Monza GP in question

Enzo Ferrari used the threat to withdraw his team several times, and it did work to a certain extend. l

 

Ecclestone bought the commercial rights of F1 for a princely sum at the time, borrowing some of the money.
The FIA, the circuit owners and the teams were happy that someone was assuming the commercial responsability for the sport.
What no one had foreseen is that Bernie would develop the Grand Prix to become a multi-billion global business and profit so much from it himself.
Along the way, he also brought financial stability and made a few team owners richer.
Hero or villain, the opinions are divided, but Ecclestone initially took a gamble and then look after the business better than anyone.

 

Not just threaten. Ferraris were run in NART livery during the boycott.

 

Weren't their rumblings that thy would like to move the Italian go to Mugello? My only fear is they would change the runoff areas this making it not so good for Motogp

 

Now its clear, didn't know how you wouldn't have known that.
X-Merrimass.

 

Bernie's formula is clearly working..

 

Indeed. I think Enzo was also on the brink in 76, especially after the Jerez appeal and the track decision at the British GP.

 

Formula 1 without Monza in the calendar....it is not F1..

This is unthinkable indeed.

 

there will always be a few/many that do not like others to succeed. in this case, billions. what is this stuff? 'well I don't have billions so no one else should'

 

The French didn't put up much of a fight about the loss of their GP for several reasons.
They don't have a French F1 team to come and watch.
They consider Le mans is more unique and prestigious than a French GP.
They refused to pay Bernie's exhorbitant fees.
The French GP promoter went on to organise GPs in the Middle East.

But I think Monza is worth defending for the Italians, and Mugello or Imola aren't the same. A threat of withdrawal form F1 by Ferrari would send the right message to Ecclestone.
If his circus is under threat, he may change his attitude and lower his fees.
I disagree with this, but for many F1 wouldn't survive without Ferrari.
That's why Bernie made so many concessions to the Scuderia, to make sure it stays onboard.

 

Whenever I hear Bernie threaten one of the sport's icons I wonder what his real agenda is.

 

Making those concessions to Ferrari was one of Bernie's biggest mistakes and we have witnessed in recent years why.

Ferrari won't leave a racing series that is profitable to them despite a lack of track success, for another racing series that nobody watches and their current sponsors have little interest in footing the bill for. Any threat of leaving is nonsense. They need the exposure, they need the circus of the paddock and their sponsors need the F1 association.

 

Do you really think Ferrari still need the exposure of racing ?
I think that if the Scuderia was to pull away from F1 tomorrow, the sales wouldn't diminish one bit.
As long as it produces good enough GT cars to be seen on the grids of many series worldwide, Ferrari will always look involved in motor racing.
Ferrari has accumulated enough of racing history to serve its marketing in the next century!

 

Eventually, yes.

Go on their website and their store and see the sheer amount of F1 related products and services they sell off the back of their involvement in that racing series.

GT cars are great, but nobody watches them and it probably costs the company money to participate rather than generate revenue the way F1 does. WEC would be the same problem if they left and started an LMP1 program. Much smaller viewing figures, smaller sponsorship revenue.

Even as a mid pack team in F1 the company gets world wide exposure and a huge amount of media interest as a result. They would get a fraction of that in any other racing series and eventually it would hurt them.

 

If you were the Chairman of Ferrari would you risk leaving F1 for another series?

Lamborghini's sales are impressive, but Ferrari is a brand on another level and their merchandise sales when compared to the likes of Lambo are proof of it. That very brand would suffer eventually if they departed F1 IMO.

Maybe I'm wrong and Ferrari would be fine if they left. Maybe F1 would be too. I doubt either of them want to find out anytime soon.

 

Were I chairman and if I were faced with a new mountain of debt, reduced sponsorship and subsidies, a lack of success, and an apathy among my buyers I would reconsider F1.

 

I am not aware that Ferrari participates officially in GT racing.
It may support some private teams though.

However Ferrari sell plenty of GT3, GTE, GTC cars that participate in numerous series worldwide. GT series in Italy, France, Britain are mostly Ferrari. The GT Open series is almost completely Ferrari. You also have the Ferrari Cup. Then the WEC, the ELMS have Ferraris, etc... You have the Dutch Supercar Series, the ADAC GT series, etc...
Don't you have Ferraris in the Tudor and the Pirelli series? Also the CREVENTIC series, the VLN in Germany, all have Ferraris racing.
I wouldn't be surprised if close to 100 Ferrari 458 are racing this years .
At close to $1/2 million each in race trim (I guess), you are talking a lot of hardware there!
So, Ferrari makes a lot of money selling GT cars. That's without the spares parts they also sell during the season.

Maybe you think nobody watches GT or endurance, but these gentlemen drivers and private teams who buy Ferrari to participate in those GT races, give a lot more to Ferrari than the tifosis who buy a cap, a scarf or a scale model and thinks they "support" Ferrari!

 

+1

Ferrari has a long list of racing results that would keep the spirit alive for decades to come if it was to pull away from F1.

Just look at Bugatti or Alfa, people still remember their racing pedigree.

 

In some way the myth of past glory is a greater asset than contemporary tawdry success.