers’ World Championship titles). Sadly however, in 1986 Henri Toivonen
Henri Toivonen
Henri Pauli Toivonen was a Finnish rally driver born in Jyväskylä, the home of Rally Finland. His father, Pauli Toivonen, was the 1968 European Rally Champion for Porsche and his brother, Harri Toivonen, became a professional circuit racer.Toivonen's first World Rally Championship victory came...
died driving a Lancia
Lancia
Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
Delta during the Tour de Corse
Tour de Corse
The Tour de Corse - Rallye de France is a rally first held in 1956 on the island of Corsica. It was part of the World Rally Championship from the inaugural 1973 season to 2008. The name "Tour de Corse" refers to the fact that in the early days it was run around the island; nowadays it only features...
rally and the FIA decided to drop the Group B
Group B
Group B was a set of regulations introduced in 1982 for competition vehicles in sportscar racing and rallying regulated by the FIA. The Group B regulations fostered some of the quickest, most powerful and sophisticated rally cars ever built. However, a series of major accidents, some fatal, were...
class as being too fast and too dangerous.
In 1987, Todt adapted the 205 Turbo 16 to off-road rallies with the aim of competing in the showcase Paris-Dakar Rally He became the centre of attention in the 1989 Paris-Dakar when he tossed a coin to decide between his two drivers Ari Vatanen
Ari Vatanen
Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen is a Finnish rally driver turned politician and Member of the European Parliament 1999–2009. Vatanen won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981 and the Paris Dakar Rally four times....
and Jacky Ickx
Jacky Ickx
Jacques Bernard "Jacky" Ickx is a Belgian former racing driver who achieved 25 podium finishes in Formula One and six wins in the 24 hours of Le Mans.- Racing career :...
to ensure that their rivalry would not lead to one of them quitting and cost the team victory. From 1987 to 1990, he enjoyed dazzling success with four successive victories in the Paris-Dakar with Ari Vatanen and Juha Kankkunen
Juha Kankkunen
Juha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series...
. Peugeot subsequently decided to withdraw from off-road rallying and left the field open to Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
who won the event with the Citroën ZX Rallye-Raid, based on the Peugeot 405 chassis.
In 1992, he won the Le Mans 24 Hours with the Peugeot 905
Peugeot 905
The Peugeot 905 is a Sports-prototype racing car introduced for Sportscar racing.The car was initially unveiled in February 1990 and was developed throughout 1990 before making its race debut in the final two races of the 1990 World Sportscar Championship season .The car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans...
driven by Derek Warwick
Derek Warwick
Derek Stanley Arthur Warwick is a British former racing driver from England. He raced for many years in Formula One, but never won a Grand Prix. During the early 1980s he was thought more likely to achieve World Championship success than his contemporary Nigel Mansell, but a series of wrong...
, Yannick Dalmas
Yannick Dalmas
Yannick Dalmas is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 49 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 18 October 1987, but qualified for only 24 of them. His best result in F1 was a 5th place at the 1987 Australian Grand Prix, but he was not eligible for World Championship points at...
and Mark Blundell
Mark Blundell
Mark Blundell is a Formula One, sports car, and CART racing driver. He was a Formula One presenter for the British broadcaster ITV until the end of the 2008 season when the TV broadcasting rights switched to the BBC....
and, in 1993, again at Le Mans, three 905 cars driven by Geoff Brabham
Geoff Brabham
Geoff Brabham is an Australian racing driver. He is the son of three-time Formula One World Champion Jack Brabham. Brabham spent the majority of his racing career in the United States. He raced successfully in CART early in his career. In ten appearances in the Indianapolis 500, with a best result...
, Christophe Bouchut
Christophe Bouchut
Christophe Bouchut is a French race driver. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1993. He currently drives in the FIA GT1 World Championship...
and Eric Hélary
Eric Hélary
Eric Hélary is a racing driver from Paris. His career has encompassed single seater formulae, endurance sports car racing, and touring cars...
swept the field with a 1-2-3 victory.
