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[Hammer278]

If F1 still wants Ferrari it must change' - Montezemolo

Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo has warned that "if Formula One still wants Ferrari it must change".

Ferrari has endured a frustrating season, having the third fastest car at most grands prix this year behind Red Bull and McLaren and securing only one race victory. Having been a part of the Formula One World Championship since its inaugural season in 1950, the Ferrari name is hugely important to the sport, but Montezemolo said on the official Ferrari website that it will only continue racing if changes to the rules are made, saying the current dependency on aerodynamics does not translate well to the company's road car section.

"Formula 1 is still our life, but without Ferrari there is no Formula 1, just as without Formula 1 Ferrari would be different," Montezemolo said. "We can be very patient but there are precise conditions for us to continue with our work. We race not just for the publicity it brings us but above all to carry out advanced research aimed at all aspects of our road cars: engine, chassis, mechanical components, electronics, materials and aerodynamics, to such an extent that the technology transfer from track to road has grown exponentially over the past twenty years.

"What is not so good is that 90% of performance is now based exclusively on aerodynamics and another negative is that ours is the only sport where no testing is allowed. We are building cars, not helicopters, rockets or planes. Sure, we must not go back to the excesses of a few years ago, but neither should we be in a position where we can't provide opportunities for the youngsters we are bringing on in the Ferrari Driver Academy."

Montezemolo also reiterated his desire to be able to supply customer cars to other teams, following clarification of what technology teams can and can't give to others at the F1 Commission meeting this week

"Finally, there's the issue of the third car, which mark my words, we support not so much for our own interests but more for those of the sport in general. We believe the interest of the fans, media and sponsors could increase if there is a bigger number of competitive cars on track rather than cars that are two or three seconds off the pace, being lapped after just a few laps. As an example, remember in 1961 Giancarlo Baghetti won the French Grand Prix at Reims with a privately entered Ferrari: there you are, it would be nice one day in the future to see one of our cars running in American colours, or Chinese, or maybe those of Abu Dhabi."

Montezemolo concluded with the threat that Ferrari could leave the sport if changes are not made.

"We will support our views as we see fit, in the best way possible, but let's be clear, for those who agree, that is fine, but otherwise they will just have to accept it is our position. If Formula 1 still wants Ferrari it must change and go back to being at the cutting edge of research, while always keeping an eye on costs. We are not in Formula 1 as sponsors, we are constructors."

______________________________________________________________



Don't let the door hit your a**e on the way out big homie.

[LRW]

[andrew]

Ferrari and no other team past present and future are bigger than F1. Without F1 most teams would not exist and Ferrari would most certainly not be as big as they are however, F1 without one of the major teams like Ferrari or McLaren would be different but it would still exist and be a major worldwide sporting series.

However, I would agree with LDM that there is far too much reliance on aerodynamics, though whilst he is more concerned with cross-referencing of data between F1 and their road car development and vise-versa, for me the over reliance on aero grip has ruined the racing and has created gimmicks such as KERS, DRS and fragile tyres. Put the emphasis back to mechanical grip and the driver and there will be no need for silly toys or magic buttons and the racing should improve.

I don't see anything wrong with what LDM is saying (except the bit about F1 not existing without Ferrari - it would). Basically he's wanting to have some correlation between development of their F1 cars and that of their road cars. Perfectly reasonable with the Resource Restriction Agreement and limited amount of funds that F1 teams can legally use to develop their cars. I would expect McLaren to say something similar if their road cars program was larger as I would with Renault if they were producing sports cars and nothing else.

Threatening to leave every 5 minutes doesn't help Ferrari's case at all as the threat becomes more and more diluted each time it is issued but I kind of agree with what Italy's future Prime Minister is saying. What he's saying about the problems in F1 is bang on but yet again he is going the wrong way about wanting to instigate change.

Cue AKR - can't have a Ferrari thread without that dude.

[myownalias]

Luca di Montezemolo and Ferrari are like spoilt petulant children, if they don't get their own way they throw their toys out of the pram, LDM can use "it's not relevant to our road cars" as much as he wants but the core of the issue is that they are not winning, they can not compete with McLaren and Red Bull in the aero department so threaten to leave to force change and disadvantage the other teams. If Ferrari were winning everything like Red Bull have done, we wouldn't hear a peep from Maranello.

I hope that Jean Todt will hold firm and make Ferrari eat their words or leave the sport, I'm thoroughly pissed off with Ferrari holding the sport to ransom!

[Nomad]

They can whine all they want, but I don't think they will do anything. Like Luca said, Ferrari would be different without F1. I think that they would be taking to much risk of money and exposure of the company if they left F1 and tried creating their own racing category.

