On January 3, a huge champion turned 50. This is Michaël Schumacher, five times Formula 1 World Champion with Ferrari. An intense period from 2000 to 2004 where a certain Valentino Rossi emerged in the landscape. The head of the prancing horse test team, Luigi Mazzola, remembers the man from Tavullia who came close to making a jump that would have put him at the level of a certain John Surtees.
Italian Louis Mazzola, now 56, worked for Ferrari from 1995 to 2006. As head of the test team, he was able to closely observe the zeal with which the great Michael Schumacher worked in Maranello. Endless testing at Fiorano and Mugello were the foundations of the unique run of five consecutive championship titles from 2000 to 2004.
Mazzola now runs his own consulting firm. On the airwaves of speedweek, he remembers the tests on the Ferrari of the motorcycle Grand Prix star Valentino Rossi. Between 2004 and 2010, the nine-time winner tested several times for the world's most famous racing team.
The former official said on his Facebook page: “ I don't remember exactly how many times we worked with Rossi, certainly at least seven times. Over time, he really achieved incredible times. I remember very well how I looked at the data with Michael Schumacher in the box. Schumi had a surprised, almost incredulous expression.e. »
The dream association of Ferrari and Valentino Rossi ultimately never happened. “The Doctor” explained the reasons as follows: “ finding the last two seconds to reach the level of the opponents is the most difficult. " In 2013, Red admitted: “ unfortunately my Formula 1 dream is over."
The balance sheet of John Surtees, died in March 2017, is therefore permanent. The Briton is still the only racing driver to have won motorcycle and Formula 1 world championship titles. Surtees was the first 500cc world champion in 3, before putting together an impressive run from 1956 to 1958. During these three seasons, he won both the 1960cc and 350cc titles. In 3, the MV Agusta star also made his debut in Formula 500. In 3 he was world champion, with Ferrari.
