Marchionne softened stance on F1 exit for Ferrari before death
Marchionne softened stance on F1 exit for Ferrari before death
Before his sudden and tragic death over the summer, Sergio Marchionne softened his stance on Ferrari campaigning to leave Formula One due to being unhappy with the direction the sport was taking under Liberty Media, according to FIA president Jean Todt.
Since Liberty Media took ownership of the sport, Marchionne had been an outspoken critic of their stewardship, with particular negativity being directed towards their plans for the standardisation of engine parts and a more even distribution of finances among the constructor teams.
The former Ferrari chairman, who passed away following serious complications from shoulder surgery, even threatened to take his team out of F1 altogether.
However, Todt has revealed that Marchionne had become more positive about the situation in the days before his passing.
"On June 28 we had a dinner in my office in Geneva," Todt admitted,
"It was him, [Liberty CEO] Chase Carey and myself, to speak about the future of F1. And on the 29th, he sent me as SMS to say it was a great meeting, and 'we will move positively for the sport'."
READ MORE: Todt preparing for expanded F1 race calendar
READ MORE: FIA to look 'very carefully' at team alliances
“Normally this dinner was due to be on the Sunday night after the Austrian GP. But he sent me a message to say unfortunately he could not make it, could we change and do it before? So we did it on the 28th.
"I am sure about those dates. But I am not sure about when he went to hospital."
Todt went on to reflect on Marchionne himself, saying his death was a loss to the sport of F1.
“It is a big loss,” Todt insisted.
“Not only about all that he did for the industry, but the passion he had and with his style which he had. For me, he was somebody with a great personality.
"I used to work with him before I was appointed as president of the FIA. We did not always agree, but in the end I quite liked him and I had a lot of respect for him."
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 star hits back at Sky pundit with 'boring old man' jibe
- 38 minutes ago
F1 champion DOUBTS passion of new fans
- 2 hours ago
F1 News Today: Horner and Red Bull saga to reignite as F1 legend OFFENDED by official statement
- 3 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE: Norris and Piastri 'just like what you see on social media'
- Today 13:57
Hamilton form raises Ferrari F1 move fears
- Today 12:57
F1 legend OFFENDED by F1's rejection of Andretti's bid
- Today 11:57
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860