Page 95 - Decadence

Closing the Scuderia doors once the Prancing Horse has bolted
Scheckter (1979), Michael Schumacher (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 & 2004), and Kimi Raikkonen (2007).
Ferrari is also the most successful F1 engine manufacturer, with 230 wins. Between 1950 and 1966, numerous private teams entered Ferraris in World Championship events. Between them, the- se teams achieved 5 podium nishes, including Giancarlo Baghetti’s win at the 1961 French Grand Prix, and a fastest lap (Baghetti) in the 1961 Italian Grand Prix.
Michael Schumacher’s presence at the Scuderia Ferrari team between 1996 and 2006 was all dominating and turned the World of Formula One Ferrari Red. Schumacher’s achievements during his career are impressive to say the least, but more importantly he helped to transform Ferrari into the most successful team in Formula One history. Schumacher won ve consecutive driver’s titles from 2000 to 2004 with Ferrari, including an unprecedented rst and second titles previously won with Benetton in 94 and 95 bringing his overall total to seven. In 2002 Michael won the title with a record six races remaining and nished on the podium in every race. In 2004 Schumacher won twelve out of the rst thirteen races and went on to win 13 times as he won his nal title. From 308 starts Michael achieved 91 wins with 155 podiums
and career points totaling 1,566 alongside 68 pole positions and 77 fastest laps. All this resulting in a total of seven World Driver’s Championships.
Sponsorship arrived in F1 in the late 1960s with logos beginning to appear on the Ferrari single seaters very soon after. In 1968 the Prancing Horse struck a sponsorship deal with Shell who remain as their main sponsor to this day, together with another of their famous global sponsors Phillip Morris International whom have been with Ferrari since 1984, and have own close to the wind after the Tobacco ban on advertising was bought in by having the team overalls sporting barcodes which from a distance read Marlboro, apparently.
Ferrari, no stranger to controversy has again, as it did in 1950, bought up the money split. Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Ferrari, has repeated his earlier threats to pull the Scuderia out of F1. If Liberty Media (F1’s new rights holders) can’t offer an attractive post 2020 deal that is in accord with Ferra-ri’s thinking. The boss of arguably the biggest brand in the sport (if not the world), with the longest continuous heritage has a few major issues, he maintains.
In his words, he is not bluf ng, others before him may have, but things have changed since his arrival. They are looking to evaluate the bene ts
of competing outside of F1, even with its current contractual agreement in place. Ferrari will not countenance the level of simpli cation of engine technology being proposed by Liberty Media.
Marchionne is prepared to start a rival Championship and believes the power of Ferrari would have the draw to bring the other teams with it, if it chose to do so, and that Ross Brawn, Liberty’s managing director of motorsports (and one time Ferrari F1 technical director) is lacking in the DNA of F1, pursuing a course that is not insightful for the sport.
Ferrari is paid $100 million over and above conventional results based payments, and one fth of the total ‘pot’ divided amongst the remaining teams. This does not sit well, and it is doubtful that the other teams would want to give Ferrari any more power than they already think they have.
Liberty are trying to even the playing eld and say they are open to discussion. So, is it a case of Ferrari back to the original argument of ‘Start money’ following through with closing the stable doors on F1 to race elsewhere, or is it tactics and not a real threat?
Prancing Horse power against the powers that be, Liberty. Let’s see.
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