THE FINAL PIECES
ON 15 FEBRUARY 1996 THE NEW FERRARI F1 CAR WAS UNVEILED
Another vital ingredient to the rebuilding of Ferrari was the return of Shell as a Ferrari partner, along with fellow sponsors Philip Morris, Asprey, Magneti Marelli, Telecom Italia, Goodyear and Pioneer.
The red hot passion of Ferrari combined with the cool, clinical, technical expertise of Shell is a forceful combination. Fuels and lubricants are a vital aspect of improving performance. In-depth research and development at the Shell Research and Technology Centre at Thornton in Cheshire, has led to a far more efficient and powerful engine. The engine was to be an important factor in Ferrari’s return to the top.
Completing the dawn of a new era for the Italian car giants, on 15 February 1996 the new Ferrari Formula One car was unveiled and presented to the international media. More than half a million people logged on to the Internet to follow the presentation ceremony. There was much hope and optimism that finally the tide was turning in favour of the stable of the prancing horse.
The passion of winning, the pain of losing. Ferrari has known both. But what is it about the red racers that continues to entice and seduce? Above all, what is it like to be a part of the team that is part of Formula One folklore? Let’s take a journey through the Schumacher era, 1996–98, and find out.
‘I’m not harder on the team than I am on myself. If I make a mistake, I kick myself.’
Michael Schumacher
after the 1996 Argentinian GP
Despite the atmosphere of hope and optimism that surrounded the presentation of Ferrari’s new F1 car on 15 February 1996, there were many crossed fingers as well. The car was late, very late, partly because the development of the previous season’s car was still being carried out in England rather than at Maranello. Because of a shortage of staff, Ferrari Design and Development (FDD) had not put that development down early enough to get on with the new car. A major concern for Ferrari was that there was hardly any time to test before the season’s first race in Melbourne on 10 March.
Chief Designer John Barnard has been criticized for being removed from the realities of modern Formula One racing. It is an accusation that he is keen to dismiss. ‘I only have one problem and that is that everyone expects me to produce something new and take the next step. If I don’t do that they just say it is only another Formula One car, he must be finished. I push hard to find something new, but the realities of modern Formula One racing are quite simple: if you want to win and be in the top group, you need more than 200 people, a sizeable budget and a good engine. There is no way of cutting corners. You have to build up to that point.’
At Fiorano, the Ferrari test track just outside Maranello, a problem emerged involving slight cracks in the gearbox bellhousing which caused an oil leak, and the team decided to go to Estoril in Portugal to try and rectify the situation. It was the start of many sleepless nights for the Ferrari Team Manager, Claudio Berro – the person responsible for shifting men and machines around the world and ensuring that everything arrives on time in one piece. He also has to ensure that the team has acceptable accommodation and transport, and that team personnel are warm and comfortable while they are away from the factory. Additionally, he liaises with the motor racing authorities, FIA and FOCA, and attends meetings with Team Director, Jean Todt.
It might seem like a job from heaven – constant travel, exotic locations, five-star hotels, the chance to meet beautiful, rich people and have a good time, plus the glamour of being part of Ferrari. However, on a wet, freezing cold, fog-infested morning in the middle of northern Italy, glamour and having a good time were far from Berro’s thoughts. His immediate problem was how to transport the race cars, the team and the accompanying equipment to Portugal for the hastily arranged test, and be ready to meet the departure schedule for Australia, the country hosting the first round of the FIA Formula One World Championship for 1996. (The team was due to leave on an Alitalia flight bound for Melbourne at 12.30 pm on Friday 1 March.)
It was quickly apparent that the team couldn’t travel as it normally does by road; it would have taken five days for a trip to Estoril and back. A quick alternative was needed – and needed fast. It required a cool head and plenty of stamina to put it all together. Fortunately, Berro is calm by nature, and solves problems in a logical and efficient manner. ‘I investigated the possibility of renting an aircraft, and found a Russian Antonov plane for the cars and equipment and a jet for all the technicians. I asked for detailed measurements of the Russian aircraft as I had to be absolutely sure that everything would fit in. We had six or seven cases of small spare parts as well as crates of larger spare parts and the racing car.
‘This was the start of 10 sleepless nights for me. The cars were at the test track at Fiorano until the afternoon, then they were transported to Bologna and the plane took off at 3 am. It landed at 6 am, and I was constantly on the phone to check and double-check that everything was going according to plan. I had an aircraft on standby for two days, for which we had to pay a penalty, but we had to be sure we could take off at short notice. We had a combination of cars moving between Fiorano and Estoril. We had trucks to transport them from the airport at Lisbon to the track. I also had to make sure the technicians arrived, and so it was a hectic and complex period. All in all, it was the most difficult part of the year.’
Against this background of uncertainty, it was with understandable trepidation that the team arrived in Melbourne. Berro, however, was the most relaxed. ‘As soon as I boarded the plane I fell asleep and slept for a solid 24 hours. I stepped off the plane feeling great. Everyone had jet lag, but I didn’t. I told them the solution is to avoid sleep before the trip. That wasn’t a popular suggestion!’
Berro saved the day and enabled Jean Todt and his team to get on with the job of fixing the car. Berro had worked closely with Todt at Peugeot, from the time they were rally co-drivers to their individual rises through the ranks which saw Todt as the overall boss and Berro as director of sport for Peugeot in Italy. The two men have an almost telepathic understanding, which is necessary when working in the hot cauldron of pressure that is Maranello.
As the Italian population slept unaware that Ferrari racing cars were shooting backwards and forwards across the airways, Berro’s team members were already checking and re-checking arrangements for later in the year. Miodrag Kotur, Pino Gozzo and Massimo Balocchi make up the logistics group. They oversee the movement of the trucks, team personnel, and equipment round the world. Giuseppe Gozzo, Pino to his friends, is the man at the track who has the sometimes difficult – if not impossible – job of making sure all the travel arrangements run smoothly. When things go wrong he has to put them right. It is a job where the saying ‘it’s not what you know, but who you know’ comes to the fore. When team personnel want to change their flights and travel arrangements during a period where the aircraft are overbooked, Pino has to use his wide range of contacts to pull strings and make sure that people get to their destinations on time.
THE SEASON BEGINS
IRVINE’S THIRD PLACE IN AUSTRALIA WAS A BONUS
And so the team arrived in Melbourne, albeit feeling far from confident. But everyone was in for a pleasant surprise. Things were not quite as