Last October, when Michael Schumacher exorcised the demons that had haunted Maranello for 21 years, a watching world only had eyes for the imperious German. As he thundered towards the chequered flag, cameras zoomed into the cockpit of his Ferrari to register tear-filled eyes through the champion's helmet, in-car radio broadcast the German's howls of relief and delight at having finally converted five years of struggle into victory. The scrutiny confirmed it. Schumacher was and is the embodiment of modern Ferrari, the totem by which it is recognised.
But back on the pitwall, away from microphone and magnifying lens, a diminutive, overweight figure in an ill-fitting red race suit was being buried in the bear-like hug of Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn. The arch-strategist was paying homage to the man who brought him to Ferrari, had given him the chance for glory, the man who also put Schumacher in the rosso corse, turning the German from Benetton legend to Ferrari messiah. The little figure extracted himself from the embrace and once more disappeared into the Ferrari throng. It is Jean Todt's way.
The Ferrari sporting director doesn't do too much talking but the team of Schumacher, Brawn, Barrichello and designer Rory Byrne is his. The Maranello of 2000 is the house he built. If Schumacher appears the owner of house Ferrari, Todt is its architect.
At Ferrari, his has been a quiet revolution, taking - in 1993 - a fragmented and politically divided team and moulding it into a championshipwinning force. The quietness may come from his alien status. He is an F1 outsider having been drafted in from the Peugeot rally team.
It is the same when he arrives in Dublin - quietly. At the behest of Alfa Romeo he is here to launch a local exhibition of its recently rediscovered 1929 Irish Grand Prix winning 1750. That the man in the down-at-heel overcoat is the boss of the world's premier F1 team would never occur to anyone in the Berkeley Court's foyer.
It is the same when he describes winning for Ferrari its first drivers' championship in 21 years. A small smile, a shrug and a few words.
"It was like being delivered," he says, "because if you are trying to climb a high mountain of 8000 metres and every time you reach 7,500, bang! you have to start again, you begin to wonder if you will ever get to the top. But once you are there then you know that's it, things will never be the same again. Whatever happens now, we have done it."
Having done it, the question for the Frenchman is where to now? He has a contract until the end of 2001. He is in negotiation with the team for a further term but again he favours the team rather than his own interests.
"The mission now for me is to reconfirm the team organisation. For the last while we have been building for the present, now we need to build for the future."
Part of that construction process is retaining his drivers, Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello. But question marks, as ever, hang over Ferrari's commitment to any driver other than their champion. Barichello's long-term success at the Scuderia remains a mystery given the team's apparent unwillingness to gainsay Schumacher's dominance or its potential in those circumstances to bolster the Brazilian's often fragile confidence.
In 1995 Barrichello was roasted by then Jordan teammate Eddie Irvine and many have alleged since that it was only the Irishman's often egomaniacal toughness that allowed him to survive in Schumacher's shadow. Todt disputes this and insists the Brazilian has what it takes to compete with Michael.
"Rubens is surviving under Michael's pressure. He has accepted the challenge and been successful."
And as for Barrichello's predecessor? Todt was rumoured to have a hate/hate relationship with the Irish driver but two years apart appear to have softened the Frenchman's opinions on Irvine.
"In some ways it would have been great if Eddie had won the championship for us in '99. It would have given a lot more publicity to Ferarri. When Michael wins it's all about what he has done with the car. Not the other way round.
"About Eddie I will say that he gave a lot to Ferrari but we gave a lot to him. We put him in the position where he could get himself the contract of a lifetime (at Jaguar). We gave him the car to take him to vicechampion in 1999. The following season he scores four points.
"But I did like Eddie's style. He needed different supports from the team and from me and that was fine. Michael likes to be with the team, he likes to have dinner with me. Eddie did not."
