Let's give that hornets nest a poke!: From: Ferrari outlines requirements for possible Formula E entry in future - Formula E - Autosport Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne has outlined the requirements for a possible Formula E entry in the future. Marchionne revealed a move into the electric single-seater series for Formula 1's most famous manufacturer was "possible" if the series drops car swaps and offers greater technical freedom. The Italian was speaking in a teleconference after Ferrari revealed its Q3 earnings on the New York Stock Exchange. "The answer is yes," he said when asked if entering the series was something that had been discussed within Ferrari. "I have agonised over with this with my colleagues here in Ferrari for quite a while. "I'm going to give you two answers to the problem. "If Formula E requires people to change cars during a race because we exhaust the power available within a given car, that is not something that Ferrari would naturally gravitate to. "Secondly, the standardisation associated with the electric car is something which runs against the grain of Ferrari because otherwise it will prevent [Ferrari] from playing whatever it is that it does technically on a vehicle." FE utilises a single-make Spark chassis, the monocoque of which is supplied by Italian firm Dallara, and series CEO Alejandro Agag told Autosport earlier this year he did not envisage the series ever becoming multi-make on the chassis side. This is because the series first allowed teams to build their own powertrains - the motor, inverter and gearbox - for the 2015/16 season and it wants them to focus on developing electrical technology. It is still FE's intention to open up battery development in the future, which would offer Ferrari another opportunity to move away from any perceived standardisation. That is several seasons away, though, and that uncertain timeframe could be one reason Marchionne stressed that "if it were to happen it would happen a few years from now". "It is possible that [after] some level of maturity that Ferrari would develop a unique set of skills that will make that car uniquely Ferrari, in an environment like that, but I know we are not there today," he added. Ferrari is not the first manufacturer to be put off by FE's mid-race car swap, but that process is due to be dropped for the 2018/19 campaign, for which a new single-specification battery - supplied by McLaren Applied Technologies - will be introduced. Its interest follows the news last month that current F1 champion Mercedes has secured an option to enter the series in 2018/19, while McLaren's engine supplier Honda revealed FE was on its radar earlier this year. BMW and Audi are ramping up their respective involvement in a category that already boasts Renault and Jaguar among its established manufacturer participants. The rapid growth has led Agag to slap a 25million premium on any additional entry. Should Ferrari enter FE, it would become a window for the Italian manufacturer to showcase a new range of hybrid/electric road-car machinery that Marchionne claimed would become "mandatory" in the coming years.
It looks highly unlikely that Formula E are even contemplating the changes that Ferrari would like to see happen for them to enter the series, but it's interesting to see that the Scuderia (or the Sweaterboy at least), have been thinking about the possibility of it. I have also read recently where Marchionne has pretty much said that the electric car is pretty much inevitable now (suggesting that Ferrari are slowly becoming resigned to the idea of making electric cars in the future or go out of business). A big problem for Formula E (along with the lack of noise, vibration and oil/gas burning smell), is that if you run it how Ferrari would want to do it, with manufacturers able to make everything themselves, and make their own individual developments F1 style, then it would become as difficult to police as F1 has become. Added to that, the racing could quite easily become as strung out as it is now in F1, and the only stimulus you would have to watch the sport would be a visual one, because as I've stated before, Formula E does not stimulate the senses of noise, smell and feel in the same way that F1 does. Formula E works to the degree that it does because it is basically a stock-car racing series. Yes there are people such as BMW, Audi and Jaguar putting their names on the cars, but they are incredibly restricted on what they can actually develop. Essentially they are just putting their names/badges on someone else's standard car. By making it a stock-car series, the organisers have ensured that no one can run away with races and the Championship in the manner of Mercedes in F1. If, as Ferrari seem to want, Formula E became a manufacturers "free for all", then you would end up with today's F1 with the sound turned off! - And how much excitement would that really generate? Try it this weekend - Turn your TV to "MUTE" and see how enjoyable the racing is. My monies on the "MUTE" being turned off pretty damned quickly!
This could also be Ferrari's annual ''we will leave F1 and race in series X'' statement, of course . Though saying you'll leave F1 and race in FE...that threat might not be taken very seriously .
I think by the time Ferrari will enter formula-E, Tesla will have bought it and Marchionne will be enjoying his pension in a fiscal paradise
Evolution or revolution is coming to the auto racing world and Ferrari will be part of it. Do I like it. Not really but Im not blind to the future and what the possibilities might be.
Right now it doesn´t make any sense for them although it seems inevitable that Formula 1 will become electric in a distant future and Ferrari will have to get into the groove if they want to survive. This looks more like a "you may not like it, but you know it´s going to happen and you heard it here first".
+1 The only reason FE exists is because the manufacturers want a series where they can compete against each other to quickly develop the electric technology. Full electric is no doubt the future of road cars, but it has no entertainment appeal in a race setting.. and from a revenue generation perspective that's all that matters. I am 100% sure F1 will never be an electric series. When the question was put to them on whether they will continue the current engine formula past 2020, the technical bosses at one of the race press conferences, said they will have to assess whether it's the right path. They now they've lost many fans globally since the NA engines went away. Some races like Austin and Mexico have strong attendance, but many are in decline. I think the manufacturers will pressure Liberty and the FIA into continuing the current formula, but they are internally acutely aware of what drives F1 viewership, live and on tv.
I think he is the most hated person in automotive history certainly the most hated president of an automobile company
The man can't win. He is fighting a losing battle on several fronts. He has been put in place to rescue 2 car companies on life support machines: FIAT and Chrysler. I am surprised it has gone that far. FIAT should have endorsed a NISSAN take-over years ago, or accepted a merger with GM-Europe when it was proposed. As for Chrysler ...
It did seem a bit reactionary to the Audi announcement. A type of "hey we could do that too" statement.
I don't think Ferrari is his main concern; he has enough on his hands firefighting FCA decline. He may even have ensured Ferrari's survival by taking it out of FCA and making it an independent company again.
I think it was GM the one that refused to buy FIAT. They were only interested in getting access to FIAT´s diesel engines as theirs were one generation behind. Actually they had to pay a compensation for not buying, and then with that fresh cash was when Marchione had something to work with. Marchione is doing fine with FCA. But Ferrari is something else and needs someone with autonomy and devoted full time to it, not just a bureaucrat that goes to Maranello from time to time to check the books.
I agree with that. Ferrari needs a dedicated car guy at the head, but more than that, a sport cars and racing enthusiast with engineering background and some management experience, and they are not that easy to find.
The question is: could JEEP survive on its own? I am not sure about that. BTW, some JEEPs are now made in Italy, and are in fact FIAT with a different logo.