General Manager of the Scuderia Ferrari 1993 to 2007
In 1993, at the age of 47, Jean Todt’s 12 outstanding years with Peugeot Talbot Sport came to an end. After trying in vain to convince Jacques Calvet to break into Formula OneFormula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
, he was recruited by Luca di Montezemolo
Luca di Montezemolo
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo is an Italian businessman and Chairman of Ferrari. He was also Chairman of Fiat S.p.A from 2004 to 2010 and President of Confindustria from 2004 to 2008 and FIEG. He comes from an aristocratic family from the region of Piedmont in Italy...
, the new CEO of Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
. On 1 July that year at the French Grand Prix
French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix was a race held as part of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One automobile racing championships....
at Magny-Cours
Magny-Cours
Magny-Cours is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.It is best known for being the home of the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, a famous motor racing circuit . It formerly hosted the Formula One French Grand Prix.-References:* -External links:*...
, he started in as the General Manager of the Racing Division at the head of a team of four hundred technicians.
He was the first non-Italian ever to head the Scuderia. His challenge was to lead Ferrari back to success at a time when the renowned Italian Formula One stable was experiencing some of the blackest days in its history. The mythical Italian team was undermined by internal quarrels and a production system that was partly delocalised. The Scuderia was no more than the shadow of its former glory, with no driver’s championship win since 1979. Jean Todt set about completely restructuring the management of the Racing Division.
In 1994, barely a year after Jean Todt took up the challenge, Gerhard Berger
Gerhard Berger
Gerhard Berger, is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver, who previously owned 50% of the Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One team until he sold his share back to energy drink owner Dietrich Mateschitz in November 2008....
won the German Grand Prix
German Grand Prix
The German Grand Prix is an annual automobile race.Because Germany was banned from taking part in international events after World War II, the German GP only became part of the Formula One World Championship in 1951...
(Ferrari’s first win in 4 years). Even so, Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
’s Benetton
Benetton Formula
Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for...
-Ford
Cosworth
Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
(world champion in 1994 and 1995) and the Williams-Renault cars of Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell and David Coulthard largely dominated the competition.
At the end of the 1995 season, Jean Todt asked the German double world champion Michael Schumacher to join the Scuderia. Generally considered to be the best driver of his generation, Michael agreed to put his exceptional skills at the service of Jean Todt’s mission. The two were to establish not only a deep friendship, but almost a family relationship.
In 1996, Schumacher won two consecutive victories in first the Belgian and then the Italian Grand Prix. Todt then hired two former Benetton managers, the designer and aerodynamics specialist Rory Byrne and technical director Ross Brawn, to replace John Barnard.
In 1997 and 1998 Ferrari missed out on the world drivers’ title by just a few points during the final races of the season, in 1997 behind Jacques Villeneuve’s Williams-Renault and in 1998 and 1999 behind Mika Häkkinen’s McLaren-Mercedes.
From 1999 on however, there was no looking back. Jean Todt achieved his goal of reviving Ferrari as a motor racing legend by winning overwhelming victories with Schumacher in five consecutive world championships, (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004), a first in the history of Formula One.
CEO and Special Advisor at Ferrari from 2004 to 2009
On June 2004, Jean Todt was appointed CEO of Ferrari in addition to his title of General Manager of the Racing Division. On October 2006, 3 days after the end of the Formula One season and following the retirement of Michael Schumacher, he took up a new post as a Special Advisor for the Scuderia Ferrari.In 2007, he prepared the ground for Stefano Domenicali to succeed him as head of the Scuderia as from 1 January 2008. Then, on 18 March 2008, he resigned his position as Special Advisor to the Ferrari board, to be replaced by Amedeo Felisa. He nonetheless remained a member of the board of Ferrari for a further year before resigning all his functions within the Italian firm in March 2009, after winning 13 world titles and claiming 98 victories.
