Q:
Three races and three times out. Does it take long to get over the
initial disappointment?
"At first I'm very disappointed. But the following day I 've
already forgotten it. I'm annoyed by the stupid questions they're always
asking me afterwards. When I returned to the pits in the Magny-Cours
race the first one wanted to know what had happened. As if he didn't see!
But worse is when they start asking me whether I didn't blow my chances
for the world-title.I'm asking myself if they still got all their
marbles. I get annoyed by people who don't get their facts straight."
Q:
What do you mean?
"Those who criticize Ferrari have to be reminded of where we're
coming from. Everything was completely new: the car, the motor, the
gear-box. The first trouble with the motor started in the ninth race.
Not bad for a motor just out of the development stage. One should
considerate those facts first before uttering criticism. It can't be
possible to be called a king, after our victory in Barcelona, and a
fortnight later his jester."
Q:
Why do those break-downs occur so late in the season?
"Coincidence.Could have happened sooner. Think of Imola. Got lucky
the brakes held untill the race was over. Our gear-box would have losted
two laps more. We tested it at Silverstone. Drove hundreds of km, two
training-sessions and the warm-up without problems. And after three laps
hydraulics breaks down. That had never happened before."
Q:
What are the consequences?
"We should probably improve quality-control. Besides no break-down
has occured twice. We learn from our set-backs. Last year Benetton was
very reliable, and this year they've dropped out of the race regularly -
though not three times in succesion. But no one makes a fuss about that.
It's easy to say that at Ferrari techinal break-down is like a tradition."
Q:
Are you diappointed you're not able to give Damon more resistance?
"I've started this season with the idea that this year Damon would
be world-champion. So it won't be a major disappointment when he does."
Q:
So you have resigned yourself to that?
"At Hockenheim we started using the seven gear-box. The last few
test-drives have showed us that the aero-dynamics have stabilised.The
grip is constant now. Therefore the car is more easy to control. I think
we will be able to put the pressure on the Williams team now."
Q:
How does your team react to all the break-downs?
"Their
world collapses each time I have to give up. After Silverstone they felt
really down. I had to
cheer them up. After Monte-Carlo it was the other way around. I made a
mistake there.Two days later the team was still on the phone telling me
not to take it so hard and that they were all behind me."
Q:
What's worse, driving the race to the end with bad brakes and no chance
to win or to drop out of it?
"It's very frustrating to drive a race and you know you can't win.
In Montreal I would have welcomed to drop out of it."
Q:
What do you think of the know-alls who warned you of Ferrari?
"I have to live with the fact that Ferrari attracts the most
attention.But I can't bear that the wrong people always have to take the
blame. When I hear all the nonsense about Todt's resignation there's
only one thing I can say: when Todt goes the whole team will fall apart.
People seem to forget Ferrari has a good organised team now capable of
pole-position and is number two behind Williams. The points we made are
not as many as in 1995 but the car is more competitive."
Q:
Why are you probably going to sign another contract with Ferrari?
"Because I know of all their projects for the future.If we're able
to realize all those Renault could better be on its guard."
Q:
Since your second world-title you seem te be more at ease with the media?
"That has nothing
to do with my being world-champion. When a driver first arrives in F1 he
can work in peace and quiet. Like Fisischella at Minardi. Nobody seems
to care about him. He can get into it quietly and in two years or so
when he's driving for the big ones he has had a lot of experience and
can deal with the media. It was different for me I was immediately
thrown into the game."
Q:
What do you do with all that money you're earning?
"I always have made a good living. A lot of people think happiness
and money are the same thing. I'm not interested in all that .You get
pleasure out of all those things but it doesn't last. To me it's much
more important that I'm happy in my private life. At the beginning of
the year I met the Sultan of Brunei. And despite all his wealth he's not
happy. Out of fear of abduction he's guarded by body-guards every minute
of the day. He has 3000 cars in his garage but what does he do with 3000
cars? It's nice to look at them but I'd get frustrated if I wasn't able
to drive all of them."
Q:
Do you spend a lot of money on futile things?
"Sometimes. When I buy a shirt or a coat. I already have 50 coats
in the wardrobe and a lot of them I wear only once. Yes, it happens but
never with expensive things."
Q:
But ordinary people will never understand why you changed your private
jet for another bigger private jet. Was that necessary?
"Yes, I can
imagine they can't understand that. There was a time I couldn't even
imagine to charter a plane. But in the meantime things have changed. Why
do I make such a lot of money? To put it in the bank? I live now. I put
some of it away for the future, but the rest I use to feel good. First I
had a small jet now I have a big jet. I feel comfortable with it."
Q:
What kind of gift could still make you happy?
"If my wife would give me a carburator for my kart that would make
me very happy. I'd go to the kart track and try it out immediately. That
kind of thing gives me a lot more pleasure than anything."
Q:
Does it please you to see that Benetton doesn't do as good without you?
"It's a pleasure to know that not everyone is able to become
world-champion with the Benetton car. There's a reason to why I left
Benetton. I wanted to know whether I was able to achieve the same things
somewhere else. "
Auto
motor und sport - 26th of July 96
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