Interview: Michael Schumacher – Working with Ferrari

After Ferrari confirmed that 7-time F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher is returning to F1 on the 23rd of August during the Valencia F1 race, Michael talks about the competitive edge at Maranello, how Stefano Domenicali has brought a new era to the Scuderia and how Shell works alongside both the road car and sporting departments, promoting the transfer of technology from the race track to the road. Click here for the interview video .



Video transcripts in full:

Michael Schumacher – Working with Ferrari

The competitive edge
We have had a tough year last year because we were fighting the championship really to the last race which naturally makes things a little bit more complicated because you have to do a line of development old car and new car at the same time. But over many years we have had this practice, because we have been, luckily, very often in the position to fight for a championship –but anyway, prepare for a new one. Which over the years has worked out pretty good. We like competition but we like to be the winner out of it.

A new era at Ferrari
Stefano has always been a long term, important person behind the scene – I would say behind Jean Todt, supporting Jean over all the years. Stefano is a very good friend of mine that I obviously know since I have arrived at Ferrari. He’s a great team player and I think he, this is one of his strengths, is that side – the human side and team playing side. He has, naturally, his own character. He has new ideas and different ideas which do support the teams in their need. He knows what the team needs and what it doesn’t need, but as you say it’s young - we have had some other changes, not only Stefano that they need some time to establish themselves. Not that they have not already established inside but for the outside. People need to understand that this is the new generation of Ferrari and by their success we already had last year, I think he has proven very strongly.

Shell & Ferrari GT
The one thing is that we obviously develop products at the racing side for the Formula One which is the highest and most efficient area where we get extremely high level of products. We transfer this knowledge and these products, basically straight into road cars. So the end consumer benefits by all the work that is done on the trackside – for many areas, whatever you want to use the lubricants or fuel for.