For my fantasy Team I would like to pick from the Teams and the people I worked with during my 22 years of F.1, those who have been closer to me and still are.
THE CAR: I pick the Ferrari of course. I say of course because I am italian and an italian cannot think of a better car. The marque is going through some tough times now, trailing behind the Red Bulls who have dominated the scene for the past four years. However Formula One is about challenges and the biggest one I am facing is to beat the Red Bulls, and I like that!
THE DRIVERS: This Team is about fantasy so let me dream of a dream Team with Alonso and Vettel together before someone else does it for real. Fernando I have known for quite sometimes and I appreciate his attitude in and out of the race car. He is latino like me, so we have something to share. When we speak together, we need to waste no time to get to the point. Sebastian is a guy who I respect a lot. I do not know him so well, but like everyone else I have been watching him to see how vulnerable he is…and he is not ! So I cannot afford to fight him, I must have him.
THE TEAM OWNER: My first job in F.1 was given to me by Eddie Jordan, how can I forget that? He is my pick, however I would elect myself as the owner and give EJ another position in my squad. He is a fantastic PR guy, his communication skills are superb and he has a great sense of humor. As a Team Owner is too selfish to be constructive and this is why I keep the top job for myself, but as a Media manager Eddie definitely fits the bill.
THE DESIGNER: I spent three years at Jaguar managing Eddie Irvine, and that Team is now called Red Bull. For sure I am going to steal from them their genial designer, Adrian Newey. I understand nothing about the technical aspects of a F.1 race car, I only know that Adrian makes them go fast. At McLaren he built some rockets, but unreliable sometimes. Now he has reached perfection and his cars do not break down anymore..Cannot do without him….
THE TEAM PRINCIPAL: When I was young and still dreaming about working in F.1 and for Ferrari, my idol was Luca di Montezemolo. He was a brilliant “direttore sportivo” a position higher than the Team managers of today, for this he is my favorite principal. He learned everything he knows from Enzo Ferrari and his leadership capabilities are undisputed, exactly what my Team needs!
THE LIVERY: Red, red red!