President of FIA
In April 2009, he became President of the “eSafety Aware!” campaign for the promotion of the smart vehicles and new safety technologies, which enabled him to improve his knowledge of the internal workings of the FIA while organising his campaign with the help of his partner, Michelle Yeoh, FIA’s Ambassador for Road Safety.On 16 July 2009, he officially announced his intention of running for the Presidency of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile in the election that was due to take place in October. The day before, he had received the support of outgoing President Max Mosley, who had decided not to stand for re-election. He was the second contender to declare, the 1981 world rally champion Ari Vatanen having announced his candidature just a few days earlier.
On 23 October 2009, he was elected President of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (by 135 votes against 49 for Finnish driver and MEP Ari Vatanen).
Other Activities
Jean Todt is one of the 46 members of the French Académie des sports, member of the French Académie des technologies and one of the 12 members of the Supervisory Board of the Groupe Lucien Barrière (a major French luxury hotel and casino group, owned by his close friend Dominique Desseigne), and member of Gaumont Board of Directors. He is also Tourism Ambassador for Malaysia.Along with Michael Schumacher, Jean Todt is a founding member of the ICM (Institut du cerveau et de moelle épinière). The driver and his team principal have made regular contributions to the Foundation for many years and have not hesitated to use their image to further its aims. To benefit the organization, Schumacher and Todt appeared in the movie Asterix at the Olympic Games, released in January 2008. The driver played the role of Schumix, a chariot driver, and Todt was his race director.
Jean Todt is Ambassador of the Republic of San Marino.
As co-driver
- Lyon-Charbonnières Rally (co-driver): 1968 with Jean-Claude Andruet in Alpine A110 1440
- Grasse-Alpin Rally (co-driver): 1970 with Jean-François Piot in Ford Escort RS 1800
- Tour de France Automobile Rally (co-driver): 1970 with Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Patrick Depailler in Matra MS650
- Rally de Portugal (co-driver): 1971 with Jean-Pierre Nicolas in Alpine A110 in European Championship
- Tour de La Réunion (co-driver): 1972 with Jean-Pierre Nicolas in Renault 12 Gordini
- World Rally Championship (co-driver): Vice-champion of the world 1981 with Guy Fréquelin in Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, allowing the team to win the 1981 manufacturers’ World Championship and the Prix Roland Peugeot of the French Académie des Sports for the outstanding French motors port achievement of the year.
Fifty-four WRC competitions with a total of four victories between 1973 and 1981:
- Winner, Rally of Poland in 1973 (with Achim Warmbold)
- Winner, Österreichische Alpenfahrt in 1973 (with Achim Warmbold)
- Winner, Rallye du Maroc in 1975 (with Hannu Mikkola)
- Winner, Rally Argentina in 1981 (with Guy Fréquelin)
- 2nd in the Rallye du Maroc in 1970 (with Bernard Consten, DS 21)
- 2nd in the Monte-Carlo Rally in 1971 (with Ove Andersson)
- 2e in the Monte-Carlo Rally in 1981 (with G.Fréquelin)
- 2nd in the Tour de Corse in 1981 (with G.Fréquelin)
- 2nd in the Rally of Brazil in 1981 (with G.Fréquelin)
- 3rd in the Tour de Corse in 1969 (with J-F Piot, on this occasion, not WRC)
- 3rd in the Österreichische Alpenfahrt in 1970 (with J-F Piot, in the ICM International Championship of Manufacturers)
As team principal/director
- World Rally Championship (Peugeot Talbot Sport/Peugeot 205 Turbo 16) (2): 1985, 1986 (drivers’ and manufacturers’ title)
- German Rally Championship (2): 1985 (Kalle Grundel), 1986 (Michèle Mouton) (Peugeot 205 Turbo 16)
- Paris-Dakar Rally (Peugeot Talbot Sport) (4): 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990
- Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC - the Race to the Clouds) (Peugeot Talbot Sport) (1) : 1988 (Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 driven by A.Vatanen)
- French Rallycross Championship (Peugeot Talbot Sport/Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Evolution 2) (3): 1988 (Guy Fréquelin), 1989 (Philippe Wambergue) and 1990 (Jean-Manuel Beuzelin)
- Andros Elite Trophy (Peugeot 205 Turbo 16) (1): 1990 (Éric Arpin)
- World Sportscar Championship (Peugeot Talbot Sport/Peugeot 905) (1) : 1992 (drivers’ and manufacturers’ title)
- Le Mans 24 Hours (Peugeot Talbot Sport/Peugeot 905) (2): 1992, 1993
- F1 Manufacturers’ World Championship with the Scuderia Ferrari (7): 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 (98 wins)
- F1 World Drivers Championship with the Scuderia Ferrari (6): 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 (Michael Schumacher), 2007 (Kimi Raïkkonen)
Titles & Distinctions
- Title of Ingegnere Meccanico awarded by the University of Florence in 2004.
