Max says Ferrari and Montezemolo crap

[autogyro]

The 40 million was the initial starting point for negotiations.
If a level as low as possible was not established, no new teams would be racing this year and in future years, which would leave four or five big manufacturer teams, if that. That would have been eight or ten cars (with further drop outs likely from economic pressure) and no championship.

Wake up there at the back.

[autogyro]

I think that a cost cap was a good idea, but the way MrM was tying to implement it was insane. First, 40M is far too small. You can barely run the team with that and nothing would be left for to R&D, etc. Second, how could the big teams dash their budgets 10 times in 1 year? Impossible. A cap of about 150MEuro would be a good solution.

+1

The only reason for rushing the budget cap through was due to his war on the manufacturers. There is no way that the likes of Ferrari could run on a budget of 40M. Imagine the job losses!

Ferrari is going to have to reduce its whole range of budgets, that is obvious, Fiat will force this to happen and it is why Montezemolo has been removed from Fiat as the first part of these changes. It is a delicate operation for them to achieve because of the way Ferrari is thought of in Italy but it has to be done.
Idealy Ferrari racing will take on new management (Preferably English again) and force itself into another Brawn/Byrn era on a much reduced budget. This is the only way the scuderia has a chance of any future and it might just pull the sports car part with it.
If it was not for the name in Italy Ferrari would probably now be part of GM, running on Iraqy oil money making golf karts for Saudi Arabia.

[andrew]

I think that a cost cap was a good idea, but the way MrM was tying to implement it was insane. First, 40M is far too small. You can barely run the team with that and nothing would be left for to R&D, etc. Second, how could the big teams dash their budgets 10 times in 1 year? Impossible. A cap of about 150MEuro would be a good solution.

+1

The only reason for rushing the budget cap through was due to his war on the manufacturers. There is no way that the likes of Ferrari could run on a budget of 40M. Imagine the job losses!

Ferrari is going to have to reduce its whole range of budgets, that is obvious, Fiat will force this to happen and it is why Montezemolo has been removed from Fiat as the first part of these changes. It is a delicate operation for them to achieve because of the way Ferrari is thought of in Italy but it has to be done.
Idealy Ferrari racing will take on new management (Preferably English again) and force itself into another Brawn/Byrn era on a much reduced budget. This is the only way the scuderia has a chance of any future and it might just pull the sports car part with it.
If it was not for the name in Italy Ferrari would probably now be part of GM, running on Iraqy oil money making golf karts for Saudi Arabia.

Do you believe what you write? LDM has stepped down, he has not been removed.

If not for the name in Italy? Aye good one! It's a worldwide brand, not just Italian. Part of GM. Best laugh I've had today. Keep it up!

[autogyro]

I simply tell it as it is Andrew.

[Giblet]

I am in awe that I posted an accurate unbiased timeline, and people think still that the cap was pushed through and Max had a war against the manufacturers. They left because they were spending too much money, and because the world economy tanked.

40 million euros was just a starting point, but if you refuse to meet, how do you advance negotiations. Teams were invited in early 2008 to come up with their own ideas but were unable to curb their own spending.

You can view it as a war when it was more of a relief effort to save the sport.

[Giblet]

As for Luca stepping down, every time an executive is to be kept, or their reputation being tarnished would not be good for a company, they are asked to resign, or step down.

Luca being fired is what likely happened, but unlikely to be worded that way.

[donskar]

I think that a cost cap was a good idea, but the way MrM was tying to implement it was insane. First, 40M is far too small. You can barely run the team with that and nothing would be left for to R&D, etc. Second, how could the big teams dash their budgets 10 times in 1 year? Impossible. A cap of about 150MEuro would be a good solution.

+1

The only reason for rushing the budget cap through was due to his war on the manufacturers. There is no way that the likes of Ferrari could run on a budget of 40M. Imagine the job losses!

Ferrari is going to have to reduce its whole range of budgets, that is obvious, Fiat will force this to happen and it is why Montezemolo has been removed from Fiat as the first part of these changes. It is a delicate operation for them to achieve because of the way Ferrari is thought of in Italy but it has to be done.
Idealy Ferrari racing will take on new management (Preferably English again) and force itself into another Brawn/Byrn era on a much reduced budget. This is the only way the scuderia has a chance of any future and it might just pull the sports car part with it.
If it was not for the name in Italy Ferrari would probably now be part of GM, running on Iraqy oil money making golf karts for Saudi Arabia.

