Todt rejects Toro Rosso, FIA rumors
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| Nicholas Todt dismisses rumors |
The Frenchman is the 30-year-old son of former Ferrari boss Jean Todt, and the current manager of formula one drivers Felipe Massa and Sebastien Bourdais.
It is perennially suggested that Todt, also co-owner of the GP2 team ART, could be looking for a way into the exclusive circle of F1 chiefs.
His close ties with Ferrari and its customer team Toro Rosso have sparked renewed speculation that Todt could step in when STR co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz pulls out in the near future.
"At the moment, I am taking one step at a time," he told Switzerland's Motorsport Aktuell.
"I started with driver management, we then established ART and now we are going into the Asian series. We have had successes but also defeats. I have learned a lot," he said.
Todt admitted that formula one is a "logical goal" but insisted that the difference between the pinnacle of open wheel racing and GP2 is huge.
"I have had the luck to have been raised in this environment, but people often draw hasty conclusions.
"Formula one teams cost a lot; in addition to the actual purchase, it is about having the means to keep it going.
"As long as the regulations are uncertain, as they are now, it is not very interesting to have a private team without a big manufacturer.
"I will keep my eyes open," Todt explained, adding that the budget cap or the re-allowance of customer cars in the future could change the situation.
"I have some ideas in mind but at the moment it is not possible," he said.
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| Jean Todt dismisses rumors |
03/23/08 Jean Todt in Malaysia denied rumors that, now essentially free of Ferrari duties, he might launch a plan to become the next president of F1's governing body.
Current FIA president Max Mosley is a controversial figure who is contemplating whether or not to contest the next elections, due next year.
But 62-year-old Todt, wearing plain clothes at Sepang where he is observing the team following his stepping down as both team boss and Ferrari CEO, played down rumors that his next step could be in Mosley's shoes.
"Max Mosley is a great FIA president and a good friend. I really hope that he will remain in the office for a long time to come," the Frenchman said.
"I know that he is considered to be controversial, but in my eyes he has been excellent for the sport," he added of Mosley.
Todt also nonsensed reports that he was forced to step down as Ferrari CEO at the end of a recently tumultuous relationship with its president, Luca di Montezemolo.
"So much nonsense goes around in this business," he said in Malaysia. "I hear that I am going to buy Toro Rosso, for instance. Gerhard Berger is a good friend, but we have never spoken about this.
"I heard that I will be presented as a team owner in Bahrain — nonsense!" Todt fired.
"We live in a world where people prefer to complicate things when they are simple," he added. Grandprixmagazine.com