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Sweet moments. And what was your most bitter one as Team Principal?
Back in 2002, when we were accused of having used wrong petrol - in the night before winning the title at Zandvoort. Later, the allegation was cleared up: by mistake, two charges of fuel had been mixed. But at this very moment, that didn’t help. Fortunately, things went better on track. Laurent Aiello wasn’t allowed to contest the qualifying race but in the feature race, he nonetheless scored the necessary point and as Mercedes failed to win the race thanks to Mattias Ekström, we won the title, nevertheless.
So, asking you for the greatest moment is unnecessary, isn’t it?
Exactly. It followed just 12 hours after the bitterest one. But it was a truly special night for me as Team Principal…
What are the attributes an ideal Team Principal should possess?
In DTM, you have to deal with technology and - first of all - with people. More than anything, he should be able to motivate. He has to come up with ideas and should be able to make many and very wise decisions, every single day. (laughs)
What are your weaknesses? Or, more politely: What are the areas you still have to work on?
I’m very greedy and - consequently - extremely impatient. If things don’t run that well, I tend to quickly say: “Come on, boys, get going!” In these situations, I should take my time to unhurriedly analyse what exactly is going wrong.
What are the roles a Team Principal must be able to play? Good boss, bad boss, father, headshrinker, to encourage, to precede...?
To cut a long story short: Super Nanny. You are confronted with any kind of problems, have to listen to everything - while you shouldn’t have any problems yourself. But I’ve learned to not consider everything as a problem right away. We are Allgäuers, tough, honest, decent people. But everybody working for us should be aware that they should possess certain characteristics. We don’t need mollycoddles that tend to pity themselves, every single day.
What do you like in being a Team Principal?
When we are successful I’m standing at the very front, representing the team. But the same applies to the moments of failure. If things go wrong, I also have to stand in front of my team and take the pounding.
Abt Sportsline knows how to celebrate. That’s something you exemplify. Is letting fully loose part of the job?
If there wouldn’t be this extreme strain followed by the massive relief, I wouldn’t be involved in motor racing, any more. At first, you are full of excitement, crossing your fingers for your squad and then, following a win, you celebrate truly hilariously - caused by the success and as a result from the previous strain. But that’s something you also have to learn. There are a lot of people who just don’t know how to party properly. And we exemplify how it’s done. And this example sinks in. I know that there are a lot of people saying that we are really going for it, at Abt Sportsline. And right they are. But that does apply to both celebrating and working seriously.
Apropos seriously: What was your most unpleasant discussion with a driver, to date?
Back in 2000: we had just joined DTM and our car was that bad that Laurent Aiello told me during the fourth race weekend, at the Sachsenring, that he was going to split up with us at immediately. So, I had to re-motivate him and explain him that we had entered DTM only this season and that we regarded our involvement as long-term project. I told him that we relied on him when it came to realising our long-term goals and enhancing jointly. Had I told him at this very moment that he would win the title with us - and at the wheel of this car - just two years later, he most definitely wouldn’t have believed me
Which racing car has been your favoured one, to date?
The aforementioned TT, no doubt. First of all, the car that won the 2002 title - but our 2000 TT too. That car was that bad that I also started loving it, in a certain way. After all, it represented the beginning of a kind of never ending story. It was like having a child. It had to grow up. And it did - in remarkable style. And left its mark on us.
Have you ever driven one of your DTM cars yourself? After all, you have been a racing driver yourself.
Yes, I had the chance of driving our 2002 TT. At Misano, in torrential rain - and went off. Afterwards, I had to cope with a good deal of malice… So, I know how a DTM car works and how to drive it - but I’m not that keen on driving. Nonetheless, we possibly will repeat this experience at the end of the current season. But we have done something far more important: all our employees have made a ride in the passenger seat of the DTM Race-Taxi to get an impression of what the drivers have to cope with, at the wheel of the cars our staff is working on. If you watch the cars from the outside only, you haven’t got the slightest idea of what is going on in the cockpit. Afterwards, they all were truly enthusiastic and got aware of the fact that a DTM driver is working really hard. And that he can be delivering in great style even if he should be three tenths of a second slower, on occasion.
The close contact to the team, from mechanic to driver, is it important?
Extremely important. Therefore, we hold a major speech in the pits right after every race - for all the drivers and team members. On this occasion, we talk about everything that proved to be important. No matter if a pit stop didn’t work the way it was planned or if a driver made a mistake. The driver can thank the team or he can apologise. And that’s what he should do if he made a mistake. The mechanic should be made aware that he is doing more than just working on a machine. He is part of an emotional project.
How did the drivers change over the course of times?
Positively. They are very open, today, have been educated well, aren’t that keen on taking centre stage and are team players. But they are paid really well and consequently can enjoy a fantastic life style. After all, this is a professional sport.
Let’s talk about your father: as a racing driver, he attended to everything himself - the basis for creating a great tuning and motor-racing company. Today’s racing drivers expect to be passed the helmet when entering the car and ask if their drinking bottle has been filled...
I have to agree in this area. But a lot of things were different in those days. My father was an accepted ‘hero’. Motor racing was regarded as eminently respectable. Today, it is an extremely professional team sport where avoiding making any mistakes is vital. The team with best reputation isn’t the one that knows best how to party and have fun but the one that does the most professional job, makes fewer mistakes than anybody else and enters the fastest cars. And as a part of this professionalism, you have to fill the driver’s drinking bottle and make sure that he has got the chance of fully focusing on his job: to drive the car. That’s exactly the same as in football: there, Mr Podolski is helped to tie his shoes and should it be raining, his shoes for rain are standing polished in the dressing room. That’s the best system. If you try to do it differently, you will make mistakes or others will be just better.
