The Italian media seems to have come up with an explanation as to why Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo is always going on about the Italian team being allowed to run a third car. According to reports in Italy, Montezemolo has the desire to see four Ferraris on the grid: the third and fourth being run in US and Italian colours.
Reports suggest that Montezemolo recently met with Parris Mullins, who used to be a Ferrari salesman in Silicon Valley, but who has been employed of late advising Youtube founder Chad Hurley on his F1 investments. Hurley wasted in the region of $20 million on the USF1 debacle, but is now trying to build a Ferrari project for 2012. This cannot happen until the end of the current Concorde Agreement – unless the majority of the teams agree to it, and there is no reason to suggest that they will.
The word is that Alejandro Agag, the boss of the Barwa Addax GP2 team, is also involved in the talks. Agag has long had F1 ambitions and is well-connected, having married into the family of Spain’s former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. He has also been a business partner of Flavio Briatore.
The plan appears to be to have a team of two cars: one dressed up in the stars and stripes and the other in Italian national colours for Italian uber-biker Valentino Rossi. Montezemolo sees the idea as a good way to increase Ferrari sales in the United States, Ferrari’s biggest market. While it all makes perfect sense for the Ferrari president, it is hard to see why anyone else would agree, although having a US involvement in F1 is a good idea. The quickest way to achieve that is to sell a fast car to a rich American. Getting Rossi into F1 would presumably increase TV viewing figures, and might attract a younger audience, who currently follow bike racing. The 31-year-old Rossi, who has won nine Grand Prix World Championships in motorcycling, is currently recovering after breaking his leg badly in an accident in practice for the Italian GP at Mugello. He has taken part in six Ferrari tests since 2006, most recently in January in Barcelona, where he drove a 2008 car.
He has also tried his hands at rallying on several occasions. In January, Rossi said that he wants to go into rallying when he finishes his bike racing career saying that “by the time I finish MotoGP, I will be too old for F1.”
All of this makes perfect sense for Ferrari and indeed for F1 as a whole, but this is not how it will be viewed by the midfield teams, who will see any customer Ferraris as simply being a way of pushing them backwards on the F1 grid. And, in any case, if Ferrari is allowed customer cars, then McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes, Renault and the rest of them will all be asking for the same thing.
Joe,
Another great post.
I happen to think this would be great news for Ferrari but not Formula 1. The last thing anyone wants to see is an F1 grid composed of 3-4 chassis. What would happen to the Force Indias and Williams of this world?
Being a F1 fan in the US, having a viable US Formula 1 team would be amazing. That team would have to be a US team though, not a Ferrari with the Star and Stripes. We have been humiliated enough in F1, and I think a well financed team ( from the US) could follow in Lotus’ steps.
If Ferrari want to sell their chassis, maybe they can start a spec racing series based on their F1 car? and What does a car salesman (even a Ferrari salesman) know about Formula 1?
If Luca wants more cars carrying Ferrari branding, why doesn’t he jut spend the extra $20m prize money Ferrari get each year on sponsoring a new team?
JamesF1
Sounds like a splendid idea….
Wouldn’t that fall foul of the same rule that BAR fell foul of?
I’m with JamesF1 on this. The word “Sauber” springs instantly to mind
Why don’t Ferrari do what Red Bull has done with Toro Rosso? Wouldn’t that be easier than constantly knocking for three and even four cars on the grid?
Isn’t there a rule about having two liveries? I thought BAR came unstuck on this when they first joined the grid wanting to run one car as Lucky Strike and one as 555. Hense that hideous zip livery.
De Montezemelo is reallys starting to bug me on this issue. First the nasty attacks on the new teams, and then the constant pushing. He seems to forget that F1 works best as a competition. A Ferrari spec formula (or any formula with customer cars) would hold far less kudos as it will be obvious to the world that the competitive element has been reduced.
As I understand it, the reason for a unified livery on both cars is so that the sponsors can’t decide who will win. For instance if BAR were allowed the Lucky Strike and 555, then dependent on domestic market (and assuming the cars were running 1-2) the team could decide who should win to get the most publicity.
