Get to know Jean Todt and a legendary figure in racing
Remember Jean Todt? This man just had his wedding with the famous artist Michelle Yeoh some time ago. Interested in this lucky man, then on this occasion will be conveyed information about knowing Jean Todt and a legendary figure in the International Racing World.
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| (Photo: Pascal Rondeau/Getty Images) |
Michelle Yeoh and Jean Todt are reportedly officially married on Thursday (27/07/2023). The wedding was only a private title and was attended only by family, friends, and closest relatives in Geneva, Switzerland.
Who is Jean Todt?
Before officially marrying Michelle Yeoh, Todt was better known as an important executive in the world of auto racing, as well as his important involvement in Italian manufacturing company, Scuderia Ferrari in the prestigious Formula One (F1) competition.
Jean Todt, 77, is a former racer who was born and raised in Pierrefort, a small village in the middle of a high mountain range in southern France.
Todt, who was born on February 25, 1946, began to know the world of racing by idolizing legendary drivers such as British F1 driver Jim Clark and US driver Dan Gurney.
Also, read: After 19 Years of Fiancé, Michelle Yeoh, and Jean Todt Finally, Get Married.
While borrowing his parents' Mini Cooper to compete in the rally championship, young Todt realized that his talent was in the co-drivers seat as a chauffeur. His racing career began in 1966 when he accompanied Guy Chasseuil in the local rally championship in France.
Todt didn't take long to forge his career with Chasseuil. At the age of 23 in 1969, Todt's ability to analyze and calculate race gaps made him one of the most capable navigators in Europe.
That work led Todt to become a navigator for top rally drivers of his time such as Jean-Pierre Nicolas, Rauno Aaltonen, Ove Andersson, Hannu Mikkola, to Guy Fréquelin.
While Fréquelin's navigator for Talbot, a sub-group of Peugeot, Todt was instrumental in leading Talbot to win the 1981 World Rally Championship and second place in the drivers' standings in the same competition.
Todt's strategic and tactical talents led him to team management and built a close relationship with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the main association of racing competitions worldwide.
At the same time, Todt announced his retirement and was appointed Director of Racing for Peugeot amid the French company's financial crisis.
In less than three years, Todt initiated production of the Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 and Peugeot 905 cars and brought the company back to competition in the World Rally Championship.
In 1985 and 1986, Peugeot won the World Rally Championship under the control of Timo Salonen and Juha Kankkunen.
In addition, Peugeot also controlled the top of the manufacturing standings in the championship thanks to Todt's cold hand for two consecutive years.
Jean Todt's early F1 career and meeting Michelle Yeoh
In 1993, Todt's 12-year tenure at Peugeot Talbot Sport came to an end and brought him to F1's elite Italian Scuderia Ferrari group as General Manager.
In his second year in 1995, Todt took a bold step when recruiting German Michael Schumacher to join the Scuderia.
The signing brought brilliant results after seven consecutive F1 titles presented by Schumacher. That brilliant managerial gait led Todt to the position of CEO of Ferrari in 2004. In addition, Todt also still serves as General Manager of the Racing Division.
Todt's first meeting with Michelle Yeoh took place in the same year that Ferrari was carrying out the agenda in Shanghai, China.
According to an invitation photo uploaded by racer Felipe Massa, Todt, and Yeoh's meeting took place on June 4, 2004. Todt then officially proposed to Yeoh on July 26, 2004, and the two officially became engaged.
During their time together, the couple reportedly lived in a luxurious castle-shaped mansion in Geneva. In addition to there, Todt and Yeoh also own luxury properties in Paris, France, and Ipoh, Malaysia.
But the engagement did not immediately bring Todt and Yeoh directly to the aisle. Five years after getting engaged, Todt's tenure as Ferrari CEO came to an end.
After that, he was immediately elected to take over the FIA presidency for two terms, namely from 2009 to 2021. After two years without serving as FIA President, Todt and Yeoh officially tied the knot in Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday 27-7-2023.
The wedding, which took place after they got engaged 19 years ago, was only a private title and was attended only by family, friends, and closest relatives.
In addition to his long time in racing, Todt is also a member of the United Nations Special Envoy for Road Safety as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of the FIA Foundation for Automotive and Society.
He has one son, Nicolas Todt, who continues in his footsteps to break into the managerial ranks of leading teams and drivers in Formula One and other auto racing competitions.
That's a bit of information about "getting to know Jean Todt and the legendary figure in the Racing World.