If Ferrari left F1

Greenlantern101

Super Hero And All Round Good Guy
Contributor
Montezemolo has recently commented in The Wall Street journal that 'Formula 1 isn't working' and there are rumours flying around that Ferrari are about to announce a LMP1 entry for the World Endurance Championship, possibly as early as today to coincide with Alonso waving the starter flag at Le Mans.

Could Ferrari be considering a switch from F1 to WEC? From the surface it does seem unlikely, they have a huge amount invested in F1, it is afterall their main advertising stream. But maybe that 'huge amount' is the problem. It is clear they have been unhappy for many years. This isn't the first time that they have indicated that they would consider walking away from the sport.

With the recent dismissal of Stefano and the introduction of Marco Mattiachi, a man with a degree in economics but with no experience in motorsport, you have to ask if his caretaker role is really just masking a hidden agenda. Apparently this man with no motorsport history is there to work out how to get Ferrari winning again. At least that is what the media are being told. However It may well be that he is there to work out if F1 is value for money. Is he there to consider if F1 is still where Ferrari should be? Could they get better value for money from other forms of motorsport such as the highly regarded Le Mans?

If Ferrari do shock the F1 world and leave, would that be the beginning of the end for F1? Viewing figures have been dropping thanks largely to Bernies pay TV deals. But if Ferrari leave, all of Italy will switch off along with many others. It would be unwise to underestimate Ferraris following. With falling viewing figures F1 becomes even less value for money and it would be near impossible to get another big manufacturer in to fill Ferraris boots under such circumstances.

Personally I feel F1 is bigger than just one team and could survive without Ferrari. But only by forcing through serious cost cutting. Otherwise I don't see anyway F1 can prosper.. survive maybe.. prosper no. Who knows with Ferrari gone maybe that will be the wake up call F1 needs to actually bring in cost cuts. With those cuts in place Ferrari may even look at returning.

I have never been a Ferrari fan. But F1's survival without them could well balance on a knife edge.
 
So now Ferrari says they were never planning to quit F1, just were thinking about doing more endurance racing. LOL Whatever.
 
And Bernie is saying that he doesn't care if teams leave F1 because of financial problems. It wouldn't surprise me if Caterham is gone next year, and maybe Sauber as well. I think Enstone is questionable and Marussia is an unknown, at least to me.

Imagine if all 4 leave in the next two years. Haas will come in in 2016 and, I predict, be gone within 2 years. An eight-team, at most , grid looks ever more likely.

Maybe Bernie is longing for fields like the one that raced at Indy's GP in 2005!
 
And Bernie is saying that he doesn't care if teams leave F1 because of financial problems. It wouldn't surprise me if Caterham is gone next year, and maybe Sauber as well. I think Enstone is questionable and Marussia is an unknown, at least to me.

Imagine if all 4 leave in the next two years. Haas will come in in 2016 and, I predict, be gone within 2 years. An eight-team, at most , grid looks ever more likely.

Maybe Bernie is longing for fields like the one that raced at Indy's GP in 2005!
Caterham has said over and over they arent going away. I could actually see Marussia going first because the car company no longer exists. Sauber? Why would they go away? They sold the team once and then bought it back, so why get out now?
If anything, I feel like the FIA needs to do more to tighten the gap between the haves and the have-nots but thats really never been their policy, so why start now?
 
Rumours are circulating in financial circles that Fiat Chrysler may be sold to a Chinese firm, which is looking for a way into the US auto market. If that happens, wouldn't it mean that Ferrari also becomes a Chinese company? What would the implications be for the F1 team?
 
I would imagine that a Chinese company would love to own the Ferrari F1 team. I can’t imagine that beyond smothering the car in Chinese advertising and giving them money, they will do anything but sit back and make notes. Until such time as they launch an all Chinese F1 team of their own.
 
I believe the spin-off of Ferrari from FCA has actually completed (Wikipedia says 3 Jan 2016) so I doubt Ferrari would be part of a sale, though I suspect FCA still holds shares in Ferrari.
 
Before I start. If Ferrari left i think F1 would carry on without a problem, weve lost Lotus Honda Renault Alfa Romeo & all 4 have returned. There is argument it might be better because the veto goes & also the ridiculousness Ferrari got 68m in 2016 just for turning up in Melbourne that is more than Toro Rosso Renault Sauber Haas & 4m less than force india got for the entire season how on earth that is fair I don't know, espically when it for historic payments but McLaren & Williams don't qualify

Also in F1 every 2 weeks its ferrari won podium retired or Vettel came 1st 2nd 3rd etc. You only get that coverage once a year in wec at le mans, because there is great question you ask a typical motorsport fan who won le mans & they will tell you straight away. ask them who won the series they will more trouble. or everyone knows how many Le mans did Tom Kristensen won but I wpuldnt know how many world titles (WEC & its predessors) he won. & its a Huge risk as what if they arent completive like Nissan disaster & luck plays a huge part just ask Audi Toyota & porsche
 
If Ferrari left F1, the world would go on.

I’ve witnessed worse in my life-time, for example, the destruction of the WTC, the elections of Donald Trump, Theresa May and Barack Obama, I could go on, but it would be an awfully long list.

People said the death of Steve Jobs would be the end of Apple, but that hasn’t happened they’re still going strong.

F1 has bigger issues to deal with than Ferrari leaving the sport, because the sport may cease to exist with or without Ferrari. It’s current state is abysmal and after more than 20 years I’m growing tired of it.
 
Great Wall, the Chinese company involved, was after the Jeep brand not Fiat Chrysler as a whole.

Interesting that this thread goes back to 2014 and Ferrari are still posturing in the same way in 2018, as they have for years before and will continue to do so in years to come. What might irk them is Jean Todt's ambition to discuss their veto over rule changes - Ferrari's power to veto F1 rules is up for discussion - Todt · F1 Fanatic
 
Ferrari have been threatening to quit F1 for decades.

In 1986 they even went as far as building an Indycar to back their threat up.

Ferrari 637 - Wikipedia

Spitting their dummies out is what they do. Having said that, its worked for them. Veto on technical regs anyone?
 
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