Former Ferrari Team Principal Jean Todt has used the example of the 2005 season to warn Red Bull to not get complacent amid the team’s recent dominance in Formula 1.
Red Bull has crushed the opposition since the sport returned to ground effect aerodynamics in 2022, racking up 39 wins in 44 races to secure successive title doubles.
The Milton-Keynes-based squad has broken many records during that time, including 15 consecutive victories to surpass McLaren’s previous benchmark tally of 11 from 1988.
Red Bull’s supremacy under this rules cycle threatens to replicate what Ferrari achieved when it notched six straight Constructors’ Championships between 1999 and 2004.
But changes to the regulations – including mandating the use of one tyre set throughout a race – derailed the Italian marque and it ended the next season without a win.
Todt, who has drawn comparisons to Ferrari under his regime and Red Bull’s setup, believes the Austrian camp should be mindful of how the landscape can switch.
“I see similarities between both eras. Red Bull has created a winning team with a driver [Max Verstappen] who is extraordinary, very professional, intelligent and fantastic,” Todt told Italian newspaper La Stampa.
“Don’t you remember 2005? The same team, the same drivers after a season full of victories and although we had to Schumacher, we stopped being competitive.
“We were fast again the following year, but we ended up losing the title due to reliability problems and before, Michael had already announced his retirement from Formula 1, although he then returned in 2010.
“In that period, we became World Champions again with Kimi [Raikkonen] in 2007 and we lost him in 2008 in the last few meters with Felipe [Massa].”
Despite scoring the only non-Red Bull victory of 2023 in Singapore, Ferrari started the year battling an inconsistent SF-23 charger and regressed to third place in the standings.
The Maranello-based outfit is pressing ahead with a revised car concept for the upcoming campaign as it bids to end a protracted title drought which is entering its 16th season.
Since his F1 involvement concluded at the end of 2021, Todt has revealed that he now roots for Charles Leclerc, who is represented by the Frenchman’s son, Nicholas Todt, and his All Road Management agency group.
“Today, I support Leclerc,” the erstwhile FIA President disclosed.
“My son has followed him since he was racing in karting and he is a great driver. He deserves the opportunity to fight to win a World Championship in the future.”