Total rubbish.

[autogyro]

donskar, if you have anything to back up your comment, would you be so kind as to
post the details. I am sure we would all like to see your level of knowledge on
this subject.

[timbo]

donskar, if you have anything to back up your comment, would you be so kind as to
post the details. I am sure we would all like to see your level of knowledge on
this subject.

As for the whole range of bullets you have to note, that Ferrari is not a car-company anymore. It is very expensive franchise. It receives a big part of their revenues selling all kinds of stuff.
It is in great position to diversify it's business and engineering.

[autogyro]

Somehow I do not believe that the Italian people will accept Ferrari as just a gimick franchise but then I only spent a short time experiencing the support Ferrari has in Italy. I remember a friend breaking down in a 328 just outside Marenelo. He paid zero for the repair. In some ways Ferrari is Italy so my comment about GM was realy just a joke, although other Italian marks may well go that route.
ERA which became BRM after Britain won a world war and should have at least equaled Ferrari, was allowed to die and this perhaps is the basis of my feelings.
I knew the last person who worked for the old BRM still on the Bourne site just a few years ago. He was working on a drawing board in a little wooden shed the same size as the one on my allotment. This is how we treat British heritage and the engineers that led the world.
Sad mind you, on balance I still think we are in front.
Montezemolo is a little motor mouth man by comparison.

[timbo]

ERA which became BRM after Britain won a world war and should have at least equaled Ferrari, was allowed to die and this perhaps is the basis of my feelings.
I knew the last person who worked for the old BRM still on the Bourne site just a few years ago. He was working on a drawing board in a little wooden shed the same size as the one on my allotment. This is how we treat British heritage and the engineers that led the world.
Sad mind you, on balance I still think we are in front.
Montezemolo is a little motor mouth man by comparison.

Italian people are probably less rational. That's why FIAT saved Ferrari and allowed Enzo to lead the company.
What you probably won't deny is that Luca has passion for the Ferrari. That's why Enzo picked him. Also, Luca was at the head of the team during hard times twice. And both times bad situation turned to the better.

[andrew]

Montezemolo is a little motor mouth man by comparison.

A motor mouth? Because he stood up against Mosley when he had his war on the manufacturers? F1 needs more people like Luca di Montezemolo. When he was the head of FOTA he clearly had F1's best interests at heart. Hopefully Whitmarsh will continue the good work done by LDM.

[Giblet]

Montezemolo is a little motor mouth man by comparison.

A motor mouth? Because he stood up against Mosley when he had his war on the manufacturers? F1 needs more people like Luca di Montezemolo. When he was the head of FOTA he clearly had F1's best interests at heart. Hopefully Whitmarsh will continue the good work done by LDM.

Andrew, please explain why, you think he had a war against the manufacturers?

I'm just curious how you could actually think that. All he was doing was trying to get them to spend less, so that they would stay in the sport when they couldn't afford it.

When they couldn't afford it, they left the sport, even with the FIA's best efforts.

Make no mistake, Mosley was acting on behalf of the FIA, he was unable to do this on his own, so that means you think the FIA had a war against the manufacturers, who mostly left, as Max predicted they would, because of money reasons, which Max predicted as why.

So if Max wasn't there, they would have stayed spending 100s of million a year?

Massive logic failure.

[timbo]

So if Max wasn't there, they would have stayed spending 100s of million a year?

Maybe without Mosley's diplomacy style they would agree on cost cap measures faster?

Also, I stated many times, you can reduce budgets but you can't guarantee manufacturers' presence in F1. They have other business to do.

And if you really want to hail a doom-sayer, why not hail Stoddart?

[autogyro]

It has always amazed me how some of those who are otherwise very inteligent and obviously support F1, somehow manage to believe all the hype put out by vested interest in the media.
Montezemolo is no longer in a position of power at Fiat, does this tell you anything?
He has outlived his usefulness and is becoming more of a liability by the day.