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Jean Todt has said he feels “nostalgic” for some of the accomplishments achieved by the FIA during his tenure, especially in terms of safety that saved the lives of Lewis Hamilton and Romain Grosjean.
Speaking at a pre-ceremony press conference ahead of the FIA prize-giving ceremony, the former Ferrari F1 boss said:
“I've been spending 12 years as president of the FIA. I’ve seen a lot and then people ask me, I mean, what is your feeling? And I'm very sincere, it's 70 percent I'm happy to leave. And the other 30 percent I have some nostalgia. I think we've been doing great you know, when we speak about the improvement on safety, when you think about the low-cost helmets costing below $20 for drivers in developing countries which can save lives. When I think about (Romain) Grosjean being alive, and in a way Lewis (Hamilton) being alive. That is what matters.”
Todt assumed his role at the FIA in mid-2009, two years after leaving Ferrari. Over the last decade, Todt has led efforts by the FIA to make motorsports safer.
These include the introduction of homologated crash structures and the “halo” into all FIA single-seater categories. The latter, which was introduced in 2018, is often credited with saving multiple lives in F1 alone.
Grosjean would have lost his life in the horrendous crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix without the halo (Ironically, Grosjean as the GDPA director had fiercely opposed the introduction of the halo, citing it to be against “F1’s DNA”).
Furthermore, the halo protected Hamilton from sustaining injuries to his head (potentially saving his life) when he collided with Max Verstappen during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza earlier this year.
“He is an outstanding champion” - Jean Todt praises Lewis Hamilton at the FIA prize-giving ceremony
Todt has heaped praise on seven-time world champion Hamilton, saying the Briton is an “outstanding champion” who “never makes a mistake”.
When asked about the possibility of Hamilton not racing in F1 next season, Todt said:
“We will miss him definitely. I mean he is an outstanding champion. He never makes a mistake. Again, he also has the best combination. Probably best car, and best team. And he never made a mistake.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had earlier indicated that Hamilton might not return to racing in F1 after “being hurt” from the controversial events at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Earlier this year, Hamilton signed a two-year extension deal with Mercedes that would see him race until the end of 2022.
