Jane Nottage - Ferrari - The Passion and the Pain

Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 77–85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published by HarperCollins Publishers 1997

© Jane Nottage 1998

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Jane Nottage asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

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Source ISBN: 9780002188876

Ebook Edition © OCTOBER 2014 ISBN: 9780008119287

Version: 2014-10-24

This book is dedicated to Paul Wiget, with thanks for four wonderful years and with much love for a very happy future for him and his four lovely children, Phil, Isobel, Kevin and Anna, and Phil’s beautiful girlfriend Anette.

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Foreword by Niki Lauda

Introduction

1996 SEASON

Chapter One THE LEGEND LIVES ON

Chapter Two ON A WING AND A PRAYER

Chapter Three THE SUMMER OF DISCONTENT

Chapter Four THE ROAD TO VICTORY

1997 SEASON

Chapter Five NEW BEGINNINGS

Chapter Six WINNING WAYS

Chapter Seven A COLD SHOWER

Chapter Eight THE FIGHT BACK

Chapter Nine SEPTEMBER DOLDRUMS

Chapter Ten IN THE DEEP MIDWINTER

1998 SEASON

Chapter Eleven THE 1998 SEASON BEGINS

Chapter Twelve A WINNING COMBINATION

Chapter Thirteen MID-SEASON BLUES

Chapter Fourteen AN UPTURN IN FORTUNES

Chapter Fifteen THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

Race Results for 1998

Picture Section

Acknowledgements

About the Author

About the Publisher

Winning one World Championship with Ferrari is a special feeling. Winning two is simply unforgettable. Enzo Ferrari, like his cars, came out of a unique mould. He was sometimes difficult and intransigent, but above all he was the driving force behind one of the greatest racing teams of all time. We had some memorable run-ins during my four years at Ferrari, but my respect for this giant of motor racing and what he accomplished eclipses all else. Having later started my own company, Lauda Air, I understand the effort required to build up and maintain a successful business.

There are many good memories from my time as a Ferrari driver, but one or two are outstanding, such as the first time I won a Grand Prix with Ferrari. It happened at Jarama (in Spain) in 1974 and after this I understood what it was like to feel the warmth of the passionate tifosi , who were overjoyed.

Winning my first Formula One Drivers’ Championship with Ferrari was one of the highlights of my life. When it actually happened everything seemed to go by in a flash – the celebrations, the victory dinner, meeting the fans. But at the end I was left with an intense feeling of happiness, which I will never forget.

I was fortunate enough to have Luca di Montezemolo as my team manager when I won that title in 1975. As well as a being colleague, Luca became a friend and when he returned to Ferrari in 1992 as chairman, I became a consultant to help rebuild the fortunes of the team.

Luca is a brilliant strategist and visionary. He recognized the need to employ the right people in the right places, and over the last six years he has done just that. The result is that the Ferrari Formula One team has been able to show in the last two years particularly that it is once again a serious contender for the Formula One World Constructors’ Championship.

That kind of action takes courage and perseverance, particularly in a company like Ferrari, which is quintessentially Italian in its approach and its methods. Politics and intrigue have always played a part in the management, and it isn’t easy to cut through that and prepare the company for the future. To that end Luca has done a brilliant job, as have all the members of the team – especially Team Director Jean Todt and Michael Schumacher, who is the best racing driver of his generation, and the talented and competitive Eddie Irvine.

Above all, one must never forget that Ferrari is a team made up of different nationalities and personalities, and each and every one of them plays an important role. A racing team works under constant pressure, so the most junior mechanic is as important as the most senior manager in that they must all execute their jobs efficiently and quickly.

This book is unique in that it offers the reader a glimpse of what life is really like working for one of the most glamorous and enigmatic teams in Grand Prix motor racing; and, for the very first time, the sweat and toil and the passion and the pain of being part of Ferrari can be observed at close quarters.

Niki Lauda, Vienna, 1998

The sound is unmistakable. A deep throaty roar leading to a high-pitched whine. It’s another day, another country and the millionaire boys are playing with their favourite toys. Round and round they go, darting in and out like multi-coloured insects engaged in some ancient ritualistic dance.

Bearing the names of their sponsors like proud warriors they automatically draw attention from the small groups gathered on the slopes overlooking the circuit. National flags wave in the breeze and the onlookers express their delight as their favourite drivers pass by. The cars in their distinct livery, each driver locked in his own private race to go ever faster, dance over the tarmac – gold, grey, black, white with a tartan strip and light blue.

The circus continues, and then from the distant pits another sound is heard and the crowd stirs in eager anticipation. A guttural battle cry is followed by a roar of power as the V10 engine propels the car down the pit lane and onto the glistening track. A flash of scarlet as the founder member of Formula One motor racing joins the rest. Anticipation changes to raw passion, and the fans erupt at the sight and sound of the bright red car driven by the supreme warrior himself.

Michael Schumacher is in a Ferrari. Individually enticing, together they are an unbeatable combination of power and emotion. The brilliant German driver in the car that stirs the heart. Among a family of beauties the Ferrari stands head and shoulders above the others. And not just in Formula One. From the boardrooms of Manhattan to the deserts of Africa, owning a Ferrari is the embodiment of many people’s hopes and dreams, something that represents escape, beauty and the good life. It has also transcended the role of being a mere form of transport and become a focus for the emotions of the whole Italian nation. When Ferrari does well the nation dances, when Ferrari does badly the nation cries.