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Ferrari Threaten To Quit Formula 1
By Dale Calkins
October 29 2008
The Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team has threatened to cease involvement in the Formula 1 World Championship, should the FIA implement a single engine manufacturer regulation. Ferrari sees no reason why it would continue in such a sport, though the FIA states there has simply been a misunderstanding of its proposal.

Ferrari Threaten
To Quit
Formula 1

The Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team has threatened to cease involvement in the Formula 1 World Championship, should the FIA implement a single engine manufacturer regulation. A Ferrari statement read as so:

"Whilst reiterating its wholehearted commitment to a substantial and needed reduction in costs in Formula 1, starting with propulsion, the Ferrari Board of Directors expressed strong concerns regarding plans to standardise engines as it felt that such a move would detract from the entire raison of a sport with which Ferrari has been involved continuously since 1950, a raison d'etre based principally on competition and technological development.

The Board of Directors expressed the opinion that should these key elements be diminished, it would have to re-evaluate, with its partners the viability of continuing its presence in the sport."

The FIA responded with this statement:

"It seems the Ferrari Board were misinformed. The FIA has offered the teams three options, one of which is the so-called standard engine, and another that the manufacturers should jointly guarantee to supply power trains to the independent teams for less than €5m per season.

The FIA is delighted by Ferrari's financial success and hopes this will be maintained. However a number of teams find themselves facing costs which greatly exceed income. This is not sustainable. It is now for the manufacturers to agree one of the three FIA options or themselves produce concrete proposals to reduce costs to a sustainable level.If neither happens, the FIA will take whatever measures prove necessary to preserve a credible world championship for both drivers and constructors."

Certainly everyone realises Formula 1 can not exist without Ferrari's involvement. Ferrari is simply too large a part of Formula 1's financial position, that for it to leave, Formula 1 could not sustain enough interest to remain viable. With this in mind, this disagreement will no doubt be resolved easily. Or at least I should certainly hope so. For everyone's sake

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