Mark Webber says he would be "flabbergasted" if Ferrari quits formula one. Mercedes is also unhappy about Liberty Media's plans for a budget cap and new engine regulations, but Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has threatened to pull the Maranello based team out of the sport after 2020. "It's a bit of a chess match at the moment in the background," former F1 driver Mark Webber told the Melbourne newspaper The Age.
But he thinks Ferrari will ultimately decide to stay on the grid. "They want to showcase their technology," said the former Red Bull driver. "It's an incredibly high-end, high-technology sport and there is a glamorous (element). I would be absolutely flabbergasted if Ferrari aren't there in '21 but never say never." (GMM)
I hope he is wrong but I could easily see it happening. Back in the day it seemed impossible that Ferrari could quit sports car racing but they did. Now they are spending £450m for an occasional win. If the budget cap goes thro and they can't spend their way to success what else will they have?
Perhaps they are not so sure their product is superior when the field is even?
Ferrari can actually afford to mediocre because the revenue distribution structure allows them to make more money that every other team (on most years) regardless of their championship position. Ferrari contributes a great deal to the sport, but they are also one of the main reasons the sport has a hard time changing and adapting. Whenever someone proposes anything to significantly minimize the problems of modern F1 (e.g. budget caps, fair revenue distribution, equal representation for each team, lower costs) Ferrari has threatened to leave the sport. I'd actually love to see them try to leave the sport, especially now that they are a public company in the U.S. and they have to answer to shareholders directly.
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TottyWelder
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Perhaps they are not so sure their product is superior when the field is even?