Ferrari could quit Formula One after the 2020 season if the organizers go ahead with their recently proposed plan of significant regulation changes, according to Sergio Marchionne.
The CEO of the Italian car maker said that Ferrari “will not play” unless F1 owners Liberty Media provide them with “a set of circumstances, the result of which are beneficial for the maintenance of the brand in the marketplace and for strengthening the unique position of Ferrari.” He also said that leaving F1 could eventually boost Ferrari and “we will celebrate until the cows come home,” during an analysts’ call, Bloomberg reports.
Ferrari has never missed a season in F1 since the inception of the motorsport series and a potential withdrawal could land a significant blow to the sport.
The proposed new regulations for the 2021 season include a new governance structure as well as new engine rules with lower development costs and budget limits in order to lure more manufacturers into the sport. According to Ross Brawn, managing director of F1, the performance gap between the teams should be “controlled” because “you can’t pour millions of dollars in and start to widen it”.
While Ferrari is backing the plan to reduce the costs for the teams, it disagrees with the idea of not having some sort of “powertrain uniqueness” playing the role of “distinctiveness in the participants lineup.”
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