Todt remains cautious

The record breaking Ferrari team was at it again at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa on Sunday, Michael Schumacher taking the record for wins for a driver in one season to ten, plus 50 consecutive podiums for Ferrari drivers. Team principal Jean Todt admitted that sometimes he has to pinch himself!

"It's something that we do regularly," said Todt, "so that we appreciate what is happening at the moment is something extraordinary in the history of the Ferrari team and that we realize that this is the fruit of what we planted. But furthermore, we are benefiting from circumstances that are extremely favourable: the right partners, the right choices and all these factors that help us to break these records."

Once again, Jean Todt paid tribute to the team that he leads, calling it "the best sporting team of the biggest constructor of beautiful cars in the world."

Michael Schumacher was never remotely challenged during the race, and even suggested that it was an easy win, but Todt was swift to counter that. "It's never easy. Ask our competitors if it's easy. Having said that, it seems that this year we are much more competitive than the other teams. The results speak for themselves but I wouldn't say that this race saw a bigger domination than any others. If you take it race by race, you will see that we have been dominating several times already as we did in this Grand Prix."

Todt remembers other eras of domination. "I remember that there was the team of Senna, Prost and Lauda. There have been many similar runs of success for other teams. I can't remember another run of success as superb for Ferrari but for others they have certainly existed."

But there was no sympathy for his competitors, more a determination "to continue to try to win, score one-twos and work with all our determination and all our passion and all our energy." Todt is far to aware that Ferrari's extraordinary success cannot last for ever. "I think we have to be prudent and have our feet on the ground. We have to realize that this success may not last. We hope that it will continue at Monza and maybe in the United States, perhaps at Suzuka, maybe next year but we know that this run of success will one day come to an end.

"We are humble, we know that things could turn around so we have to try and profit from this extraordinary success but also appreciate that these results are because of a massive amount of work and one has to continue to work if one is going to remain on this dimension."

Todt is really looking forward to rewarding the team's Italian fans at Monza, where the team will be testing this week, preparing for the Italian Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher will begin the test for two days and then Rubens Barrichello will take over. It will be the first test for six weeks. The team is also testing new developments with Luca Badoer at Circuit Paul Ricard in France.

Todt appreciated Michael Schumacher's caution regarding Monza. "It's the only low downforce circuit so definitely we will be adapting the car for Monza during the test. He's right to be cautious, but you know, we must always be cautious before every race. Maybe that's part of our strength, to be cautious always and not over-confident."

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