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Max Mosley: F1 could live without Ferrari

 
6 2,074 views May 3, 2009

The FIA is continuing its plan for change to make F1 more competitive throughout the grid but is willing to concede some changes

The FIA is continuing its plan for change to make F1 more competitive throughout the grid but is willing to concede some changes

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Formula One could live without the sport's most famous, successful and longest-serving team, Max Mosley insists. The FIA president's disquieting comments come after war threatened to break out between the Paris body and Maranello-based Ferrari, enraged at the introduction of budget caps.

The furious Italian team has been making subtle noises about quitting F1 over the dispute, even though it issued a statement on Friday saying it wants to avoid "harmful" and "pointless controversy".

Ferrari, the only team to have contested every season of the modern world championship since 1950, is the sport's most evocative name whose absence would be an incalculable blow. But "The sport could survive without Ferrari," Mosley told the Financial Times, although acknowledging the potential seriousness of the loss. "It would be very, very sad to lose Ferrari. It is the Italian national team," said the Briton.

However, Mosley clearly believes that the stakes are too high to gamble the potential "collapse of F1" on the wishes of its most powerful team. He also thinks Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo is simply misguided.

"I hope and think that when a team goes to its board and says, 'I want to go to war with the FIA, because I want to be able to spend 100m (pounds sterling) more than the FIA want me to spend', then the board will say, 'why can't you spend 40m if the other teams can do it?'"

Mosley also suggested that, even if Ferrari does go, his plan will safeguard the long-term participation of other car manufacturers.

"The message I'm getting from the board of two or three of the manufacturers is: 'if you can get it so that the cheque we write is not more than 25m (euro), you can consider this a pretty permanent arrangement'."



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Comments (6)

  1. ma_www.mywheelsonwalls.com avatar www.mywheelsonwalls.com Posted: 5/3/2009 9:31pm PDT

    Soooo, Ferrari is goning to make a return to LeMans as a full fledged factory team?

    In other words where would they go?
     
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  2. ma_Countach avatar Countach Posted: 5/4/2009 5:07am PDT

    F1 can do without Max in the board!
     
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  3. ma_phil12321 avatar phil12321 Posted: 5/4/2009 6:09am PDT

    The real question is can ferrari live without F1.... I mean where would the Market share transfer to..... they would have to make there cars cheaper and compete in many more classes of racing to make up for the loss if they decide to quit F1
     
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  4. ma_m5_dude avatar m5_dude Posted: 5/4/2009 10:15am PDT

    This is part of Max Mosley's plan to bring more 'privateer teams' in, I guaranteed you! I'm sorry but this is the one place that we get to see top manufacturers put their best foot forward not where wealthy individuals who want to play with own toy race team come (and no I'm not talking about Ross Brawn, he built himself as an F1 team manager). Max's Nazi fetish is coming out once again as he tried to rule this sport with an iron fist driving away fans of all ages, race, or creed. He's reduced the engine size, reduced the rev limiter, reduced the tire compounds available to teams (Bridgestone selects two from their four available and that's what the teams are stuck with), and has limited the aerodynamics year after year. This is starting to look like what NASCAR did after they introduced the significantly slower and they wonder why they can't continue to grow their fan base. I just don't see where Max is coming from, the budget isn't going to drive away all the current competing manufacturers and lowering it isn't going to bring new one's in because they know that the other team's experience is going to give them the edge in the level budget playing field.
     
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  5. ma_samuelesm avatar samuelesm Posted: 5/4/2009 3:10pm PDT

    Ferrari is just that name everyone will think that does well in motorsports if he or she doesn't know much about what is going on in the motorsports world. When you look at the audience, most of the people are wearing Ferrari merchandise, so Ferrari should stay rather for the marketing.
     
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  6. By ProStyle Posted: 8/24/2010 8:09am PDT

    phil12321
    The real question is can F1 live without F1
     
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