Ferrari’s Board of Directors, chaired by Luca di Montezemolo, today analysed the first quarter results for 2009. Despite the current international economic climate, which has hit the automotive sector in particular, Ferrari’s figures were in line with the record levels reached in 2008.
Post here all non technical related topics about Formula One. This includes race results, discussions, testing analysis etc. TV coverage and other personal questions should be in Off topic chat.
Just heard on Sky Sports News that Ferrari are to pull out of F1 at the end of this year. I will post a link when I find one.
EDIT:
While I know there's a thread about them thinking about quitting, I got the impression from what I heard on Sky Sports News that this is a more permanent desicion than simply withdrawing for one year as suggested in the other thread.
Edit by Tomba:
I renamed this thread to reflect more the broadened context of this discussion
Silence is golden when you don't know a good answer.
Ferrari Administrative Board: No F1 in 2010 if the rules don’t change
Maranello 12 May 2009 - Ferrari confirms its opposition to the new technical regulations adopted by the Fia and does not intend entering its cars in the 2010 F1 Championship
OK, now the ball is in Max's court, and we just have to see how he responds.
Racing should be decided on the track, not the court room.
They're threatening to quit if the budget cap isn't changed, I can see the two compromising though.
F1 needs to cut down on spending, but not spending in terms of the vehicle/R&D/Development front. More like cutting spending on things like those ridiculous team motorhomes etc.. that they use and plenty of other typical European overindulgence --- that F1 is excessive with, cut down on the non essential crap and leave the stupid fashion designers etc.. at the doorstep and focus on the cars. Instead the Budget cap does the opposite, it lets them continue with their stupid spending and cuts down on spending on the important bits
Next step is that the budget cap will go up to £50m or even as high as £75m, but the regs for next year will be the same for everyone, but the budget capped teams can pool resources for parts such as suspension.
This is just the beginning of the season 2009 FIAsco story that will engul the sport, as we need at least one good-un' per year.
Welcome to THE forum, King Six.
I also consider myself a racing purist, and would love to eliminate all the excess crap not related to car performance. But Formula One is just as much a form of entertainment as racing.
So where do we stand? It appears Max is bent on reducing the costs of racing, and he rarely lets go of a bone once it's between his teeth. So he offers a method where any team wishing to follow into the budget capped system a lot of benefits, to the point where they have a very good chance of winning races. A two tiered series. That's how the opposing teams interpret this situation. Is that a good enough argument to allow them to disengage from Formula One without incurring massive penalties? That's up to the lawyers, because if Ferrari or anyone else does leave, Bernie will go after them with great determination. He has to, because if enough big name teams leave, then it is a real possibility that Bernie's entire financial house of cards will come crashing down.
For the continuing future of Formula One, new teams have to be brought in. But to have big name teams leave right now will certainly change the landscape of Formula One. I wonder how many sponsors and advertisers are affected just by Ferrari?
So (I hope) some form of compromise must be done. Right now, Ferrari have drawn a hard line in the sand, they have defined their reasons for non-participation. It's up to Max and Bernie to find a way for Ferrari and anyone else to be placated and remain.
Or is now the moment for Bernie to dump Max as head of the FIA and find someone less antagonistic?
I doubt that the budget cap will be increased any more. There are prospective teams wanting to get into Formula One, and if the budget ceiling is changed, some of those teams just may find that their business model does not make sense anymore.
Racing should be decided on the track, not the court room.
I have no idea whether Ferrari will race next year, but those of you who are so certain they WILL race should give these points some thought:
Ferrari is now a business, and a very successful one. In the Ferrari of today, emotions and tradition are SECONDARY to PROFITS. Read that again. Ferrari is a business, not just a racing team.
Today's Ferrari DOES maintain one aspect of its past under Enzo -- they are consummate politicians. Luca and the management team have the ability, the allies, and the weapons to play politics with Max and Bernie.
I can't predict the future, but I do think it is safe to assume that staying out of F1 for a year (or 2 or 3) will NOT harm Ferrari's bottom line. It might very well be a good business decision.
At least for a short period (a year or two) Max and Bernie need Ferrari much more then Ferrari needs them. Ferrari has many enemies and many F1 fans hate Ferrari (and have good reasons for their feelings!), but no team has more fans, more visibility, or a greater, legendary presence.
I like and support this announcement. MAYBE Ferrari, Toyota, and Red Bull can give the rest of the teams enough spine to stand up to MosleyStone. Reducing their power can only be good for the long term health of F1 (IMHO, of course).
Enzo Ferrari was a great man. But he was not a good man. -- Phil Hill
Personally, I believe that the budget cap was deliberately set at a level that was unpalatable for the manufacturer teams.
If given the choice, the majority of manufacturers would not have willingly subscribed to a cost capping regime. By forcing the teams into a corner like this, there is more room for compromise in Max's favour.
When your only option is to submit or withdraw, wasting the many millions in investment that you have placed over the years & blowing all of your political capital in a famous last stand, desperate times will eventually lead to desperate measures.
So, my take on this goes along these lines :
Negotiations will take place, the budget cap will be raised, teams will compete under one set of regulations (although the cap will be higher than originally announced) and the teams will end up competing under a budget cap MUCH LOWER than would have occurred if they had been left to come up with one under their own devises ...
"Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine ..."
The moral of this story is never trust Sky Sports News when it comes to anything other than what they have broadcasting rights for
I can't see it happening. I'm sure it could, as donskar says, happen for business reasons, I just can't imagine it happening. It would be a sad sight, too, even though I am not a Ferrari fan, I treasure their heritage, history and prestige.
