Ferrari should leave Formula One; it’ll be best for them.

Recently in the media, there has been a threat of Ferrari walking away from Formula One, a sport they have competed in since the first world championship season. So what has caused such as serious consideration? Is it a real threat?

Many members of the Formula One paddock have rolled their eyes, recalling that there have been similar threats from the Italian outfit before. But as the Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne put it, “if the sandbox is changed to the extent that it is unrecognisable, Ferrari don’t want to play.” This comes after Liberty Media, who bought the sport in the Autumn of 2016, unveiled plans for the future of Formula One. Liberty Media is an American brand who Marchionne believes are looking to build Formula One into a “global NASCAR.” Something of which Ferrari are disinterested.

Ferrari are not the only ones who are complaining after attending the meeting in Paris which outlined the changes to the teams. Mercedes and Renault have both expressed their concern too. But neither have threatened to quit the sport like the team in red. This issue appears to lie with the proposed plans for new engines; however, the teams are arguing that it will mean redesigning the whole engine, making the millions, even billion pounds of investment into the current engines pointless.

Many people who have been involved in Formula One or Ferrari have said more or less the same words. “Formula One is Ferrari and Ferrari is Formula One.” This includes Marchionne and the former boss of the sport, Bernie Ecclestone. In a recent interviewer, Ecclestone claimed that he and the former head of the FIA, the governing body, would change the regulations to suit Ferrari as it was best for Formula One for them to be at the front. So perhaps it was clear that Ferrari wasn’t likely to be as supportive of the new bosses as much as Ecclestone simple because they were probably going to want to make the sport more well-balanced. And so it has been.

Liberty has revealed plans to make it cheaper for teams, something of which Ferrari are in favour. But what is likely to cause the issue is the fact that Liberty Media isn’t expected to grant Ferrari an extra $70 million per year for their “heritage”. What will also be playing on the minds of those on the Ferrari board is that they have not won a championship since 2008, which happens to be when the former FIA boss, Max Mosely, who may or may not have helped Ferrari, left the sport. It would appear too that Ferrari’s shareholders would be happy if Ferrari walked away from Formula One as it would be financially beneficial. So if it makes Ferrari more money and they aren’t winning anyway, why are Ferrari not pulling the plug already?

What is stopping them is the heritage with Marchionne being one of many believers that Formula One is part of Ferrari’s DNA, it is hard for them to walk away as it will be a significant gap to fill for them. What is more, back home, in Italy, Ferrari are seen not just to represent a brand, but a nation. This pride and passion is shown each year at the Italian Grand Prix with the “Tifosi”, a word used for a group of Italian fans. It is widely accepted that these Italian fans are some of the most passionate in the world and they are all there to support the Ferrari team, irrelevant of the driver. This was demonstrated when Italian, Riccardo Patrese, crashed out of the lead of the Italian Grand Prix in 1983 to be met with cheers around the circuit as it had granted a Frenchman a win in a Ferrari. This pride and passion for Ferrari would probably diminish, affecting the Ferrari brand in Italy if they were to pull out of the spot. This is because Ferrari has an image of passion and excitement, if that is no longer clear on a global stage, then people may lose interest in the brand.

So will Ferrari leave? As they have never left the spot before, it would be a surprise to see them go now. This is why the likes of Jonny Herbert and Paul Di Resta believe that Ferrari are “playing games” and making noise in the media.” This is all in a bid to make the new owners of the sport reconsider their plans. However, Martin Brundle’s remark; “If they want to leave, leave, you can’t let the tail wag the dog.” Is probably similar to the stance that the new owners will take. This means, of course, that Ferrari are likely not to get what they wish which indicates that they may just call it a day in Formula One. A sad revolution, but all great relationships must come to an end. What Formula One has now, regarding pillars of history, is perhaps the tracks of Monaco, Monza, Spa and Silverstone. In good time, they will go too. This is called change, unfortunately for those who like it now, or like the past, this is life, it is how we grow as a human race.

This post was originally published on my Medium Site on 7th December 2017