A Dash of Red

Michael Schumacher on the top step of the podium is afascinating moving image. There’s the signature Schumacher victory leap, fistsand legs, draped in scarlet red overalls, punching the air in delight. As thenational anthems of Germany and Italy (representing his nationality and that ofhis team) fill the air by turn, Schumacher lets loose an array of emotions, abit in tune with stereotype images of the two nations.

During the German anthem, Schumacher gives a gentle smile,and his face moves from contemplation to impassiveness. Then, as the firstswinging notes of the Italian anthem take flight, so does Schumacher. Broadsmiles. Winks and hand signals at his team members, crowding down below, for ajob well done. And if the occasion is extra-special, like a come-from-behindvictory orchestrated by some stunning driving and shrewd pit-wall moves, hisright hand becomes a baton, conducting the Ferrari crew to a boisterousrendition of the Italian anthem. The winner’s trophy is hauled and hailed, thebubbly sprayed and a picture freeze-framed for the record books.

It’s a watchable sequence, a glorious celebration in sport. Sure, it’sbecome repetitive, having been aired so many times in the past seven years (thetime Schumacher has spent at Ferrari so far), but it still holds great appealand freshness. Just as well, for it is likely to be rerun for a few more yearsand many more races to come. Schumacher is not done with Ferrari or F1. Neitheris the Italian team with the German, who has, in a span of just seven years,driven them from being one of the hunters to the hunted on the Formula 1 grid.In classic Ferrari guts-and-glory style.

Earlier this week, Schumacher and Ferrari agreed to extend their workingrelationship till 2006, thereby putting an end to speculation that the Germanace might quit Ferrari and the sport at the end of next year. Ferrari alsohanded out similar contract extensions to five other men who have played as mucha part as Schumacher in Ferrari’s reversal of fortunes: team director JeanTodt, technical director Ross Brawn, engine director Paolo Martinelli, chiefdesigner Rory Byrne and head of engine design Gilles Simon.

In other words, the A-team of Ferrari will stay together for three-and-a-halfseasons more, till the end of the 2006 season. That’s huge.

Schumacher is Ferrari’s public face, its ambassador, its mascot. It’s hissublime moves on the racetrack that largely shape the public perception of theItalian race team, and in a larger context, that of Ferrari as a global carmanufacturer. We sigh, applaud and marvel at Schumacher when his car is engulfedin flames during a refuelling pit-stop, but he sits calmly in it, waits for themechanics to douse the fire, nonchalantly uses his gloved palms to wipe off thefoam from the fire extinguisher that has strayed on to his helmet visor, makesup the deficit on the cars ahead of him, passes them, and drives to victorylane. Oh, Schumi!

In the sheer rush and excitement of the moment, we forget to think of thenumerous men, and a few women, who make possible such classic Schumachermoments. They too wear scarlet red, but they work behind the scenes, away fromthe glare of the public and the cameras.

Like the fine bunch of mechanics, who keep their nerve and fight fire, whennot literally, then metaphorically. When the red Ferrari has to be turned aroundin 6.7 seconds flat, complete with new tyres and 40 litres of fuel, they do itwith the regularity of a heartbeat. Through long days, and sometimes nights,they go over each and every small part of what is, arguably, the most complexpiece of machinery in sport, just to make sure they get the most out of it andthat it doesn’t backfire during the race. They keep the Ferrari running and inshape. Ferrari’s reliability and pit stop timings over the past three yearswill show that these guys are the best in the pit-lane.

Or the master strategists, Todt and Brawn, who stand guard on the Ferrari pitwall, soak in the big picture and the small picture, and fire out the orders.They crunch the numbers thrown on the bevy of television screens in front ofthem, translate these numbers into a strategy in English, and find the best wayfor Schumacher to execute it. Their job is to be Schumacher’s roving eye,observe what other drivers and teams are doing, and come up with ways to gain anadvantage. Countless times they have won races by outsmarting rivals in pitstops alone. When it comes to playing pit-lane poker, they are the best peopleto have holding your cards.

