Maranello, it is impossible to escape the influence of Ferrari. No one is untouched, and Maranello has become like an extended family of the high-profile car company. When the prancing horse is unwell, the whole town is quiet and subdued, but when it is first past the winning post, the crescendo of noisy celebration is deafening.
The Ferrari factory straddles the main road and is as much a part of the Italian way of life as eating and praying. In fact much of Ferrari’s history and tradition is centred on two restaurants: Il Cavallino and Il Montana. Enzo Ferrari had his own room at Il Cavallino, where he could entertain in privacy (a tradition that is handed down to every chairman) and Il Montana was host to the drivers when they came to town. The walls are littered with signed photographs and pieces of paper from the sons of Ferrari, those drivers and personnel who all became part of the legend.
‘Three years ago we were two seconds off the pace of the best cars; now we are up among the best. By having Schumacher as our Number One driver we are demonstrating to the world that we are prepared to do everything possible to win. Also we feel ready to make the final leap to success. If we didn’t feel ready, then we wouldn’t have brought the best driver in the world into the team.’
A double World Champion at only 26 years of age, Schumacher was emerging as one of the best drivers of his generation. Ferrari knew it would have to pay for the best, and did so to the tune of $25 million. But as John Barnard says, ‘When Ferrari signed Schumacher it was like they opened another piggy bank. Suddenly money was no object. You need a new machine? Buy it. Expand, employ the people you need and so on. It was a surprise as for the last three years we’d been told to hang tight, cut back, think before spending any extra money. Suddenly all that changed.’
Fortunately, when he met the press for the first time as a Ferrari driver, Schumacher didn’t repeat the mistake he made in his first press conference. When asked what his father did, he replied with a straight face, ‘He likes screwing.’ For once, the hacks were rendered speechless, until it was explained that in German a screw is a carpenter, someone who likes playing around with wood!
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
