Talk about preparations for this weekend's German Grand Prix and the natural tendency is to think of the work carried out at last week's test at the Paul Ricard circuit or developments coming out of the factory in Maranello.

However, Formula 1 is very much a commercial sport these days and, away from the technical side, other members of the team have been preparing as usual to meet the needs of commercial partners, for whom every grand prix is a chance to promote its products through association with Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro.



The main point of contact for these partners is the team's Sponsor Manager, Massimo Cusimano.

"My role is divided in two: one part is liaison with existing sponsors and by liaison that means to ensure that contracts are respected and to coordinate with the other areas involved, which are merchandising, communications, licensing and even internet, making sure everything is managed properly," he explains. "The second part is to find new sponsors: carrying out market research, evaluating sponsorship proposals, looking at legal aspects such as marketing rights and so forth."

The planning of sponsor events and requirements is carried out a long time in advance.

"Before a grand prix we meet with all the sponsors via conference calls, with most of them mainly based in UK," says Cusimano. "We prepare and plan all the marketing activities at the circuit for the local market involved. Usually, we start with a yearly plan in order to share the time fairly. When we say 'time' this means mainly the drivers' time as they are the most requested elements of our package. Senior management, for example Jean Todt are also requested to take part in some sponsor activities."

Read more »

'No way will we settle for constructors alone' says Todt


Michael Schumacher's third straight win has revived Ferrari's hopes of returning to the pinnacle of Formula 1, team manager Jean Todt said Monday .


Speaking after Schumacher won the French Grand Prix, Todt fiercely denied suggestions that the Italian team was prepared to make do with the constructors' championship, where it is now just 21 points behind pace-setters Renault with seven races - representing a potential haul of 136 points - still to go.

"There's no way we're going to be happy with just the constructors' championship. All we'll settle for is Felipe Massa (Ferrari's No.2 driver) not getting second place,"

a combative Todt told reporters.


Todt said he was "convinced" Schumacher, 17 points behind Renault's world champion Fernando Alonso, had "a great chance" of adding to his seven world titles .

Read more »

FORMULA ONE. MICHAEL SCHUMACHER 1st; FERNANDO ALONSO 2nd AT NURBURGRING


The favorite for this season's title, Spaniard Fernando Alonso finished 2nd in todays European
Formula 1 GP.


The winner Michael Schumacher illustrated the great work that Ferrari is doing, apart from his brilliant driving & race tactics.


Alonso´s second pit stop allowed Schumacher to edge ahead &

the excellent 6.8 sec pit stop by Ferrari put a comfortable
distance ahead of Renault to eventually allow Michael take the race.


Congratulations to Brazilain Massa who was 3rd & got onto podium for the first time.

The interesting thing here is that 1st & 3rd placed cars were Ferraris, confirming their excellent work & the fact that they are a serious threat to Renault & Alonso´s aspirations for this season.


RESULTS:
1. M.Schumacher (Ger)

2. F. Alonso (Sp)
3. P. Massa (Bra)

4. K. Raikkonen (Fin)
5. Barrichello (Bra)



Next race : Spanish GP - Barcelona

Overtaking at the San Marino Grand Prix is about as difficult as passing another car on the narrow, single-lane country roads that surround the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit.

Big Bernie Ecclestone lofts up his favorite son as they celebrate another famous Formula 1 victory

Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso know the routine all too well. Schumacher held off Alonso for nearly half of the 62 laps in a duel to the finish yesterday, recording his seventh win at Imola and the 85th of his career.

A year ago, the roles were reversed and Alonso beat Schumacher by blocking the Ferrari driver over the final 12 laps.


Schumacher earned the 66th pole position of his career on Saturday to break the record he shared with Ayrton Senna.
Alonso started five cars behind but, by the 35th lap, he was on Schumacher's tail. The Spaniard tried to pass Schumacher on laps 37 and 40 - but Schumacher blocked both attempts.


See the final 5 laps by clicking here (no sound)


Schumacher clocked 1 hour, 31 minutes, 6.486 seconds. Alonso finished 2.0 seconds behind and McLaren's Juan Pablo Montoya was 15.8 back for third.

Schumacher's Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa was fourth, McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen fifth, Williams' Mark Webber sixth and Honda's Jenson Button seventh.


Source: Associated Press

Todt Talks Up Scumacher's Future


It being the holidays, the recent days have seen the Formula 1 rumour mill busy speculating about the future of Michael Schumacher. The 37-year-old Ferrari star says that he is not planning to make any decision about his future until July and his manager Willi Weber says that Michael is not even considering offers at the moment as he must first decide what he wants to do. Weber has however confirmed that there is interest in Michael from Renault.

"Flavio let us know that we should talk to him before we sign any contract," Weber told the German newspaper Bild. "He seems to be interested."

In Formula 1 remarks like this are never made without a purpose and one might assume (rightly or wrongly) that Weber has an offer in the bag from Renault and is seeing if Ferrari has a better offer. Ferrari has obviously covered itself by having some form of option on Kimi Raikkonen. There is talk that Ferrari must either confirm Kimi by the end of June or pay him $5m in compensation.


What is very clear is that things are not normal in the Ferrari camp as team boss Jean Todt has long made a habit of doing his driver deals well in advance. Michael's contract for 1998-1999 was signed, for example, in November 1996; his deal for 2000-2001-2002 was announced in July 1998; his renewal for 2003-2004 was done in May 2001 and the current deal for 2005 and 2006 was completed in June 2003.


It would be logical to speculate therefore that Todt would have planned for Schumacher's possible departure by signing a deal with Raikkonen at some point last summer. Todt clearly does not think Michael will go to Renault, as he pointed out with his usual charm and diplomacy.

"I do not believe what is written in the newspapers," he said. "This morning I read everywhere that Schumacher wants to go to Renault. That is stupidity in the first degree and so stupid that I will not react to it at all. I am convinced that it is one of our strengths, not to react to such speculation at all."

However, what Todt failed to explain in his reaction to the speculation is why a move to Renault is so stupid when Renault has won 11 races in the last 18 months while Ferrari has not scored a proper win (beating Minardi and Jordan at Indianapolis last year is not a victory which will figure in the pantheon of great Ferrari moments) since the autumn of 2004 - 18 months ago.










Source: Grand Prix.com