Ferrari Chairman Sergio Marchionne has warned Formula 1 he is “not bluffing” with his threat to pull the Italian team out of the sport after 2020 amid disagreement over the future direction on engines.
At the end of October the Formula One Group and FIA jointly put forward proposals for simpler and cheaper power units to be introduced in 2021 but as part of that, there is a push for more standardisation of certain parts which Ferrari and Mercedes have come out staunchly against.
Given the history the Scuderia has of issuing such ultimatums and then not following through on them, some have scoffed at the latest one especially after the decision to bring back Alfa Romeo as the title sponsor of Sauber from next season.
However: “We are not bluffing and I would not try to test the theory,” Marchionne told Italian media at their annual Christmas lunch.
“If they continue on the path of wanting to turn F1 into NASCAR, with cars all the same, there could be a divorce. If they decide to make us all the same we will go in three seconds but that’s not what we want.”
The NASCAR comparison is not a new one and CEO Chase Carey has insisted the new leadership has no such desire to recreate the American series but Ferrari’s anger at the concept put forward was aimed more at one of their former employees.
“The thing that most annoys me is that there is an experienced man like Ross Brawn there who is looking for ways that go against the DNA of Formula 1,” Marchionne said of the current Managing Director of Motorsport.
It has been suggested the quit threat was a way of trying to stamp their authority on what is going to be a crucial 12 months of negotiations with F1 bosses both on the engine issue and over the future financial structure with a budget cap mentioned as well as an equalising of the revenue distribution, something currently weighed strongly in Ferrari’s favour.
Amid all that, there will also be a championship to compete in and the Maranello outfit became the first to announce the launch date of their 2018 car, which will be online on February 22nd.
After making significant gains this year but failing to maintain a championship challenge, doing the latter is the prime aim and the Chairman has confidence in his team.
“Given where we started from last year, this season we have taken giant strides forward,” he said. “Having said that, the second half of 2017 was…character building. We learned a lot over the past six months, trying to move forward and that’s the most important thing.
“From back in August of last year, when we overhauled the organisation, I totally believed that these guys, with Maurizio Arrivabene as team principal and Mattia Binotto heading up the technical side, would be capable of doing something amazing. We really believed we could do much more: but in 2017, we were unable to reach our objectives.
“That has also resulted in some changes to the organisation of the Gestione Sportiva. We can already see significant signs of change when it comes to the team’s production capacity. The important thing is to start 2018 with all this expertise and experience and to manage this organisation. I have no doubt that we will be competitive.”
