Ferrari may leave F1 if standard engine approved
Could one unthinkable action be followed by another? It may be, if Formula 1 heads get their wish for a standard engine for the racing series. Both Toyota, a team near the bottom of the standings, and Ferrari, which is up near the top as it usually is, have expressed their concerns about such a plan, with both entities threatening to pull out of the racing series if such a path were taken. A Formula 1 world without Ferrari is practically unfathomable, as is seeing a Prancing Horse powered by a McLaren/Mercedes powerplant.
Does one knee-jerk reaction deserve another? Probably not. Our guess is that cooler heads will prevail and the FIA will come up with another alternative to lower the costs of competing in F1. This is, after all, the path that the FIA often takes when it comes to making major rules changes. Thanks for the tip, everyone!
[Source: F1-Live, Photo by Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
garlinski 10:34AM (10/28/2008)
me just being an A$$ this morning... but is Ferrari acting liek a sore loser???? I'm taking my ball and going home!
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Flea 10:47AM (10/28/2008)
I think Ferrari, along with Toyota, is just speaking for it's fans and it's engineers.
NO serious F1 fan would want a McMerc powered Ferrari, or a Ferrari powered McMerc, not to mention other more ghastly combinations.
F1 is about competing at the razor edge of technology; if some teams can't afford that, there's Formula 3000 for them.
Ferrari only sells 4000 cars a year, but because they are so good at what they do, they get enough sponsor money to fund R&D.
Basically, I don't see why F1 should become pansy-friendly.
AZZO45b 11:25AM (10/28/2008)
Yes you are being an A$$ this morning...
...did you miss the part in the story about TOYOTA also having issues with a spec engine concept???
Why would any manufacturer in F1 want to run spec anything when sports cars & even Indy cars (by 2011) will encourage individual design/ developments?
Duders 11:26AM (10/28/2008)
@ Flea
I agree whole heartedly with that. I think though there should be some kind of limit from keeping the teams with more money just throwing cash at the car to come up with more wins based on better technology.
Majarvis 11:33AM (10/28/2008)
You're a raging moron, yes. If you think that Ferrari is "being a sore loser" because they won't be PRODUCING THEIR OWN ENGINES, then you, sir, are a complete and utter moron. Why would they remain in Formula One if they couldn't? It wouldn't be Formula One any longer, so why stay? If Ferrari leaves Formula One, then Formula One is no longer Formula One. All of you out there who hate Ferrari and disagree are only fooling yourselves. Anybody knows that a Formula One series without Ferrari might as well cease to exist.
garlinski 11:42AM (10/28/2008)
Sorry... but this is gone on long enough... MAJARVIS... How the hell am I Ferrari hater? Explain that one... have you not seen my picture STANDING NEXT TO A FERRARI!!!! Stupid silly grin and all. Money is the fundamental part of the entire arguement. Ferrari has it. They should. It's like the Yankees, who ever has the most money will have the best players... er.. engines/cars. It's not Ferrari's fault that they make a better car and better engines and have better drivers.
and yes... i did miss the part on Toyota having a problem with the spec engine. My mistake.
EEL 12:17PM (10/28/2008)
I guess 10:34AM was too early in the morning for sarcasm, garlinski.
garlinski 12:34PM (10/28/2008)
@ EEL
You said it. Rough day all around. Lesson learned.
AZZO45b 12:54PM (10/28/2008)
Former F1 driver Jean Alesi (1991-1995) from SPEEDtv.com called the FIA proposal "absurd".
He also said this: It goes for all manufacturers. It is in effect asking BMW, Toyota or Mercedes to sack their engineers and buy an engine from the supermarket.
Richard 11:02PM (10/28/2008)
No!
First, Ferrari IS - for all intents and purposes - F1's brand.
Second, Ferrari (Enzo) once said (paraphrasing): "Sell them an engine, and throw in the body." (They used to construct Ferraris very much along that concept)
If Max Mosely and the rest of those socio, pseudo-green fascists turn the premier motor racing series into a fixed specification formula for lawnmower engined, wingless biodiesel burners, the Scuderia would be well served to find a stage where it can continue to present Ferrari to the world as the pinnacle of motorcars.
SimbaDogg 2:16AM (10/31/2008)
seriously...toyota? When it comes to motorsports, or even sport car history over the years, you're a huge step behind ferrari. and dont even bring up the comparison between your cars and honda/nissan. you're story begins and ends w/ the supra/mr2 and both chassis to be honest were heavily reliant on their cast iron turbo plants and aftermarket mods. lets not bring up the 2000gt, though that was a beautiful car, BUT from decades ago.
Kowell 10:36AM (10/28/2008)
"A Formula 1 world without Ferrari is practically unfathomable"
We all thought the same thing about an F1 calender with no races in North America and the major European circuits but here we are.
Pretty soon F1 will only be a pale shadow of what it once was, only racing in cash filled oil countries. When that day comes, oil cash filed countries will then drop the races because it will no longer be a prestige thing to have them.
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Steve 10:41AM (10/28/2008)
when did we think this?? F1 was getting along fine w/out a race in north america...it wasnt until recently that they brought it back to the US, then canceled it....which does suck for us here in the states.
and canada was just recently canceled.
and i thought they had a FIA meeting to sell engines for 10mil Euro to other teams...
why not the LS2LS7? 11:18AM (10/28/2008)
Steve:
North America has two other countries besides in the US in it. One of them has had an F1 race every year except 1 in in the last 40.
AZZO45b 11:29AM (10/28/2008)
Steve: North America... USA+ Canada+ Mexico= N/A GPs. When USGP was cancelled many US fans could (& many did) travel to these other N/A GPs.
Level 10:40AM (10/28/2008)
I would leave too if F1 told me we would all have the same engines....Whats the point of racing then? They race to compete against each others technology marvel etc..its progressive...Instead they want to be nanny's and help the weak get some wins...It's not only about the drivers its about the car as well...
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inteller 10:43AM (10/28/2008)
it sorta reminds me of a twisted version of IROC.
AlphaKing 10:54AM (10/28/2008)
Absolutely. There's already a glut of spec-engine formulas out there and they serve their purposes well, but that's not what F1 is about. But in the end, this is more Max Mosley BS. Typical Max- float some bizarre proposal that's sure to get killed by teams/manufacturers so that his "compromise" will look tame in comparison.
If Max & Bernie don't get shown the door, they're going to ruin the sport beyond repair.
Level 10:41AM (10/28/2008)
Imagine the Ferrari car powered by Honda or vice verse?????????? Whata hell are they thinking......
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Neil Schelly 10:46AM (10/28/2008)
This is not Ferrari taking their ball and going home. I wouldn't bother watching F1 with all the cars getting too similar. You can't take away the expensive circuits. Yes, it's expensive at the top, but not everyone has to be there. There are other cheaper forms of racing that other teams could compete in and do plenty well I'm sure. Brands like Ferrari though would have a hard time developing new technology in a lower, more limited series.
-N
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