The great “Special One”, José Mourinho, is at Silverstone: a real show in a post-FP1 interview, between the Treble and Ferrari.
He’s a legend of football and world sport: José Mourinho, the last coach to win the Champions League with an Italian club, is a guest of Scuderia Ferrari in the Silverstone garage.
Interviewed after FP1 by Sky Sport F1, Mourinho said: “I’m about to finish my holidays: tomorrow I’m flying to Istanbul and I won’t be here on Sunday. My friend Domenicali isn’t too happy about that, because he wanted me here for all three days, but it’s back to work tomorrow — the season begins.”
“I was in the Ferrari garage, a guest of the team. I love Formula 1, it’s a passion. Hamilton has already shown that here in Silverstone, he’s the home king. And every time I come to the track I try to understand this world better. I talk to many friends I have here, trying to find parallels between my job and that of a team principal. There are clear differences, of course, but also many things in common: talent, pressure, responsibility. That doesn’t change in top-level sport.”
“There’s also a moment of great sorrow we’re experiencing: the sporting world is in mourning for the tragedy that struck Diogo (Jota), a wonderful guy, so unlucky. He had the same agent and the same team as I do. Everyone adored him. Not just a great footballer, but an old-school person: humble, never seeking the spotlight. He earned it through work and victories, with Liverpool and Portugal. Three kids growing up without a father, a wife who was his lifelong love, parents who have lost two children. A tragedy we might understand one day, but today it’s simply inexplicable.”
Mourinho: “Ferrari is like Real Madrid”
“Speaking of Ferrari, I know what it means to live under pressure. I did it as a player, as a coach, and Ferrari is the Real Madrid of F1: it was born to win. When you’re not winning, you need the strength to resist, to believe in yourself, in your work and in your team. In Madrid we say, ‘when the white jersey enters, you’re already winning 1–0’. But then you have 90 minutes to play. With Ferrari it’s the same: when you go out on track, you’ve already won something, but then you have two hours to fight.”
“Wearing the red of Ferrari is every driver’s dream, but also a huge responsibility. Leclerc and Hamilton are great, Vasseur and the whole team are working hard. Free Practice? It’s a bit like the last training sessions before a match: you can feel the tension, you try to find the perfect form.”
“Hamilton is at home here, historically he always ends up on the podium even when he doesn’t have the best car. He’s even won against all odds. He knows the track like few others.”
Mourinho: “Do they miss me in Italy? I don’t think so. Maybe for the Champions League…”
Then, a comment on football: “You say I’m missed in Italy? I don’t think so, but I appreciate it. Maybe I’m missed just because nobody’s winning the Champions League anymore… the last one to do so was me. That’s the only tragedy!”
“They call me the Special One? Because I keep doing things people don’t expect. Let’s see if something happens in Istanbul…”
And finally, a few words about Christian Chivu, now Inter’s coach: “One of my boys, one of my kids. But now he’s a man, with plenty of experience. He was an extraordinary player, and now he has to prove he can be a great coach too. He loves Inter and Inter loves him. He has courage, personality, and I wish him all the best. But… the Treble? No! That’s mine, only mine . He can win the Champions League, the Scudetto… but the Treble stays mine. Even if he’s at Inter? Yes, even so. I wish him the Champions League, not the Treble. Am I a bit selfish? Absolutely yes!”
Photo: Scuderia Ferrari, Inter, AS Roma
