that nonsense between Ford and Ferrari was that while he initially agreed to sell Ferrari to Ford when Henry Jr. showed up with an batch of lawyers to finalize the deal, Enzo, with one lawyer present disagreed when he realized it meant that he would lose control of the racing team as well. So he chose not to sell the team that was his life.... Ford got mad and spent a fortune to beat Ferrari... a Ferrari that was having financial issues at the time, which is how the whole buyout came to be to begin with.
I am disappointed in your analysis, Blinky.
Quote:
they will run away when faced with a determined challenge
Run from it when things go bad? They went 22 years without an F1 championship... did they run away? No, they stuck to it and went on the longest run of success in the history of the sport. Now 10 removed from their last Championship, they are still in the sport. Is that running away? Were the great McLarens, Williams and Renaults of the 80s/90s not a determined challenge to them? Funny thing, I always thought those teams were tough to beat.
Yes, they have threatened to leave the sport if it goes the way that Liberty is putting out there, and why not? It is their right, and while many hear are talking big about the sport not missing or getting along without Ferrari, I think some of you are kidding yourselves. First of all, remember that thus far THREE of the four engine manufacturers have voiced their displeasure with the 2021 engine proposals... and it is unlikely that Honda looks forward to them as well. They talk of cutting the expense of the sport, but dictate a new engine design as of '21. Even Mercedes have commented on the expense of developing a new engine and they have a hell of a lot more money than does Ferrari... or likely Renault. If all of the manufacturers don't like the direction F1 is going, then perhaps Liberty should listen. At this time, Ferrari is just voicing their thoughts, and look at the hell they are catching for it. Yet, if they exercised the Veto, then most of the same critics would go ballistic with yet another thread and multiple pages of "favoritism" for Ferrari. So, instead, they should just take whatever is put out there... and be good quiet little boys.
Yeah, it is unlikely that Ferrari is going to leave the sport, but whether their critics like it or not, Ferrari is the most visible and powerful name in the sport. When they speak, Liberty best listen. The meeting next week is to discuss future engine proposals and see if an agreement can be reached. Ferrari has, in a very strong way, but their thoughts on the table. Thoughts, I might add, seem to reflect the thoughts of Mercedes and Renault when it comes to the suggested engine regulations. Should Ferrari leave over unfavorable engine regulations and the direction F1 is going, the sport might survive, but will it be the sport so many of you claim to love? Another thought, should Ferrari leave, will all the others stay? Does Mercedes stay if the biggest name in the sport is not there, and the engine regulations do not represent what Mercedes thinks F1 should be? Or does McLaren stay without Ferrari... it has been suggested in the past that if Ferrari left F1, McLaren might well do it to, as that is their real rival when they are faring better.
Now, about Ferrari suffering without F1, needing F1 more than F1 needs Ferrari? Perhaps, but probably not. As Marchionne said in the discussion where he suggested Ferrari might leave the sport...
The implications of Ferrari leaving F1 would "totally beneficial to the profit and loss", and claimed that "the board would be celebrating here until the cows come home" IE, the F1 team is an expensive proposition for even Ferrari. Endurance racing such as LeMans would be a much less expensive proposition, as would other racing series.
As Marchionne said, Ferrari doesn't want to leave the sport, but they always have that option. If you think that Ferrari will "die" without F1 since they don't advertise, remember that Lamborghini and other supercar exotic manufactures are not in F1 either, and they are surviving. Porsche is not in F1, and they certainly don't suffer greatly. As for the "free" advertising F1 brings Ferrari, there is nothing that says Ferrari could do something as crazy as pay for advertising if they felt it would be beneficial. Ferrari will be just fine, in F1 or out of it... but it definitely be more fun for all true F1 fans if they are on the track with the other F1 teams.
Firstly Ferrari and F1 fans have been swayed to believe Ferrari IS F1 when in fact they are a part of it. The way people say it, F1 would cease to exist without The Prancing Horse, but I think these days the serious racing fans realize that Ferrari are not the best manufacturer participating in racing. Ferraris are entered in many series and they don't dominate in any of them that I am aware of. Ferrari's true bread and butter lies with their road car division because they have built a reputation and image that they are the ultimate in all things exotic supercars and that's never going to change.
The other thing I need to point out is that Marchionne is a pencil pushing corporate head for FIAT that has become the defacto guy in charge who has put a damn advertising dinosaur in charge of the most prestigious F1 brand in history. The fact they are doing well is in spite of both of them because NEITHER of them have any experience in motor anything.
He's a corporate accountant who analyzes numbers to deduce what is numerically presentable to his superiors in order to show them he's doing a stand up job. This is impractical in every facet of life, including business. Like some F1 fans they look ONLY at numbers and fail to see the big picture and their handy work leads to companies going out of business because their "findings" were not representative of the complete picture. I would be over the moon to see both of them shown the door so real minds can supervise their entire racing program.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
