Ferrari Thinks F1 Can Shove Those New Engines, Threatens to Quit
Ferrari, the company that has participated in every single Formula One championship since its inaugural season in 1950, is threatening to give up the sport if U.S.-based Liberty Media follows through with its new engine rules. Depending on how you like your motorsport, Ferrari is either completely vindicated in its criticisms or overacting like a spoiled child.
Evolving rules are nothing new in Formula One. Changes are often made between seasons to bolster safety or improve competitiveness. But Ferrari NV isn’t interested in what’s to come after F1’s concorde agreement ends in 2020. Liberty Media has been pushing for engine rules that would make powerplants noisier and higher revving but also more uniform between teams. With a focus on a cheaper and simpler engine, F1’s new owner is also expected to suggest revenue caps on teams next week. The end result should be closer races. But that places it at odds with the Italian manufacturer’s goals of winning all the time.
Formula One also runs the risk of losing some engineering prowess. Aggressively capping development budgets and further standardizing powerplants would make it more like NASCAR, and Ferrari isn’t alone in being opposed to that. Mercedes and Renault have also voiced concerns on the matter, but it is Ferrari’s own sweater-wearing CEO Sergio Marchionne leading the opposition.
While less upset with the idea of budgetary caps, he expressed major concerns over the potential loss of powertrain “uniqueness” during Thursday’s third-quarter conference call.
“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 explained. “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,” he continued. “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.”
That’s pretty concrete sounding. Currently, Ferrari is so wrapped up in Formula One (and vice versa) that it would be difficult to imagine the sport without it. We will have to see how Liberty Media takes the news and if it changes its tune during next week’s conference. Otherwise, Ferrari might be absent from the 2021 season.
“I don’t want to prejudge any of this,” Marchionne said. “We’re walking into this meeting next Tuesday with the best of intentions. We’ll see where it takes us.”
[Source: Bloomberg] [Image: Ferrari NV]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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The only things I find fascinating in F1 right now are the front wings and how the power units can produce 50% thermal efficiency. The rest is too contrived and elitist. I guess that's just show biz.
SOP for Ferrari. Liberty is doing far more and better than Bernie was doing the last few years. But, Ferrari knows it is the only team with name recognition among non racing fans. So, they will leverage that as much as possible and it's worked of course. However, With Liberty they're dealing with a whole different culture. A budget cap is likely all that's needed to shake up the on track competition.