- Title of Ingegnere Meccanico awarded by the University of Naples Frederico II in 2005.
- Named Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, on 22 October 2002, on the initiative of the President of Italy.
- 1 January 2007, awarded the distinction of Grand Officier de la Légion d'honneur (Commandeur since 3 February 2001).
- 14 July 2011, awarded the Grand' Croix de la Légion d'honneur.
Management Positions
- Peugeot Talbot Sport: 1981-1993
- Scuderia Ferrari: 1993-2008
- General manager of the Racing Division with Scuderia Ferrari 1993-2007
- CEO of Ferrari from 2004 to 2006
- Special Advisor at Ferrari from 2006 to 2008
- FIA: Since 23 October 2009
Personal Life
On 6 August 2007, Jean Todt, aged 61, became engaged to Michelle YeohMichelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng is a Hong Kong-based Malaysian Chinese actress, well known for performing her own stunts in the action films that brought her to fame in the early 1990s....
, the model (she is a former Miss Malaysia
Miss Malaysia
Miss Malaysia represents Malaysia in two of the major international pageants.Miss Universe is a beauty pageant run by the New York-based partnership between NBC and Donald Trump....
) and movie actress (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a 2000 wuxia film. An American-Chinese-Hong Kong-Taiwanese co-production, the film was directed by Ang Lee and featured an international cast of ethnic Chinese actors, including Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, and Chang Chen...
; Tomorrow Never Dies
Tomorrow Never Dies
Tomorrow Never Dies is the eighteenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Bruce Feirstein wrote the screenplay, and it was directed by Roger Spottiswoode. It follows Bond as he tries to stop a media mogul from engineering...
; Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha is a novel by American author Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the fictional story of a geisha working in Kyoto, Japan, before and after World War II...
, The Lady
The Lady (2011 film)
The Lady is a film directed by Luc Besson, starring Michelle Yeoh, and released by EuropaCorp in France and Entertainment Film Distributors in the UK.-Production:...
). They had been dating since 2004.
Jean Todt has a son, Nicolas
Nicolas Todt
Nicolas Todt is the son of former Ferrari Formula One team principal Jean Todt, and manager of current Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Jules Bianchi. He is the co-owner of the GP2 Series team ART Grand Prix....
, who is a drivers’ agent with clients such as Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. He finished second in the Drivers' World Championship, and is under contract to race for Scuderia Ferrari until the end of the season.-Early years:...
, Sébastien Bourdais
Sébastien Bourdais
Sébastien Olivier Bourdais is a French race car driver. He is one of the most successful drivers in the history of the Champ Car World Series, having won four successive championships from 2004 to 2007....
and the young Jules Bianchi
Jules Bianchi
Jules Bianchi is a French racing driver.-Family:Jules is the grandson of Mauro Bianchi, three-times World Champion in the GT category, and the grandnephew of Lucien, who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and competed in nineteen Grands Prix in the Formula One World Championship between and , with a...
. Nicolas is also the co-owner of the ART Grand Prix
ART Grand Prix
Lotus ART is a French motor racing team that competes in formula single-seaters in Europe. It was founded as ART Grand Prix in 1991.-Creation:...
GP2
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The GP2 Series, GP2 for short, is a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Ecclestone also has the rights to the name GP1...
team.