The Talent Spotter

He’s played a part in Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s journeys to F1, and has managed talents including Felipe Massa, the late Jules Bianchi, and future star Charles Leclerc. And he’s still picking out exciting young drivers, even as teams try to muscle in on his turf with their own development programmes. We ask: how does Nicolas Todt do it?

- Nicolas Todt

Whether it’s the turn of phrase or the mannerisms, there is an unmistakable similarity between Nicolas Todt and his father, Jean. But you’re less likely to bump into the former-Ferrari-bossturned-FIA-president in the Formula 1 paddock. Now it’s Nicolas who is a regular presence, helping to manage some of the world’s top drivers.

For the past 14 seasons, Todt Jr has been working with Felipe Massa. He guided him through his rehabilitation back into F1 after Massa was dropped by Sauber in his wild rookie year. He was also there during Massa’s oh-so-close world title campaign in 2008. And he was in the wings again during Felipe’s recovery from that near-fatal accident in Hungary a year later.

When GP2 was established as a feeder category to F1 in 2004, Todt entered a team with renowned junior single-seater master Frédéric Vasseur. ART Grand Prix subsequently won the first two championships with Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. It’s clear, then, that Todt knows a thing or two about talent-spotting.

Since establishing his company, All Road Management, Todt has worked tirelessly to seek out the next wave of young talent, with the aim of helping them reach their goal of F1. His most recent protégé is on the verge of doing just that. Monégasque Charles Leclerc clinched the Formula 2 title in October and is in the frame for a 2018 Sauber seat. But, as Todt admits, the role of a driver-manager has changed since 2003.

“There are fewer managers today because teams try to sign drivers much younger and put them directly into their own schemes, such as the Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari young driver programmes. Apart from that, it’s even more difficult to reach F1 now than it was in the past. Today, a good driver can lose his seat because another driver arrives with a lot more money.