[Big Azza]

Surely nobody cares about this midfield team anymore.

[bud]

If Ferrari were winning everything like Red Bull have done, we wouldn't hear a peep from Maranello!

Damn straight

[PartsaS]

There we go again. the little crybabies... Let me score or I wont play anymore...
I wish Bernie had the b*!!s to give them this ,

but unfortunatelly we live in a world of

fohifeat7.jpg

[LewEngBridewell]

Ferrari always try to pull this little stunt off

They think they are god's gift to the world. Well if they don't like it, then they can feel free to f*** off. But you know what? I bet they won't!!!! No matter how much they cry!!

[Matt_1222]

i actually agree that without Ferrari it wouldn't be the same, same goes for McLaren i reckon. However do hope they quit and start up a break away series

[scotty]

"What is not so good is that 90% of performance is now based exclusively on aerodynamics and another negative is that ours is the only sport where no testing is allowed. We are building cars, not helicopters, rockets or planes. Sure, we must not go back to the excesses of a few years ago, but neither should we be in a position where we can't provide opportunities for the youngsters we are bringing on in the Ferrari Driver Academy."

Everyone is bitching, but Monty actually raises (or is that re-emphasises?) an extremely valid point here...

[darwin dali]

The Horse Whisperer clarifies:

Ferrari insists it is committed to F1
ESPNF1
November 7, 2011
Ferrari says recent comments by its president Luca di Montezemolo were taken out of context
Ferrari insists it is entirely committed to Formula One and that Luca di Montezemolo's recent comments about the future of the sport were not a threat that the team might leave.

Speaking over the weekend the Ferrari president listed his gripes with the sport, from a lack of testing to the dependency on aerodynamics for performance. Towards the end of his quotes - published on the Ferrari website - he added: "We will support our views as we see fit, in the best way possible, but let's be clear, for those who agree, that is fine, but otherwise they will just have to accept it is our position. If Formula One still wants Ferrari it must change and go back to being at the cutting edge of research, while always keeping an eye on costs."

This was widely interpreted as a warning that Ferrari would consider leaving F1 if its vision for the future of the sport is not taken into account by the sport's rule makers. But on Monday, Ferrari, speaking through its Horse Whisperer column on its website, clarified the meaning of Montezemolo's comments.

"Montezemolo's observations were seen by some as a sort of ultimatum or even a threat to leave Formula One, but the Whisperer can assure you that it was nothing of the kind," the anonymous column read. "For starters, the words 'leave' or 'ultimatum' did not even feature in his pronouncement, but what really needs to be stressed is that Montezemolo spoke in a totally constructive fashion, which is usually the case with the president of a company that has always been in Formula One and who has the future well being of the greatest form of motorsport so close to his heart.

"Saying that 'Formula One is still our life, but without Ferrari there is no Formula One, just as without Formula One Ferrari would be different' means that Maranello is working on the front line when it comes to drawing up plans for the immediate future of the sport. The criticisms and comments put forward yesterday are nothing new - Montezemolo has aired them before. On the contrary, they must be seen as a stimulus: it's logical that a sports car manufacturer sees its involvement in Formula One above all as a test bench for advanced technological research, while always bearing in mind that keeping costs under control is a must and Maranello has always been at the forefront of this initiative.

"That's why the number of testing days needs to be revised: not only because we are the only sporting discipline where athletes are strictly forbidden from training on their 'pitch' but also because the current restrictions make it impossible for youngsters to progress and experience driving for real rather than just in the virtual world of the simulator. And to those who think that cutting back on aerodynamics was done purely for Ferrari's benefit, remember that taking into account Ferrari's historic role, clearly it is right to want to think of Formula One's success as a sport: we don't want to see missiles or rockets on the track; what we want is competition between cars."

[bud]

Horse whisperer

[Hammer278]

"What is not so good is that 90% of performance is now based exclusively on aerodynamics and another negative is that ours is the only sport where no testing is allowed. We are building cars, not helicopters, rockets or planes. Sure, we must not go back to the excesses of a few years ago, but neither should we be in a position where we can't provide opportunities for the youngsters we are bringing on in the Ferrari Driver Academy."

Everyone is bitching, but Monty actually raises (or is that re-emphasises?) an extremely valid point here...

There are many ways to make a valid point, without having to throw the toys out of the pram repeatedly....it just makes you look pathetic. Which 'Monty' looks now.

[bud]

....it just makes you look pathetic. Which 'Monty' looks now.

Now? I would have said he did a long time ago...