That's what they say. IMO The current crop of Ferrari purchasers relate more to the privateer GT series than to F1. Certainly on the dealer level.
Some people don't follow F1, because they find the car ugly and irrelevant. Having a nice GT car doesn't translate in an interest in open-wheel racers.
Very true. You can do your reputation a lot of damage by staying too long in a game, mostly if others have caught up and you are not at the top anymore. Knowing when to quit is essential in any sport.
In 2012 Ferrari made 52 million euros (£44m) in revenue from 60 merchandising licences of Ferrari branded items, such as clothing, watches and other items according to James Allen's site. That's quite some financial support.
No, I cannot believe that! I don't know where you get the idea that nobody attends GT races! They have a large audience in Europe, from people who can actually follow a whole series all year round, unlike F1 which is for most people only ONE RACE a year if they are lucky! GT and endurance racing is on TV in Europe on terrestrial or satellite channels , not only Le Mans, but all the WEC and the ELM series, plus the Blancpain GT series (Sprint and endurance), we also have the British GT championship, and the GT Cup, the GT Open, the Dutch Supercar Challenge. In fact, I don't have enough time to watch all the GT and endurance races I am recording!
The comparison wasn't with F1 nor its costs. The comparison was with gentleman drivers competing in GT being of more financial importance to Ferrari than those that merely buy Ferrari branded items, such as caps, t shirts, etc. It simply isn't true and hasn't been for a very long time. I think Ferrari are one of a few teams that actually turn a profit from their association with F1 after sponsorship and their money from Bernie. If they left for LMP1 I doubt the accountants books would be so kind to them and they probably would race at a financial loss. After the sweater dumps this new debt onto them to cope with I doubt they have much interest in doing that.
In the past, I have taken clients to several GPs, only to see them spend most of the time admiring cars in the car park and paying no attention to the race.
That wasn't the comparison you made though, was it? To be more accurate to your initial statement you would have to find the financial support GT racing alone contributes to Ferrari in terms of profits. Quote: '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!'
Things are changing. Bernie bucks are no longer assured and megasponsorbucks are a thing of the past. With the huge short term debt the reorg brings f1 may no longer make sense.
In the majority, they kept watching all through the race because they could relate to the cars on the track!! In GT racing, you actually see everyday cars just tuned-up to race, so if you are a Porsche fan, a Corvette fan or a Ferrari fan, you can see you favourite make performing. It's the same with any tin-top racing; people support Ford, or Chevrolet, or Toyota because they buy these brands Very few people identify with single-seater racing, which are so remote from ordinary life. You believe it or not, but I had people leaving a GP circuit after a few laps of a GP, telling me they were bored. But they had watched all through the curtain-opener race: a Porsche GT race!
Which brings up the odd relationship between US and European markets. We wait in line paying over the moon here afraid to put on too many miles.
While I can agree with a lot of your post, GT racing is too flippin long. I don't want to watch races that take hours, I have other things to do like work on my Alfa restoration. Pete
We could argue as eternum on this. Tifosi12 wrote: "Ferrari actually makes more money through merchandising than through their car sales. All those caps and models add up." That is a blunt statement that I challenged You added: "In 2012 Ferrari made 52 million euros (£44m) in revenue from 60 merchandising licences of Ferrari branded items, such as clothing, watches and other items according to James Allen's site." Just compare the sale of 4000 cars to the 52 millions Euros you quoted. It must be clear that it's the sale of road car that is the largest revenue for Ferrari, and not the licensing of its brand for trinquets. GT racing is profitable to Ferrari. It doesn't participate itself (unlike F1), so don't loose money on it, and the participants buy Ferrari, not mere caps or scarves. I care to venture that if Ferrari was to abandon F1, the sale of memorabilia wouldn't suddenly disappear. They do sell Ferrari memorabilia, and club membership, and trips to Maranello around various GT series.
Quote: '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!' Just how much have these gentleman drivers and private teams contributed to Ferrari exactly? To make such a statement you surely must have those relevant numbers. I have provided a number of 52 million euros for a single year for Merchandise for 2012. What can you provide exactly?
I think I mentioned close to 100 GT3 Ferrari bought by private teams and gentlemen drivers to participate to various series worldwide. I estimate that a GT3-trimed 458 Ferrari cost 500,000 Euros at least. That's a cool 50 millions Euros immediatly, plus the spares, the memorabilia sold at these events. These cars boost the production at Ferrari, provide brand exposure, free publicity, etc... Anyone who buys a Ferrari certainly contributes more to the F1 effort than a "tifosi" who buy the occasional hat, don't you think? Beside, the Ferraris are still produced in Italy, unlike most Ferrari-branded clothing and apparel made in China! I am even wondering what you are arguing about?.