It is true to say that if Ferrari were allowed 3 cars, then the other teams will want them. Then you end up with at best, a NASCAR/DTM situation where several teams run the same car, which is then affected badly if one manufacturer pulls out and at worst, an IndyCar/A1GP scenario where there’s one manufacturer and no one really watches it.
Having each team make their own car makes it more interesting and provides more stability. What may be an idea though is to standardise the engine mountings and so forth, so that if a team has to change engine for the following season after a manufacturers late withdrawal, then a new one can easily slot into place.
Why doesn’t Chad Hurley or Fiat buy Toro Rosso and paint them blue/white. After that, badge the engines as Maserati, bring some sponsorship from Shell and other Ferrari backers then they’re ready to go.
Ubaid
Good idea, but they would need to fund a completely independant team and the cost maybe too much.
JamesF1
IF Peter would allow it Sauber may fit the bill. Fingers burnt with BMW and all that.
The name Flavio Briatore makes me shudder. A business deal with him must be like having a bath with an electric fire.
Luca has his companies interests at heart and cannot be blamed for taking this stance. It all gets a bit much when he starts rubbishing the new teams, my balls better than your ball so we shouldnt play with yours. All very childish.
Just go about it the right way Monty, keep your mouth shut in public, talk to the other teams first. Just ask John Terry where it gets you.
Ta
Andy
Joe, I wrote yesterday on this and one of my caveats for the idea to work was in running extra cars as priveteer outfits. Almost certainly, a priveteer Ferrari team will be more competitive that a Virgin, or HRT and is an easier and cheaper way for a new team to enter the sport. It will also offer a better starting place for a new driver and, if the US-related reports are correct, it will also open up the sport more there.
Again, I do not see why you would rush to focus on the negatives and brand these ideas as nonsense, simply because they are different and new.
I do feel that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
As always, thank you for this deep insight into the sport that is not available anywhere else.
Montezemolo is famous for being easily led, and it seems Parris Mullins is pulling Monty’s strings.
An interesting subject indeed.
Why don’t they bring back an Alfa Romeo GP team (powered by Ferrari) to get their extra cars on the grid and raise the profile of one of the FIAT Group’s other brands.
If Rossi thinks he’s too old for F1, it proves at least he’s cleverer than MS.
Smells like Montezemolo is taking a page out of the Ecclestone book, getting people to talk about his brand, along with some fictional proposal, while he goes about his real plans without being bothered.
“The plan appears to be to have a team of two cars: one dressed up in the stars and stripes and the other in Italian national colours”
There used to be a series with Ferrari engines and Ferrari’s most successful F1 car in the colours of all countries where Luca presumably would want to sell more Ferraris…..
How about resurrecting that and painting all the cars in all the colours you want to your heart’s content?!! The last i heard those cars are up for sale and are pretty cheap too…..
Now that is a worthwhile US F1 project. In fact it’s almost too good to be true. However, if this occurs there is one seat that should be automatically reserved for the US based Ferrari team and that is Alexander Rossi. An American with clear talent and an Italian surname to boot.
Valentino is also wildly popular in the US, so having him in the other seat is a no-brainer and sure to attract new fans in the US to F1. So yea….Rossi and Rossi in 2012. Sounds like a plan.
I can hear the commentators now:
“And there’s Ferrari for the 1 – 2 – 3 win in Monaco!!!”
The third car does seem strange and doesnt suit the F1 scheme of things. I would prefer Ferrari starts a B team or something than a third car. And about the US livery on the third car seems taken out of context. He said he wants a American managed ferrari team with the stars and stripes on it. I dont think he meant the factory team having US livery. And also i think Ferrari never had trouble selling cars any where in the world let alone the US. There is a goddamn two year waiting period for buying one of them. So the American managed Ferrari B team will be a perfect opportunity for Ferrari to run two cars simultaneously during pre season testing and do more work on the cars than their competitors.
I think Montezemolo should just shut the hell up.
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