Ferrari forgot Enzo?

With so much sucess in the last 10 years, i never heard a reference to Enzo Ferrari by the drivers, managers or other people at Ferrari.How for example Kimi Raikkonen and Filipe Massa see Enzo? Its enough to have portraits in the walls at Fiorano?I think not.Perhaps i have missed some statements, nevertheless, i leave this topic to discussion.

 

Ummm, dude, Enzo died in 88

 

Kimi remembered him. He said Enzo was his most prized posession...

 

Has Ron Dennis said anything about Bruce this year?

 

Bruce who..??

 

While Enzo was great in his day, I doubt his company, and much less
his Formula 1 operation would have been as successful in these
modern times.He was way too slow to react or embrace new technologies.
And also his management style would have alienated alot of top talent,
Just look at Ron Dennis at McLaren and the problems he alwys seems to
have with his drivers. Montezemolo was the best thing to happen to Ferrari,
and of course Schumacher, Todt , etc.

 

I think honoring Enzo is part and parcel of many comments you hear regarding the legacy of Ferrari, its history and so on. A lot of the current drivers were so young when Enzo passed that he's more of a history lesson to them than a man who once was a living legend.

 

Agree, this is one thing that bothered me a bit in recent years and also one of the reasons why I like Massa so much, did you see the pride he has to drive for Ferrari at the end of the Brazilian GP, thats something that hasnt been seen at Ferrari for years.

At the end of the day, yes Enzo was slow to react but he did build the company so some recognition by the drivers now and then wouldnt go amiss, having said that again I beleive Massa has a better understanding of the Ferrari history than any driver going back to Jean Alesi.

 

I agree that it would be better if the F1 side of Ferrari mentioned Enzo more often. Just because Ron Dennis never talks about Bruce McLaren that doesn't make it right. F1 has an incredible heritage and I think those involved are all so obsessed with looking forward that they never take the time to celebrate the past.

 

They celebrate the past plenty, especially during the world finals and such. Why would either of the driver thanks a man they didn't even know and been dead for 20 years. That's just silly.

 

When the day is done you have to admire and respect where Enzo was coming from. I respect his purity of purpose and admire his ability to stand his ground (it would have been to easy for him to cash out with Ford's money...)

IMHO, to drive a Ferrari or drive for the Ferrari team you should be conversant with the history of the man and his legacy. Part of the allure of Ferrari is the tradition and history associated with the man and his cars.

Incredibly fitting that after he passed away in the summer of 1988, the ONLY time McLaren lost the entire year was in Monza at the Italian GP. Not only a Ferrari victory, but a Ferrari 1-2 with Berger and Alboreto. I'm sure Schlesser received many christmas cards from the Tifosi that year

Just my 2 cents...

Frank

 

Luca is as responsible for Ferrari now as Enzo. Don't get me wrong I think Enzo is one of the most important people in the history of the automobile and racing. Enzo founded and laid the ground work but Luca really transformed Ferrari into what it is today.

 

Enzo Ferrari is one of the reasons we have F-1 today. plain and simple. not only the mystique and all that, but he held F-1 together with Ecclestone and the FIA. I think people forget how super competitive Ferrari were back in the 50's ... not only did they win F-1 ( even if the manufacturers championship was not around - they would have won 4-5 before it was instituted... ) they won in sports cars, GT, cars, etc... hill climbs etc... back in the 80's they had over 5000 victories with a Ferrari vehicle... who else can say that? Porsche maybe... and that is about it.

If it were not for Enzo, Montezemolo would not have had a company to rescue. Love him or hate him you have to take your hat off to Enzo, he was ruthless, not exactly the most ethical guy in the world, and was the definition of stubborn... but it worked perfectly for him!

As for Ferrari forgetting Enzo today... probabbly going to get worse... I love it when new owners find out there was a guy named Ferrari!!! or Porsche for that matter!!.

 

No one has forgotten about Enzo, but frankly Ferrari's current success has little to do with him. In order to keep your team/business functioning efficiently and happy you need to give credit to those people who are helping you achieve success in the present, not in the past. There isn't a single person in Maranello that isn't eternally grateful for Enzo Ferrari, but there is a time and a place for showing it. Respect he who brought you this far, but embrace he who leads you.