Didier Coton: “My added value is my knowledge of the terrain, the market, the people who are there”

When did motorsport enter your life?

It happened following a meeting with Keke Rosberg who, after a rich career in Formula 1 (1982 world champion with Williams. Editor's note), had resumed his piloting activities at Peugeot who had just launched the 905 program in Endurance. He was then looking for someone to assist him with the riders he himself had under contract, and I started working with him.

What was your activity before that?

I worked at an international IT company called “Control Data” which later became “Xidex”. I took care of sales and marketing for different European countries. It was a radical change, but I was a motorsport fan. A big company is very “corporate”. There, I collaborated with athletes. It was very stimulating, and it still is almost thirty-five years later. There are many parameters to take into account to ensure a runner's performance. Keke (Rosberg. Editor's note) understood this before the others. He introduced me to the world of F1 and taught me the business. I stayed with him for around ten years before creating my own agency.

Who were the first drivers you worked with?

Keke took care of JJ Lehto (62 starts and 1 F1 podium between 1989 and 1994. Editor's note) and two German drivers who did not compete in F1. It was also he who flushed out Mika (Häkkinen, future double F1 world champion with McLaren in 1998-99. Editor’s note). He asked me to assist him when he arrived in F1 at Lotus (in 1991. Editor's note). We never left each other since I was still with him when he ended his career in 2001, and even