Or the car engineers and designers, who craft a piece of machinery that goesfaster than every other car and has proven its ability to withstand extreme raceconditions without compromising on performance. Year after year. They workpainstakingly on the car, in blue-light factories, on practice tracks and inhigh-tech places like the wind tunnel, to squeeze precious milliseconds out ofit. They give the Ferrari drivers what is, unarguably, the best car on the grid.

That Ferrari’s support functions are in the best of hands and firing allcylinders makes the job of their drivers -- Schumacher and Brazil’s RubensBarrichello -- that much easier. It’s not that the people at Ferrari do thingsdifferently than other teams—it’s just that they do the same things betterthan them.

At the end of the day, Ferrari is more than just Schumacher. It’s a fineblend of talented and committed individuals. If the parts start to come apart,you bet the management there will have a real fire-fighting job on their hands,and simply able Ferrari mechanics and deep pockets won’t guarantee peace. It’swhy, announcing the contract extensions, Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemelosaid: "This (the extensions) is a strong signal to our co-workers, sponsorsand fans. And it stops every outside attempt to destabilise an environment thathas overcome difficult moments." Strong words that dwell on a past, whilestanding up for team values and continuity.

Schumacher too recognises the importance of continuing with long-standingrelationships that have been fun and fruitful. Back in 1996, soon after heswitched seats from Benetton to Ferrari, Brawn and Byrne followed suit. Eachtime Schumacher’s contract has come up for renewal, the future of Todt, Brawnand Byrne has been inextricably linked to his. In a statement posted onFerrari's website, Schumacher said: "I feel extremely comfortable atFerrari. The fact that Jean Todt and other key personnel in the team have alsoconfirmed they plan to stay with Ferrari for the same period of time made thisdecision even easier to take."

The status quo in team personnel is great news for Ferrari and itssupporters. Never mind the fact that they’ll be shelling out, according toreports, some $36 million a year for Schumacher (making him the world’shighest-paid athlete), and some for the others, to win races and championships.Rivals like McLaren and Williams, though, must be squirming in the knowledgethat the outside chance the Ferrari bulwark might collapse from the inside ispretty much gone. In order to dethrone Ferrari, they cannot expect Italiangenerosity.

Few will bet against Ferrari extending their winning run of three consecutivechampionships to seven, which is what Ferrari will be aiming for now that theyhave sealed the personnel line up till 2006. The fastest car on the grid. Thebest driver at its wheel. Some able men in key positions. A development cyclethat has so far defied the cyclical theory of sport, and is yet to show signs oftapering off. The Schumacher Era at Ferrari might just have gained a couple moreyears.

As the current lot of F1 drivers go, there is Schumacher, and then there arethe rest. Even at 34, a relatively old age in F1, he is so far ahead of otherdrivers, it is daunting to imagine the kind of numbers he might finish up withif he does wind up his driving days at the Italian team in 2006, as he sodesires. Already, he has achieved more than any other racing driver, dead oralive. Five championships (tied with Juan Manuel Fangio), 67 race wins (to putit into perspective, the next best is Alain Prost with 51; Kimi Raikkonen,billed to be the next champion in line, has 1), and numerous other minorrecords.

These numbers are a fair reflection of Schumacher the driver: the best of hisgeneration and one of the best, if not the best, of all time. Even if he were toleave F1 today, it will take an extraordinary talent, driving with impeccableconsistency, to surpass his records. Throw in another three-and-a-half yearsinto the mix, and the bar gets raised further.

Such has been the sweep of Ferrari’s domination over the past four seasons,it has taken brute changes in the rulebook by the F1 organisers to rein in theItalian team. It has worked. The rule changes, coupled with notable stridestaken by a few other teams, has bridged the gap in the races between Ferrari andthe other front-runners, and made the ongoing season a lot more competitive.Ferrari are facing the heat after a number of years, and that makes itinteresting, for all concerned.

Over the years, the folks at Ferrari have loved the thrill of a challenge. It’sa feeling they might have missed during the time they were running alone, milesahead of the field. They have been in such situations before, and have comethrough with elan. For all that it is worth, Ferrari’s F2003-Ga is the bestcar on the grid and Schumacher the quickest driver. It’s an advantage that ismore likely to become apparent over the course of an entire season, rather thanover a handful of races.

As Ferrari heads into the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, a lot of piecesare coming together for the team. Watch that top step!