Todt back to Ferrari: Is that right?

Jean Todt is no longer president of the FIA. So the Frenchman is a free man, who undoubtedly will get some offers from the racing world. A logical step would be a return to Ferrari, the team he led during the Michael Schumacher era.

Persistent rumour

A few weeks ago, there was a persistent rumour that Todt would return to Ferrari as an advisor, in a similar role to the late Niki Lauda at Mercedes. This rumour seems to have died down in the meantime. Nevertheless the French AutoHebdo asks if a recently resigned FIA president can again work for a Formula 1 team?

The French magazine believes that a comeback at Ferrari - which he has served for twelve years - could create a conflict of interest that could irritate the other teams on the grid considerably. This refers to the secret agreement that Ferrari made with the FIA two years ago, when it came to light that the Italians were using illegal engines. It never became public what exactly was going on.

Controversy

Todt was actually planning to retire, after a lifetime in racing. According to AutoHebdo a reappearance at Ferrari would mean some reputational damage for the FIA, especially after the controversial way the title race was decided in Abu Dhabi. The very man who was responsible for that would be working for a Formula 1 team a few months later. In short, the conclusion of AutoHebdo is that a return to Ferrari would lead to quite some controversy.