Be warned this is a speculative piece, triggered Jean Todt’s availability and by Ross Brawn’s silence in the aftermath of the 2021 Formula 1 title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which was littered with controversy from the moment Max Verstappen began the last chapter of their duel that night.

Typically after every race, on-the-dot Tuesday morning the F1 sporting boss publishes his thoughts on the previous Sunday’s race. Three Tuesday since that explosive final and all that followed the week after, but no word from Brawn.

This was the first red flag for me over the festive season with too little news and too much time to think. What could he say of a race that turned into a farce? He has to be positive in his position but the way Michael Masi and the FIA murdered the race, might have been hard to justify for a racing man.

Then out of the blue, as if it was all part of the bigger plan, it came out recently that Ross and Pat Symonds would be on their way out of the F1 management team at the end of 2022.

That was weird because all indications are Brawn was there for the long haul

I am not suggesting Brawn’s departure and the Abu Dhabi mosh-pit are connected, but the timing is indeed strange and invariably fires up speculation that perhaps there is some connection. As mentioned the silence from the F1 managing director of motorsports is deafening.

The other Red flag that constantly waves in F1 is of course Ferrari, a team desperately seeking a leader to split responsibilities with Mattia Binotto or a man to take over the whole show in the style of Jean Todt during the golden era of Michael Schumacher, of which Brawn was part.

In fact, Brawn has started or been part of some astoundingly successful teams during his career in F1, from Benetton through to Ferrari, his own Brawn GP and the birth of the modern Mercedes project.

Was Brawn ever made to be a rule-maker?

Brawn back to Ferrari makes perfect sense and I would be surprised if John Elkann has not had the 67-year-old Englishman on speed-dial over Christmas, sounding him out for a return to Maranello, a much needed one at that, as the sport enters a new era in which the Scuderia is expected to be back in contention for wins.

The past couple of years have been dire for the sports’ winningest team with no victories since 2019. Thus much hinges on 2022 from a technical perspective where Binotto is at his best, and a partner at the helm or commanding him may be the cover he needs to actually make Ferrari the force it should be.

How dire things are in the Italian F1 fans’ collective psyche, is aptly summed up by Ferrari legend Arturo Merzario, who told Corriere dello Sport: “As a Tifosi I’m disappointed. The excuses of the new car no longer stand. Ferrari hasn’t won for years. It is not acceptable to be satisfied with finishing fourth and fifth.”

“Unfortunately, in these moments of crisis, I recall: one year [Jacky] Ickx, in those days, comparable in class to Hamilton and Verstappen, did not qualify at Silverstone. Well, Enzo Ferrari didn’t take it well at all…

“We need a leader a motivator like Montezemolo, he was the real heir to il Commendatore, taking up his tradition and improving it,” argued Merzario.

Also notable is that Jean Todt is now available

With his FIA Presidency is a thing of the past, I expect the 75-year-old to be involved with the team he moulded into a winning machine a quarter of a century ago.

Perhaps as an advisor or consultant in a Niki Lauda style and setting the stage for Brawn to return to make up a very potent leadership triumvirate that Binotto, and the whole team for that matter, would benefit from.

Also, a spark of leadership genius will galvanise a team that no longer views victory as essential and defeat as unacceptable.

Merzario continued: “I heard about Todt: his return would be good but he needs carte blanche, mainly English engineers are needed as was the case in the days of Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne.

The Todt-to-Ferrari option was expounded by Corriere della Sera: “Todt, always skilled in planning his own future, expressed an unexpected idea to John Elkann: to return to Maranello

“The hypothesis is that Todt plays the role of super consultant capable of increasing political weight and sporting experience of the team, easing the commitment of the president[Elkann] and supporting Mattia Binotto in this sense, with whom he has maintained an excellent relationship.”

Toto Wolff had Niki Lauda in a super-consultant role

“A position similar to the one that Niki Lauda had in Mercedes (as executive chairman), avoiding the burdens that are incumbent on both a CEO and a team principal, positions that Todt has held in the past.

“Some loves don’t end, they make huge turns and then they return,” concluded the editorial.

That was before Brawn’s CV suddenly appeared on the table for 2022. If Elkann does not seize the moments to nail these Old War-horses to a deal, he then has his head firmly buried in the sand.

If Binotto does not countenance it (should he be consulted) it could well be career suicide for him.

He cannot alone manage another year of losing, while a return to winning ways is going to ramp up the attention and pressure which no single team principal or president can handle, not for the most important team in F1.

So important, that no Red cars right up there next season, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc battling for wins next year, will be a serious blow for F1.

Stefano Domenicali, a former Ferrari man at the helm of F1 now, could use this as an opportunity to fast track Brawn to the team because they could do with his input ASAP. Letting him go now is unlikely, albeit sensible.

Thus, it does not take a crystal ball to expect Todt in Red next year, paving the way for Brawn in 2022… and there you have your dream team ready to happen. The two Charlies, in the driving seats, would do themselves a huge favour if they lobbied hard for such a scenario to happen.

We so need the Scuderia back where they belong and this might be the solution. Watch this space.