Ferrari

[abraham]

F1 is becoming an incredible show where simple viewers and fans are being treated like meat. It's a mix of spectacular prowess, technical and driving, in the hands of serious businessmen. I mean very serious.

We all probably think the same even though we love the sport so much we try to put all these thinking in the back of our head.

Let's hope next year, one or two more teams will challenge the No.1 spot making more difficult for politics to dictate the show. And a special word for Ferrari: the king team of manipulation and deception has yet to win a driver's championship. It's been a long time. Maybe the solution for them is just to move the entire operation in England and eat porridge instead of pasta.

[Devlin]

Here's the address: Ferrari S.p.A., Via Emilia Est 1163 - Modena, Italia. I suggest you run for cover once (and IF) you collect enough courage to send this pearl of wisdom to them.

[Peter Mallett]

Sorry if I'm being simple, but what exactly are you getting at Abraham?

[abraham]

To Devlin and Peter and others,

I didn't mean to insult Ferrari. I am quite a fan of the maker myself. My last line was not really necessary. What I meant is that Ferrari in their own agenda seems to be more manipulative than other teams. It lacks freshness.

The evolution of the sport is interesting. The power has shifted from drivers to team managers and soon to motorists and/or financial institutions when they fully move into the business.
One has the right to ask how the sport will evoluate and if the show will improve.

The last four years have been rather dull and yet the technical improvements have never been that important.

Something is wrong. Do you think so too?

[Peter Mallett]

Ah.

Well its always been thus since Chapman introduced sponsorship.

I was pondering the "dullness" yesterday. Is it because the drivers are now well established and the regs have been stable for the last few years that the racing appears to be improving?

[abraham]

I don't understand "drivers are well established".

Trully though the qualification times have been improved and the gap (in qualif also) between first land last cars has shrunk this year.
I wonder if slick tires would allow good drivers with less "combative" cars to challenge the front rows if nothing esle changed.

[Peter Mallett]

I meant that most drivers have more than a season's experience so the differences in experience are not so obvious.

[Regs]

I may be wrong, but didn't Team Ferrari do a stint in England? And it didn't work out for them there so they moved thier racing operation back to home? As for them being master manipulators, I think they are not the only ones who can wear that badge - McLaren are pretty adept as well. Welcome aboard Abraham, by the way.

[Peter Mallett]

1988 to 1991 (ish). Ferrari bought out John Barnard's GTO design House in Guildford. Their racing operation and engine building all remained in Modena though.

BTW. A minor correction Abraham. Porridge is more associated with Scotland than England. I assume you meant Great Britain (rather than Scotland) when you posted your first thread.

[Devlin]

(Breathe in) Something is wrong - that's for sure. But, why is it that whenever people say that, they proceed to criticize only one team, by default? I mean, you're talking about the sport "lacking freshness" and becoming more business than anything else. Is that (only) Ferrari's fault? There has always been politics involved, and there will always be, that's a sad fact. Just remember the times of Messrs. Prost and Balestre... One more thing - the more car-giants get involved (which seems to be the course that Bernard E has chosen, at least for the next 100 years), the more politics we are likely to see. And you know what concerns me? The more big names get involved, the more money will be thrown in. And this will go round and round, until only the biggest "specimens" have survived. And one dreaded day, the accountancy office of one of those may find that "marketing results of their campaign are below the level expected", and decide to pull the plug on the project (a major manufacturer did something similar a couple of years ago, but they at least left a semi-works team behind, to supply the "desperate"). They don't give a d@mn about the sport, they're in it for the money, and if the money isn't there, then they are wasting their time. And in the modern world, time IS money. The costs of setting up and running a team these days are enormous, with a tendency of rising (using materials from the space and nuclear programme). There aren't too many enthusiasts left there, such as Minardi, who go racing for the sake of it, regardless of the costs (read: losses). It’s all down to the calculator. This is not to say that I’m against the major manufacturers getting involved (as if my vote counts, anyway). All I’m saying is that rules have to be defined more closely, in the way that total dominance (achieved by larger funding available) - which equals dull racing - is avoided, thus rewarding the pure RACING ENTHUSIASM. If the only way to achieve this is to apply a CART-like recipe (modular car construction), then so be it. It seems to me that more and more people are turning to the American series anyway. Did I say American? I meant International - they are expanding into Europe, after blitzing Japan, Australia and South America. Bernie, be afraid, be very much afraid!
And Mr. Malett, I believe Fernet Branca was the first official sponsor that appeared on an F1 car - a Ferrari. So, there is a reason to blame Ferrari after all...
Pheeew (lets steam out).

[Peter Mallett]

Originally posted by Devlin
And Mr. Malett, I believe Fernet Branca was the first official sponsor that appeared on an F1 car - a Ferrari. So, there is a reason to blame Ferrari after all...

Well Mr Devlin, you learn something every day. I was thinking about "Gold Leaf Team Lotus". If you look at the cars before then you'll find that Dunlop, Castrol, Shell etc have all appeared on the cars. They were sponsors of a kind because they provided their products for a minimal sum or even free. BP funded Stirling Moss as I recall.

My point really was that Chapman invented (for want of a better word) Corporate Sponsorship in motorsport.

[abraham]

My, are we upset or what?

Yes, I am with you 100%, I mean 90 %, the rest is my own forming opinion. Thank you for your great "tirade", I don't know the word in english.

To make things straight, I am not against Ferrari. They have been in the F1 business since the beginning. That calls for respect. Italian business mentality is very different than up north but yes, but other teams use their negotiating power to the limit too. Let's close this subject, nothing new to say.

By the way, Renault never intented to stop F1. They semi-retired only because they had nothing to gain more and marketing-wise, the best was done. Honda did the same. You know that. Yes, the pulled the plug pretty roughly though.

I like your opinion about CART. I think CART managers must follow F1 pretty closely and understand the flaws. In USA everything is about money too but they are for the best show possible. Didn't BE adopt the safety car introduction from overseas?

Anyway, nothing new. Let's continue to think about the future if you don't mind, I mean from now to the next 100 years which I intend to live.

[Devlin]

Yo, Abe - I guess I just needed to let the steam out after what happened yesterday, that's all. Hence the pesimistic/embittered views. Well, it is Monday, after all... And about the next 100 years - certainly hope you enjoy it. Is there a fountain of youth we should know about?

Mr. Mallett (sorry about the misprint in the previous post) - I know where you were coming from on the subject of sponsorship. The Fernet Branca/Ferrari thing was more like a personal favour to Mrs. Peron than a real sponsorship deal as we know it today.

[abraham]

Well, this might take us away from F1 topics but the question is important.

Porridge is one. (By the way Peter, thank you for localizing the origin of porridge. Scotland, such a beautifull country)

The second way of staying young is just to believe you are young. Not the simplistic self empowering mantra "I am young" but experience it and thank yourself for being soooooo young. By doing so, we could have an 60 years old driver in a F1. Too bad for the young talents waiting for a seat.

It's getting late in Seoul.
Talk to you tomorrow.