Ferrari threatens to pull out of F1, again
However, this time they put a time limit on their investment in F1.
The current version of F1 is all about manufacture development. However, the new American owners of the sport are considering options to make the sport more affordable and at the same time, more competitive.
A bulk of the talk from Liberty Media, owners of F1, regard engine rules. Ferrari has always been big on motors. Naturally, they see it as their advantage. An advantage that could be taken away.
Sergio Marchionne recently spoke via a conference call. He was there to discuss financial reports from Ferrari.
“Liberty has got a couple of good intentions in all of this, one of which is to reduce the cost of execution for the team, which I think is good,” Marchionne stated.
“There are a couple of things we don’t necessarily agree with. One of which is the fact that somehow powertrain uniqueness is not going to be one of the drivers of distinctiveness of the participants’ line-up. I would not countenance this going forward.”
“The fact that we now appear to be at odds in terms of the strategic development of this thing, and we see the sport in 2021 taking on a different air, is going to force some decisions on the part of Ferrari.”
“I understand that Liberty may have taken these into account in coming up with their views, but I think it needs to be absolutely clear that unless we find a set of circumstances, the results of which are beneficial to the maintenance of the brand, and the marketplace, and to the strengthening of the unique position for Ferrari, Ferrari will not play.”
Earlier, both Mercedes and Renault announced they have concerns about the direction as well. Ironically, these are the very teams that are ahead of the rest. Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault all dominate the podiums in the world of F1 racing.
Newcomers, Haas F1 would be very happy with the possible NASCAR direction. In September, team owner Gene Haas stated, “The gap to the top teams, it seems like it’s almost impossible to bridge that.”
Earlier this week, Gene Haas actually set an expiration date on F1. “I think if after five years we are still way at the back and not where we want to be, then we would have to rethink whether we still want to be in F1,” Haas told Autoweek.
Related: Gene Haas is looking for rule changes in F1
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