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Formula 1
HOBBS: Ferrari Don’t Want F1 Devalued
David Hobbs analyzes Ferrari's contribution to motorsports history, and says that the Scuderia may have a point in their current dispute with the FIA.
Luigi Villoresi in the Ferrari on their world championship debut in 1950. You can probably guess the circuit.... (LAT)
Monaco Grand Prix Photo Gallery HERE
Even before I started racing, Ferrari were the preeminent name in the sport, because they had been there right from the start.
Alfa Romeo were the dominant team immediately after the war and up to the inception of the world championship in 1950 – I recall the first non-champinoship race at Silverstone in 1948 was won by an Alfa.
However, soon after the start of the F1 championship era, Ferrari asserted their dominance with Alberto Ascari, then Juan-Manuel Fangio, British drivers such as Tony Brooks and Mike Hawthorn, the first British world champion, along with the late Peter Collins.
At the same time, Ferrari were doing the same thing in world sportscars, which in those days drew a huge amount of interest, comparable to Formula 1. They won Le Mans multiple times, although Jaguar beat them in 1955 and 1956. But Ferrari was a name that was always there in the top two forms of racing.
People like Lotus and Cooper gave them a good run for their money, then Mclaren came along and they’re still nipping at their heels. Latterly it was teams like Williams, although they have faded a bit. In sportscars, Ferrari have scaled back from their past, but even in the ALMS series you can find them with their GT2 car, and it can still beat the Porsches.
Bernie Ecclestone and Formula One Management have always relied very heavily on Ferrari’s name and reputation because they know it adds value to the overall product. That’s why FOM are alleged to give Ferrari something around $50m more a year in revenues than any other team.
It is a pretty fascinating standoff that is taking place right now, between the two giants – Max Mosley on one side, and Luca di Montezemolo and Ferrari on the other. Personally, I’m not sure Ferrari’s presence is absolutely essential to the survival of Formula 1, but obviously Ferrari would be sorely missed if they should withdraw.
With Montezemolo saying they could go and do something else, I’m guessing he would mean IndyCar, because if they switched full-time to sportscars, his old nemesis the FIA will still be there!
Even before I started racing, Ferrari were the preeminent name in the sport, because they had been there right from the start.
Alfa Romeo were the dominant team immediately after the war and up to the inception of the world championship in 1950 – I recall the first non-champinoship race at Silverstone in 1948 was won by an Alfa.
However, soon after the start of the F1 championship era, Ferrari asserted their dominance with Alberto Ascari, then Juan-Manuel Fangio, British drivers such as Tony Brooks and Mike Hawthorn, the first British world champion, along with the late Peter Collins.
At the same time, Ferrari were doing the same thing in world sportscars, which in those days drew a huge amount of interest, comparable to Formula 1. They won Le Mans multiple times, although Jaguar beat them in 1955 and 1956. But Ferrari was a name that was always there in the top two forms of racing.
People like Lotus and Cooper gave them a good run for their money, then Mclaren came along and they’re still nipping at their heels. Latterly it was teams like Williams, although they have faded a bit. In sportscars, Ferrari have scaled back from their past, but even in the ALMS series you can find them with their GT2 car, and it can still beat the Porsches.
Bernie Ecclestone and Formula One Management have always relied very heavily on Ferrari’s name and reputation because they know it adds value to the overall product. That’s why FOM are alleged to give Ferrari something around $50m more a year in revenues than any other team.
It is a pretty fascinating standoff that is taking place right now, between the two giants – Max Mosley on one side, and Luca di Montezemolo and Ferrari on the other. Personally, I’m not sure Ferrari’s presence is absolutely essential to the survival of Formula 1, but obviously Ferrari would be sorely missed if they should withdraw.
With Montezemolo saying they could go and do something else, I’m guessing he would mean IndyCar, because if they switched full-time to sportscars, his old nemesis the FIA will still be there!
Grand Prix of Bahrain
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