Montezemolo: “F1 must change”

“Formula 1 remains our life but without Ferrari there is no Formula 1 just as without Formula 1 Ferrari would be different”: Luca di Montezemolo was concise in addressing the topic of the future of the top motor racing competition.

“We have a lot of patience but there are precise conditions to continue our commitment” – said the President of Ferrari – “We race not only to advertise ourselves but above all to carry out advanced research for our road cars, on all aspects: engines, frames, mechanics, electronics, materials and aerodynamics, so much so that the transfer of technology from the track to the road has grown exponentially in the last twenty years. What no longer suits us is that 90% of competitiveness is based exclusively on aerodynamics or that ours is the only sport in which testing is prohibited. We build cars, not helicopters or rockets or planes. Of course, we must not return to the excesses of a few years ago but we also cannot find ourselves in the position of not being able to give an outlet, for example, to the young people we are raising in the Ferrari Driver Academy. Lastly, there is the issue of the third car which, mind you, we do not support so much for our own interest but for that of sport in general. We are convinced that the attention of fans, media and sponsors can increase if there is a larger number of competitive cars on the track and not cars slower than two or three seconds per lap that are lapped after a few laps. As an example, I remember that, in 1961, Giancarlo Baghetti won the French Grand Prix in Reims with a Ferrari made available to him by a private individual: well, it would be nice to see one of our cars race in the future with American, Chinese or, perhaps Abu Dhabi.”

Montezemolo's conclusions are very clear: “We will support our reasons in the most appropriate places and ways but we will be very clear and whoever is happy with it will be fine otherwise they will get over it. If they still want Ferrari, Formula 1 must change and return to being advanced research, always with a necessary attention to costs. We are not in Formula 1 as sponsors but as manufacturers."