In a series of quotes released from his Christmas media get-together in Italy, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo claims that Formula One needs to buck it's ideas up quickly, or face losing Ferrari to a rival motorsport event.
Di Montezemolo has often said throughout the latter half of 2009 that Ferrari really, honestly were close to quitting the sport over the FIA/FOTA summer war, which saw a number of the big manufacturer teams threaten to quit over the FIA's planned budget cap, before the FIA canned the cap and a number of the big manufacturer teams quit.
And the fiery Italian insists that the option of Ferrari leaving the sport is still on the table, despite the arrival of former Ferrari man Jean Todt as the new FIA president, unless the sport makes a number of changes in the years ahead.
But despite Ferrari often behaving pompously and arrogant over the budget cap, famously releasing a haughty series of press statements essentially saying that the new 2010 F1 teams weren't good enough for the sport, this time di Montezemolo focuses on decent-sounding changes to the sport.
In the quotes from the Christmas event, in which he likens the F1 pit lane to a "concentration camp", the Italian asks for F1 to allow itself a closer relationship with the public, reduce ticket prices for the fans and improve the on-track action, claiming that what was needed was a wholesale rethink of the sport's future, rather than rule tinkering and minor changes.
Di Montezemolo targeted 2012 as a deadline for the changes to be made, with that being the year that the new Concorde Agreement expires, and again pointed out that Le Mans could be a future direction for Ferrari in motorsport should F1 not improve sufficiently.
"I want F1 to improve between now and 2012, when we sign a new Concorde Agreement, and if not we will have motivation somewhere else," di Montezemolo is quoted as saying.
"I have been to Le Mans and I was impressed. We cannot accept huge gaps between drivers and the press and public. In the past the pits was full of good looking girls, now it's like a concentration camp. And we need to overtake!"
He went on to say that: "There are a lot of answers needed. We need good people at the FIA. [FIA president Jean] Todt is a good person and knows F1, and I’m sure his priority is to recreate a different dialogue and atmosphere.
"Bernie [Ecclestone] is coming to the end of his career, but I am sure he will look ahead. And FOTA has been very useful. There needs to be a strong triangle between the three parties."
He explained that the wholesale changes needed careful planning, and that cost-saving measures would need to be a part of the future of the sport, but applied in such a way as not to 'cheapen' the product. He also, despite largely making positive suggestions, still found time to slag off the new teams, claiming that replacing manufacturers with smaller privateers was a bad move.
"First we have to decide where we want to position the product," di Montezemolo explained, "I think it needs to encompass extreme technology, performance and research. Secondly, we need to save costs without losing the appealing elements. Carbon brakes, for instance, are impossible to use with road cars and we can accept a standard gearbox without losing F1 characteristics.
"Not being allowed to have Felipe [Massa] test a car, for me, is against the very nature of the sport. For the moment, I understand, but it’s not the future. Thirdly, to replace manufacturer teams with teams that I don’t know if they will be ready or in what condition, I don’t think is best."
He also said that the current testing rules were far too restrictive, and said that although testing should be restricted, the current rules had gone too far. Aside from a meaningless young driver test in December, the teams will not begin their winter testing programmes until the start of February, less than six weeks before the start of the 2010 season.
"Years ago we could test every day, now not at all," he mourned, adding an odd analogy when he said: "You need a balance. It’s like in Italy, one day the doctor is smoking while he’s doing an operation but now, if you smoke in the street, you’re killed. We need something in the middle."
He went on to say that: "We also need to look at the show. I’m not making strong points here, but is it right to run in Europe at 2 or 3 o’clock on a summer afternoon? I don’t know. In soccer they play at 4 or 5pm, or at 8 or 9pm. Is it right that we have two hour races? Maybe they are too long. These are things we need to discuss.
"Should we have such expensive tickets? Today a young boy with his girlfriend can fly around the world for less than attending the Monza GP in the best seats. Is that right? I don’t want to be arrogant or presumptuous, but I want to have professional instruments to look into it.
"I can accept if some manufacturers have left the sport but I think F1 at the beginning of the 2000s has been the best in terms of the public and spectators, with new venues and promotion and investment from the car manufacturers."
Predictably, the Ferrari president did add that he felt that Todt was a good appointment as the new FIA president, and that the Frenchman will help the sport achieve the aims he has set out without the political shenanigans that dogged the final months of Max Mosley's reign.
"Together with Bernie I’m the oldest guy in the paddock and we share a genuine passion," he rambled, "Now the FIA opens a new era, thank God, even if I have to say that Mosley did a very good job basically for safety.
"But after what happened for the past two years, with the polemics, manufacturers leaving, unpredictable judging decisions, thank God there is fresh air."
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
