Jean Todt at the head of the FIA

Jean Todt, former Rally co-driver, former director of Peugeot Sport and Scuderia Ferrari, becomes head of the FIA after more than forty years in motorsport. A look back at a career full of success.

Published on 23/10/2009 à 14:33

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Jean Todt, 63, is the new president of the FIA, a legal body which governs the automobile industry as a whole, and motorsport in particular. After having occupied positions of responsibility on the sporting level, the Frenchman reached the highest position in the executive at the age of 63.

Born in Pierrefort in 1946, Jean Todt began his career as a co-pilot of rally and was quickly entrusted, at the age of 35, with the sporting direction of Peugeot end of 1981. Under his management, Peugeot had a string of victories and awards, winning two manufacturers' titles in the World Rally Championship with the 205 (1985, 86), five consecutive victories in the Paris-Dakar, from 1987 to 91, and two successes during the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the 905 (1992 and 1993).

Peugeot management not wanting to hear about Formula 1, Jean Todt went to Ferrari, then in difficulty, in the summer of 1993. At the same time as the red single-seaters went from V12 to V10, the Team regains its luster with the arrival of Michael Schumacher. The association of the two men will bring maximum success to Ferrari, which gleans six consecutive world titles among manufacturers (1999-2004) and five world titles among drivers (2000-2004). In 2007, Jean Todt added two new lines to his list of achievements, with the title for Kimi Räikkönen among the drivers and that of Ferrari in the constructors' standings.

Having become an administrator of the Scuderia in 2006, the Frenchman left all his functions there at the start of this season, announcing his candidacy for the presidency of the FIA on July 16.

Elected on October 23, Jean Todt succeeds Max Mosley, who spent sixteen years at the head of the motorsport legal body. The Frenchman, in opposition to Ari Vatanen, represents continuity in the actions of the Briton.

Jean Todt, before this election, surrounded himself with several personalities. Nick Craw, current deputy president of the World Sports Council, will be the candidate for the presidency of the FIA Senate in the Todt era. Brian Gibbons, member of the World Mobility Council, is running for president of this institution. As for Graham Stocker, current member of the FIA International Court of Appeal and president of the FIA Anti-Doping Committee, he will run for president of the World Sports Council.