Montezemolo: "Four Ss in the future of Formula 1"

During the visit to Wrooom 2009 the most topic on the agenda in the short meeting with the media at the Chalet Fiat was the situation in Formula 1 and its future prospects. "I believe that this sport needs four Ss: stability, seriousness, entertainment and sustainability" – summarized Montezemolo – "Stability means not changing the regulations every six months or a year: we need to plan and the public remains disoriented by so many changes. Seriousness, because it takes a lot to face these difficult moments: we must remain united, humble, without ever giving the sensation of being divided. Entertainment means attention to the layout of the circuits, to encouraging overtaking, to sports regulations, the use of new technologies such as the Internet, high definition and anything else that can be introduced in this area. Sustainability, because no company can survive without costs and revenues being balanced."

Speaking of costs, Montezemolo once again highlighted the work done in recent months by the teams united in FOTA: "We have done an extraordinary job, reducing costs significantly already in 2009 and we will continue systematically in 2010 and 2011 We will also address the issue of revenues: we have an agreement until 2012 and there is plenty of time to improve the show and increase revenues, thinking about the future. We believe that Formula 1 should be a normal sport, which is not tied to individuals. There must be a triangle: at one top the teams, who invest and innovate and today are more united than ever; at another, those who manage the commercial aspects, as a sort of super agent as Ecclestone has done so far; finally, a sporting and political authority that takes into account the unanimity of the teams and safeguards the nature of sport. My commitment as president has been requested by all the teams: it won't last much longer but I'm happy to having managed to convince everyone that we can be adversaries on the track but work together off it. We have achieved extraordinary results, reducing costs without resorting to follies that could have even led Ferrari to leave a Formula 1 without competition and innovation. For us, Formula 1 means life: it is no coincidence that we dedicated the new car to the team's sixtieth participation in as many editions of the World Championship. The history of the company is linked to the history of Formula 1 and vice versa."

Ferrari